CogAT is also referred to as the Cognitive Abilities Test. It is a group aptitude test that is administered for children with grades K- 12. It is primarily conducted to estimate students’ problem-solving and reasoning skills. This test is completely different from the other assessment tests which are conducted to measure the knowledge that students have gained through their learning.
CogAT primarily focuses on measuring intellectual ability, problem-solving skills, and analytic skills. This test measures a student’s performance to the other children of the same age while the grade norms refer to the comparison of student’s performance to the other children of the same grade.
Talking about the format of the test, it is made up of three different sections. These sections are generally referred to as batteries and cover verbal, nonverbal, and quantitative sections. The number of questions is determined based on the student’s grade and the form of a test.
Generally, CogAT takes around 2 to 3 hours to complete. It is associated with the assessment of children for talented and gifted programs. Several institutes help you with CogAT practice as well as preparation. A simple online search for the same will give you tons of options to choose from.
Here is the expert advice that will help you to prepare your child for the CogAT test.
Table of Contents
Organizing the materials
The organization is the first step that you should focus on while preparing your child for the CogAT test. Make sure to organize the study material properly for reading purposes. You can also refer to various study guides available on the internet regarding the preparation of certain topics and the overall exam. It is also important to ensure your child is well-rested during the prep period.
Focus on each question
Every question is important in CogAT. Hence, it is important to pay equal attention to each one of them. According to experts, It is important to attempt the question first and then write down the relevant reasoning on a piece of paper. After this, you can submit the answer and check the applicable explanation. You can check if there is any mistake in the answer. Make sure to understand the strategy and the mistake that you made after reading the explanation. Also, you need to check whether your child has chosen the correct answer and compare the strategies by reading the explanations. This way your child will learn more about the question.
Review the solutions
Reviewing the solutions helps in highlighting the mistakes in practice tests. If you feel that your child has implemented the right strategy while solving the test, then you can move further to the next test. Make sure to review all the questions in each of the tests that they take. Check each of the solutions twice while reviewing.
Practice and track the progress
Practice and tracking the progress will certainly help your child to do well in the CogAT test. Make sure your child attempts maximum practice tests. You can check and track his progress after every test. A comparison graph will let you know where your child stands at this moment. But do not try to overdo it. We understand that practicing questions will prepare your child for the test but it is also important to ask your child to take a rest in between. This will help him to recharge and rejuvenate for further tests. Make sure your child develops a habit of attempting the tests and solving questions without referring to any explanation.
Keep an eye on the time
CogAT is a timed test. As mentioned above, this test takes about two to three hours to finish. Hence, it is important to keep the time factor in mind and get the test papers solved by your child within a given time. Make sure he has some time left for the revision purpose as well after solving the paper. This will help him to become more confident during the actual test.
