Naglieri scores explained: what is a good NGAT (NGA) score?

A Naglieri General Ability Tests report gives a score for each test your child took (Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal), and often a total. Each score comes as a standard score, a percentile rank and a stanine. This guide explains what each one means, how they line up, and what score gifted programs look for.

The three scores on the report

MHS, the publisher, describes the scores like this:

• Standard score. How far your child's score is above or below the average of the comparison group. The average is 100 and the standard deviation is 15, so 115 is one step above average and 130 is two steps above.
• Percentile rank. The share of children in the comparison group who scored the same or lower. A percentile rank of 95 means your child did as well as or better than 95% of them. It is not the percentage of questions answered correctly. The top is shown as "more than 99" so the very highest scores can be told apart.
• Stanine. A broad band from 1 to 9 with 5 in the middle. Stanines 4 to 6 are the average range; 9 is rare.

Each of the three tests gets its own scores. When a child takes two or all three tests, the report can also show a total score that combines them.

National norms and local norms

The Naglieri reports can compare your child with two different groups, and it matters which one you are reading.

• National norms compare your child with children across the United States of the same grade or age.
• Local norms compare your child with the other children tested in the same school or district.

A local percentile can be quite different from a national one. In a district where many children score high, a strong score might be the 90th percentile locally and the 97th nationally. Some districts set their cutoff on local norms on purpose, to find the strongest students in each school. If the report doesn't say which norm it uses, ask the school.

How standard scores and percentiles line up

These figures come from the bell curve (average 100, standard deviation 15). The official norms tables can differ by a point or two, so the safest number to compare with a cutoff is the percentile rank printed on your child's report.

What is a good Naglieri score for a gifted program?

Each district sets its own bar. In the district plans we have researched that publish one:

• Scottsdale Unified, AZ: the 97th percentile or higher on any one of the three tests.
• Rockwall ISD, TX: the 97th percentile or higher on any one test moves a child on to further evaluation, with parent permission. It is a first step, not the final bar.
• Denver, CO: the 95th percentile or higher for Highly Gifted magnet eligibility.
• Pitt County, NC: 2nd graders at the 95th percentile or higher on the spring test are identified as intellectually gifted. A total at the 80th to 94th percentile puts a child on a 3rd grade watch list.
• Alamance-Burlington, NC: the 80th percentile on the verbal or quantitative part moves a child to the next step. Intellectually gifted identification needs the 95th to 99th percentile on the total or the verbal and quantitative combination.
• Atlanta Public Schools, GA follows the Georgia rule: under one route, a mental ability score at the 99th percentile in kindergarten to 2nd grade, or the 96th percentile from 3rd grade, together with an achievement score. Read more in our Georgia guide.

Other districts don't publish a Naglieri cutoff. Seattle, WA, for example, looks at several measures together and does not name a Naglieri score.

One score is not the whole picture

The Naglieri tests measure three kinds of reasoning on one day. A child who was tired, or who had never seen this kind of question before, can score below what they can do. Scores can also differ a lot between the three tests, which is normal: many children are stronger in one area. Many districts look at the best single test, combine the Naglieri with other measures, or let families refer a child again later. Look up your district's rules on our district pages.

Getting ready next time

If your child will take the Naglieri tests again, or another test, short practice with the format helps. See our Naglieri practice guide, try the free sample quiz, or take the free readiness check.

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.