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Gifted test practice for kindergarten to 3rd grade

Districts from South Carolina to Arizona use ability tests to find children for gifted programs, and several test every 2nd grader. Here’s what the CogAT, NNAT and OLSAT ask, a short practice set in their style for children of 5 to 8, and how to help without the pressure.

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The three tests at a glance

TestLevels, kindergarten to 3rd gradeWhat’s on itTime
CogATLevels 5/6, 7, 8 and 9Verbal, quantitative and nonverbal parts: nine kinds of question. Pictures only until 3rd grade.Untimed until 3rd grade, paced by the teacher; 10 minutes a kind at Level 9
NNAT3Levels A, B, C and D (D is for 3rd and 4th grade)48 puzzles made of shapes, each with a piece missing. No words or numbers.30 minutes
OLSAT 8Levels A, B, C and DVerbal and nonverbal questions. Levels A to C include questions the teacher reads aloud.Varies by level, up to 75 minutes

Try a few

Nine puzzles, one of each kind on the CogAT, in our own style. Tap the speaker on each to hear it read aloud, as the teacher reads the directions on the real test, and take your time: there’s no clock.

Nine puzzles to try

Puzzles like the Level 5/6 test, read aloud. A new set every time, marked when you finish.

Sit with your child and let them tap. If they’re stuck, move on: it’s practice.

Which districts use which test

Each district chooses its own test, grades and cut-off. These are some we checked in November 2026, with a link to each district’s own page. Fairfax County in Virginia, which once used the NNAT and CogAT, now gives all 2nd graders the Naglieri General Ability Tests (NGAT), a separate test.

New York City: no test for fall 2027

New York City gives no gifted and talented test for fall 2027. Kindergarten applicants in a city pre-K program are evaluated by their pre-K teachers, and others are interviewed by the Department of Education; applications run from December 9, 2026 to January 22, 2027, with offers on March 30, 2027. For 1st to 4th grade, a child is eligible with report card grades of 3 or 4 in math, reading and writing, and no 1 in math, reading, writing, social studies or science this school year; applications run from April 19 to May 7, 2027, with offers on June 10. A place depends on the family’s choices, seats and priorities, so being eligible doesn’t guarantee one. schools.nyc.gov

How to help, and what to avoid

A little familiarity helps young children show what they can do. Pressure doesn’t, so keep practice short and play-like, a few puzzles at a time.

Do

  • Make the kinds of question and the directions familiar. Young children sometimes don’t understand what to do on a task they’ve never seen, with brief directions, and the CogAT’s publisher says practice led by a teacher can make scores more valid and stable.
  • Practice little and often over weeks. Frantic cramming at the last minute isn’t usually successful.
  • The night before, an early bedtime; on the morning, a good breakfast. Keep a sick child home and ask for another day.
  • Tell them to listen carefully to the teacher, stay calm if some questions seem hard, and give their best answer.

Avoid

  • Drilling or heavy coaching. The CogAT’s publisher rotates its test forms so that coaching has less effect.
  • Reading too much into a score after a lot of practice on the same puzzles: a second NNAT within weeks or months usually scores about 4 points higher from familiarity alone.
  • Treating one score as the whole picture. Districts such as Fairfax County weigh a test score as one piece of evidence among several.

From info.riversideinsights.com/hubfs/Cog%20Speakings…, pearsonassessments.com/content/dam/school/global…, greenville.k12.sc.us/News/main.asp?titleid=2310c…, cdn.erblearn.org/www/20260801_E3n_ISEE_QuickFact…, content.govdelivery.com/attachments/VAEDUFCPS/20….

Questions about gifted tests

When do children take a gifted test?

It depends on the district. Several test every 2nd grader: South Carolina and Chandler in Arizona test in October 2026, Newport News in Virginia tested in October 2025, and Glendale in Arizona, Charlotte-Mecklenburg in North Carolina and Westport in Connecticut also test all of 2nd grade. Your district’s gifted program page has its own dates.

Can you prepare for a gifted test?

Getting used to the kinds of question and the directions helps, especially for young children meeting them for the first time. Heavy drilling doesn’t: the CogAT’s publisher rotates its forms so that coaching has less effect, and a score after a lot of practice on the same puzzles can say more about the practice than the child.

Does my child need to read?

Not at the youngest levels. CogAT Levels 5/6 to 8 (kindergarten to 2nd grade) are pictures only, with the directions read aloud, and the NNAT has no words at all. OLSAT Levels A to C include questions the teacher reads aloud. The CogAT’s verbal questions are printed words from Level 9, in 3rd grade, and the OLSAT’s listening questions stop after Level C.

Does New York City use a gifted test?

Not for fall 2027. Kindergarten applicants in a city pre-K program (including charter and community-based ones) are evaluated by their pre-K teachers, and others are interviewed by the Department of Education; applications run December 9, 2026 to January 22, 2027. For 1st to 4th grade, eligibility comes from report card grades, with applications from April 19 to May 7, 2027.

Are these real test questions?

No. Every question here is written by AskThena in the style of each test and made fresh each time. CogAT, NNAT, OLSAT, ISEE and SSAT are trademarks of their publishers, and AskThena isn’t connected with or endorsed by them.

Every question here is written by AskThena in the style of the test and made fresh each time. CogAT, NNAT, OLSAT, ISEE and SSAT are trademarks of their publishers, and AskThena isn’t connected with or endorsed by them.

Getting ready for the ISEE or SSAT instead? See ISEE practice and SSAT practice.

With Exam Prep, Thena sets practice tests in your child’s test’s style and goes over every mistake with them on her board: $64 a month with the Solo plan.

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She puts it back on her board, says the rule out loud and works it through with them, then gives them one like it to try alone.

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