CogAT 1st grade practice test: sample questions and how to prepare

In 1st grade the CogAT is still a picture test: no reading, no timer, and the teacher reads one part aloud. But the questions are a step harder than in kindergarten, and a six-year-old who has never seen them can lose points just working out what is being asked. This guide explains what your child will see and how to practice in short, friendly sessions.

Which districts test in 1st grade

Of the 192 school districts we have researched in depth, 27 list the CogAT for 1st grade and 7 give it to every 1st grader. Plano ISD, for example, gives the CogAT to all students in grades 1, 3, 5 and 7. Look up your own district on our district pages.

What the 1st grade CogAT looks like

According to Riverside, the publisher, Level 7 belongs to the primary levels (kindergarten to 2nd grade). These are made entirely of pictures, the subtests are untimed, and the teacher reads the Sentence Completion part aloud.

Verbal battery

• Picture analogies. Two pictures go together in some way. Your child finds the picture that goes with a third picture in the same way: a seed grows into a flower, so an egg grows into a chick.
• Sentence completion. The teacher reads a question aloud, such as "Which one would you use to dig in the garden?", and your child picks the picture that answers it.
• Picture classification. Three pictures are alike. Your child picks the answer picture that belongs with them.

Quantitative battery

• Number analogies. Like picture analogies, but the link is about amounts: one more, double, half, some taken away.
• Number puzzles. Two trains must carry the same number of things. Your child picks the train car that makes it true.
• Number series. Strings of beads follow a pattern. Your child picks the string that comes next.

Nonverbal battery

• Figure matrices. A 2×2 grid of shapes has one empty box. The change across the top row happens again on the bottom row.
• Figure classification. Three shapes are alike in some way. Your child picks the one that is alike in the same way.
• Paper folding. A piece of paper is folded and usually cut. Your child picks how it looks when opened.

Our 1st grade CogAT page shows an example of each.

A six-week plan

Weeks 1–2: meet every question type. Do two or three examples of each of the nine types together, out loud. The aim is only that your child knows what each question is asking.

Weeks 3–4: find the tricky ones. Mix the types up. Notice which ones your child hesitates on. For many six-year-olds that is paper folding or number analogies, but watch your own child.

Week 5: work alone. Let your child do short sets on their own, then go over the misses together. Ask "how did you know?" for right answers too.

Week 6: keep it light. A few easy sessions to stay familiar, and a normal bedtime.

If the test is sooner, shorten each phase. Even two weeks of short practice helps.

Tips for each part

Verbal. Say the link out loud. Common links are "lives in", "is used for", "is part of", "grows into" and "is made of". For classification, ask "what are all three?" and look for the most exact group: "fruits" beats "food".

Quantitative. Count first, then compare. For number analogies, count both pictures in the top pair and say what changed. For trains, the missing amount is the difference between the two trains.

Nonverbal. Name exactly what changes: shape, color, size, number or direction. For paper folding, fold and snip real paper with safety scissors. Five minutes of this teaches more than twenty pictures.

Listening. Sentence completion questions are read aloud. Practice asking your child to hear the whole question before choosing.

What not to do

• Don't drill the same questions. Memorized answers do not carry over to new questions. Variety does.
• Don't push through tears. If your child is frustrated, stop for the day.
• Don't talk about the score. Talk about thinking. Children who feel the test is a big deal tend to rush.
• Don't skip sleep and breakfast. They matter more than one more practice session. See our test-day checklist.

Free ways to practice

• The free sample quiz shows CogAT®-style questions for 1st grade.
• Our printables include a free CogAT-style 1st grade pack to do on paper.
• Our puzzle activities build the same skills with things you already have at home.
• A free readiness check takes about 20 minutes and shows which question types are new or harder for your child. It is a practice estimate, not a CogAT score.

After the test

Read CogAT scores explained to understand the report, including what a good score is in 1st grade, and check your district page for the score it uses.

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.