Gifted and talented testing in Texas: how GT identification works

Every Texas school district must identify and serve gifted and talented (GT) students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The state sets the framework, but each district picks its own tests, referral windows and cutoffs, so two neighboring districts can work very differently. This guide explains the common pattern and what to watch for.

What the state requires

Under the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students, each district must identify and serve GT students in every grade from kindergarten to 12th. All kindergarten students are considered for identification without a referral, and identification must use at least three criteria. Referral windows, tests and cutoffs are set by each district.

Which tests Texas districts use

We have researched 64 Texas districts in depth. Of those that name their ability test, the CogAT appears most often (18 districts), and the Naglieri General Ability Tests appear in 4. Many districts don't name the test on their GT page at all, and simply describe "a nationally normed ability test" alongside achievement data, creativity measures and teacher and parent input.

Some examples:

• Houston ISD tests all second graders, plus fifth and eighth graders above the 80th percentile on MAP, and uses a points matrix.
• Northside ISD gives the CogAT to all second and fifth graders and tests other grades after a referral.
• Plano ISD gives the CogAT to all students in grades 1, 3, 5 and 7 in September and October.
• Fort Bend ISD screens all second graders, but parents still need to refer their child in the fall window for a full GT evaluation with the CogAT.
• Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD gives every kindergartner and 5th grader the Naglieri General Ability Tests online in the fall. See our Naglieri practice guide.
• Allen ISD tests every kindergartner in December, then gives a second phase in the spring to those who meet the criteria.
• Klein ISD has one referral window a year, from August 3 to September 4, 2026, with testing from September to November.

Referral windows matter

Outside the universal screening grades, most Texas districts test only students who are referred during a set window, often in the fall. In Conroe ISD, referrals for the 2025–26 cycle were due in December with testing in January and February; McAllen ISD closed its 2026–27 referral period on September 25, 2026. Check your district's page early in the school year so you don't miss the window.

How to prepare

1. Find out the test and the grade. If your district uses the CogAT, see our guides for kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. For the Naglieri tests, see our test comparison.
2. Practice the formats, briefly. Ten to fifteen minutes a day for a few weeks is enough to make the question types familiar.
3. Remember it is not just one test. Texas districts weigh several measures, so classroom work, creativity tasks and teacher input count too.

Find your district

Texas has more than 1,000 school districts. Our district pages show the referral windows, tests and sources for each one we have researched, and the state plan rules for the rest.

Free ways to practice

• The free sample quiz has original practice questions in the style of the CogAT, NNAT, OLSAT and Naglieri tests.
• Our printables include free CogAT-style packs for kindergarten to 5th grade.
• A free readiness check shows which question types are new or harder for your child. It is a practice estimate, not a GT test result.

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.