Gifted test for kindergarten: which tests, what's asked and how to prepare

If your child is starting kindergarten and you have heard the words "gifted test", the first question is usually which test, and whether your child will take it at all. The answer depends on the district. This guide explains what we found, what a kindergartner actually sees, and how to prepare without turning a five-year-old into a test taker.

Will my kindergartner be tested?

We researched 192 school districts in depth. 103 of them list some kindergarten step toward gifted identification, and the rest start in a later grade, usually 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Among the districts that name a test for kindergarten:

• CogAT: 20 districts.
• Naglieri (NGAT or NGA): 6 districts.
• NNAT: 5 districts.
• Individual IQ test: 20 districts, all in Florida.

Many districts name more than one test, so these counts overlap.

Most of these are referral based: a teacher or parent asks, a screening step selects children, or a family applies or registers. A few test every kindergartner. In our data, Allen ISD (CogAT), Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD and Rockwall ISD (both Naglieri) say they test kindergartners universally. Texas also has a state rule that every kindergartner is considered for gifted identification, so many Texas districts look at kindergartners in some way. Your own district's page has the exact rule and the source we used. Start at our district finder. New York City is different: it dropped its entrance test, and kindergarten G&T is by nomination (see NYC gifted and talented).

The tests a kindergartner may see

CogAT (Level 5/6)

The publisher, Riverside, says the youngest levels are made entirely of pictures, are untimed, and have the teacher read the Sentence Completion part aloud. There are nine question types in three parts: Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal. Our guide to the kindergarten CogAT shows each type.

NNAT3 (Level A)

Pearson describes the NNAT3 as a nonverbal measure of general ability for kindergarten through grade 12. A level has 48 multiple-choice items and takes about 30 minutes in a group, on paper or online. Children look at shapes and patterns and choose the answer that fits. There are no words in the questions. See NNAT practice test.

Naglieri General Ability Tests (NGAT)

MHS, the publisher, gives the NGAT online to groups, with a separate test for each grade from kindergarten to grade 9. The directions are language-free and animated, and kindergartners and first graders watch an instruction video and try sample questions before the test starts. A school adult opens the test for the child. Each test takes about 30 minutes, plus a few minutes of instructions. MHS reports local norms for kindergarten and national norms through grade 6. See Naglieri practice test.

Individual IQ tests

Some districts, all of them in Florida in our data, list an individually administered IQ test for kindergarten. These are given to one child at a time rather than a group. The group-test practice on this site does not cover this format. Your district's page names the test it uses.

The OLSAT

We did not find a kindergarten entry for the OLSAT in the districts we researched in depth. If your district names it, the publisher's materials and your school can tell you the format, since published item counts and times for the youngest level differ between sources.

What the questions look like

Across the group tests, a kindergarten question usually asks your child to do one of these things:

• Find the picture that goes with three others (what is the same about them?).
• Complete a pattern of shapes, colors or beads.
• Match an amount: one more, the same number, some taken away.
• Pick the picture that answers a question the teacher reads aloud, such as "Which one swims in the ocean?"
• Say what a folded and cut piece of paper looks like when opened.

None of these needs reading. A child who knows what each type is asking has an easier time than one meeting it for the first time. Try our free kindergarten sample quiz to see the style.

How to prepare

Play first. Sort toys into groups, make bead or sticker patterns, count snacks onto two plates until they match, fold and snip paper. These build the same skills as the test with no worksheets.

Then meet the question types. Two or three examples of each type, talking aloud: "What's the same about these three?" The goal is that your child knows what is being asked.

Practice listening and choosing one answer. Some five-year-olds point at two pictures or start talking. Games with two-step instructions ("touch your nose, then clap") help them wait for the end of a question.

Keep it short. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough. Stop while your child is still enjoying it.

Skip the drilling. Memorizing answers does not carry over to new questions, and a stressed child does worse than a relaxed one.

For a week-by-week plan, see how to prepare for the CogAT in kindergarten. The same plan works for the other picture based tests.

What a kindergarten result means

Kindergarten scores are less stable than scores later on, because young children's attention, mood and language change quickly. Many districts retest or look at more than one measure before deciding. A single score is one piece of information, not a verdict on your child. Our guides on CogAT scores, NNAT scores and Naglieri scores explain how to read each report.

Free ways to practice

• The kindergarten sample quiz shows CogAT®-style questions.
• Our printables include a free kindergarten pack to do on paper.
• A free readiness check shows which question types are new or harder for your child. It is a practice estimate, not a score from any real test.
• Our puzzle activities use things you already have at home.

CogAT® is a registered trademark of Riverside Assessments, LLC. NNAT® is a trademark of Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliates. OLSAT® is a registered trademark and Naglieri General Ability Tests™ a trademark of Multi-Health Systems Inc. (MHS). These owners are not affiliated with and do not endorse GiftedCub. Test names are used only to describe the formats our original practice material is designed to resemble.