CogAT 4th grade practice test: sample questions and how to prepare

By 4th grade the CogAT is fully a reading-and-numbers test. Every subtest is timed, the beads and pictures of the early grades are gone from the quantitative part, and the questions step up in difficulty. For some children 4th grade is a second chance: a few districts screen again in 4th grade, and many accept referrals in later grades. This guide explains what to expect and how to prepare.

Which districts test in 4th grade

Of the 192 school districts we have researched in depth, 42 list the CogAT for 4th grade and 7 give it to every 4th grader. Examples include Long Beach Unified, CA, which screens in 2nd and/or 4th grade, and Prosper ISD, TX. Many other districts test 4th graders who are referred or new to the district. Look up your own district on our district pages.

What the 4th grade CogAT looks like

According to Riverside, the publisher, from Level 9 (3rd grade) upward children read the questions, every subtest is timed at 10 minutes, and all questions are multiple choice. Riverside's materials cover Levels 9 to 17/18 together for grades 3 to 12 and do not print a level for each grade; prep sites and district pages usually pair 4th grade with Level 10.

Verbal battery

• Verbal analogies. Two words go together in some way. Your child picks the word that goes with a third word in the same way.
• Sentence completion. Your child reads a sentence with a missing word and picks the word that fits best.
• Verbal classification. Three words are alike in some way. Your child picks the word that belongs in the same group.

Quantitative battery

• Number analogies. Pairs of numbers follow a rule, such as 4 → 12 and 6 → 18. Your child applies the same rule to a new number. From Level 10 these are written only as strings of number pairs.
• Number puzzles. Each equation has missing parts. Your child puts the given numbers in place and solves it.
• Number series. A row of numbers follows a pattern, and your child picks what comes next. From Level 10 there are no beads, only numbers.

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 figures are alike. Your child picks the figure that is alike in the same way.
• Paper folding. A piece of paper is folded, holes are punched through it, and your child picks how it looks unfolded.

Our 4th grade CogAT page shows an example of each.

A six-week plan

Weeks 1–2: learn every format. Do a few examples of each of the nine types together. Talk through how you know each answer. No timer yet.

Weeks 3–4: mix and find the weak spots. Do short mixed sets. Keep a simple tally of which types cause the most misses, and spend extra time there.

Week 5: add the clock. Try a few sets the length of a subtest with a 10 minute timer. The goal is steady work: a best guess on a hard question, then keep going.

Week 6: keep it light. Easy review only, and a normal bedtime.

If the test is sooner, shorten each phase. Two weeks of short practice still helps.

Tips for each part

Verbal. Make a sentence for the first pair ("A violin is played with a bow") and use the same sentence with the third word. If two answers fit, make the sentence more exact. For classification, name the group as exactly as you can. Reading widely, and talking about new words, helps more than vocabulary lists.

Quantitative. For number analogies, write the rule down: "times 3", "add 7". Check it works for every pair before using it. For number series, write the change between each pair of numbers underneath; if the changes don't make a pattern, try multiplying, or two patterns taking turns. For number puzzles, substitute the given number and work it out step by step.

Nonverbal. Name exactly what changes: shape, shading, size, number or direction, and check both the row and the column. For paper folding, fold a sheet, punch holes with a pencil and open it. Every hole appears again, mirrored across each fold.

Timing. Ten minutes goes quickly. Teach your child not to get stuck: make a best guess and move on.

What not to do

• Don't drill the same questions. Memorized answers do not carry over to new questions. Variety does.
• Don't start with the timer. Speed comes from knowing the formats. Timing too early just adds stress.
• Don't talk about the score. Talk about thinking.
• Don't skip sleep and breakfast before test day. See our test-day checklist.

Free ways to practice

• The free sample quiz shows CogAT®-style questions for 4th grade.
• Our printables include a free CogAT-style 4th grade pack to do on paper.
• 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 4th 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.