CogAT 6th Grade Test Guide: Structure, Scoring, and Study Tips
There are many ways to help your child prepare for the CogAT for 6th grade (level 12). You can help them ensure they work through practice tests and create a learning routine.
You can also help your child by finding out all you can about the CogAT test for 6th grade. This article will give you all the information you need to help your child prepare and get the best score.
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About CogAT 6th Grade
The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) aims to assess students from kindergarten right through to the 12th grade. The test will consist of multiple-choice questions to assess students’ problem-solving skills, logic, and ability to learn.
The skills mentioned above are thought to play a role in a student’s academic success. Schools will use this test as a way to learn which students qualify for the talented and gifted programs.
There are 18 different levels of the CogAT test that will correspond to different school years. Students in the 6th grade will most likely take the level 12 CogAT test. In rare circumstances, highly gifted students will have to complete a test from one level up.
It’s also rare that students in the 6th grade will be qualified to complete a level 13 or 14 CogAT test. The level 13 and 14 tests are meant for middle or junior high school students.
How is the CogAT for 6th Grade structured?
The CogAT test for 6th grade will consist of three different sections called batteries. Each battery will assess particular cognitive abilities. These three sections are the following:
Verbal battery: Students will be tested on their vocabulary, being able to recognize word relationships, and their verbal comprehension skills.
Quantitative battery: The students will be assessed on their problem-solving and reasoning skills regarding numbers and basic arithmetic.
Non-verbal battery: This battery will use spatial relationships and geometric shapes to assess students’ abstract reasoning.
Each of these batteries will be handed out one at a time. However, it’s most likely that learners will complete all three of the batteries in a single sitting.
When the CogAT for 6th grade is taken in a single sitting will consist of 176 questions, and students will have 90 minutes to complete the test.
In each battery, students will see three different subtests, and they will have approximately ten minutes to them.
Verbal Battery
Verbal Analogies
Students will be asked to find the relationship between words in this subtest. The subtest will show them a pair of words with a clear connection. For example, hot is to cold.
The students will then need to choose the correct word pairs. They will be able to use the example above as a reference. Students will need to answer 24 questions in this subtest.
Sentence Completion
In this subtest, students will need to answer 20 questions. They will need to read a sentence that is missing one word.
The students will then have multiple-choice options to choose from. They will need to select the best option to complete the sentence.
Verbal Classification
This subtest will have 20 questions that students will have to complete. They will need to choose the best option from five possible answers. The best answer will be the word that fits in the same class as other words.
Quantitative Battery
Number Analogies
In this subtest, 18 questions need to be completed. This subtest is similar to the verbal analogies subtest.
Students will be given number pairs, and they will need to find the relationship between the numbers.
Number Puzzles
Students will need to solve 16 mathematical equations in this subtest. They will include subtraction, multiplication, and division. The questions will also test them on their knowledge of the order of operations.
Number Series
There will be 18 questions to answer in this subtest. Students will need to use logic to choose the best multiple-choice option that will fit in with the sequence of numbers.
Non-verbal Battery
Figure Matrices
There are 22 questions in this subtest. This is another subtest where students will need to spot the relationships and rules. But students will need to do this with abstract shapes shown in a 2 x 2 matrix.
Students will need to look at the relationship between the pictures in boxes one and two. Then they will need to apply what they see to the image in box three and figure out what needs to be in box four.
Paper Folding
There are 16 questions in this subtest. Here students will see a piece of paper that is being folded and hole-punched. Students will then need to determine what the paper will look like once it’s unfolded.
Figure Classification
There are 22 questions in this last subtest. Here students will need to find a common theme with the figures and shapes presented to them.
The first three shapes presented will be similar in a certain way. Then students will need to choose a fourth shape that best matches the first three.
How Is the CogAT Test Scored?
As mentioned above, in this CogAT test, there are three different batteries that students will need to complete. Each battery will be scored, and each score will be combined to generate one composite score.
The composite score will indicate which percentile students will fall under. This placement will be based on the scores from all three batteries in this test. If a student gets a composite percentile of 85, it could mean one of two things.
It could mean that the student is in the 85th percentile or that their final score was higher than 85% of the other students who took this test.
The norm score is generated from national age and grade norms. These scores are used to compare students of the same age and who are in the same grade. This will show how they did on the test compared to their classmates.
After the test, students will receive a report card that will show the standard age score, the stanine score, and their percentile rank. The stanine score ranks one to nine, with nine being the highest. A high stanine score will the students have highly developed cognitive skills.
The report card will also show how the students scored in each battery of the test and the composite score—seeing these scores will show where students need to improve and where they excelled.
Students will also get their percentile ranking for each battery and for their composite score. Broadly speaking, if a student achieves a percentile of 50, they will be considered average. On the other hand, if a student gets a high percentile score such as the 97th, they will be regarded as for the talented and gifted programs.
How to Prepare for the CogAT for Sixth Grade?
There is no passing or failing the CogAT test. The test is meant to assess a student’s natural ability and if they are suited for advanced learning programs. But this doesn’t mean that aren’t ways that you can’t help a child prepare for the CogAT test for 6th grade.
Practice with some CogAT practice tests
There’s a good dance that your child or student hasn’t completed a test like the CogAT for 6th grade. For this reason, it’s best to prepare by completing some CogAT practice tests. Using a practice test will build a student’s confidence and understanding of what’s expected from them in each section of the test.
Use creative learning methods.
Because every student process information their way, it’s important to remember that no one method will benefit everyone. For example, younger students will need creative ways to process information.
Teachers and parents could create a game that involves recognizing patterns and word associations for students who need a more creative approach to prepare for the test. Teachers and parents can use visual aids to help students process the information.
Slowly and thoroughly read questions.
When helping your child or student work through the practice tests, ensure that you read through the questions slowly and thoroughly. This step is essential because a question might seem obvious to an adult, but it might not be evident to the student.
So it will be essential to ensure that they the questions. When the student is comfortable with the questions, you can work with them to improve their reading speed.
Focus on Weak Spots
When practicing for the CogAT, there are bound to be one or two areas where your child will struggle to answer the questions correctly. So when you are helping them prepare, you should focus on these areas where they struggle.
Explain the answers
A student needs to understand their reasoning and logic behind providing a particular answer, whether it was correct or not. Talking through their students with them will help students better understand how and why they came to that conclusion.
If their answer was incorrect, they need to know and understand where they went wrong. Giving the correct answer will boost their confidence in their abilities and help them work faster.
Create a study routine
Having a study routine is an integral part of prepping for the CogAT test. You should encourage your child student to study during specific times and set goals for each session. Reaching these goals will give them a sense of achievement.
Final Thoughts on the CogAT 6th grade
Schools will use the CogAT 6th grade to assess where students progress and their abilities. The test is also used to evaluate the school’s own teaching methods.
Educators and parents should keep in mind that students in the 6th grade are still developing and that the CogAT tests is only a single measure of their abilities. However, the scores achieved in this test could impact their future decisions.
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Sarah is an accomplished educator, researcher and author in the field of testing and assessment. She has worked with various educational institutions and organisations to develop innovative evaluation methods and enhance student learning. Sarah has published numerous articles and books on assessment and learning. Her passion for promoting equity and fairness in the education system fuels her commitment to sharing insights and best practices with educators and policymakers around the world.
