Questions to Ask After Receiving a CogAT Score Report

1. Confirm what was administered

• Which CogAT form, level, and testing window were used?
• Were all three batteries—Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal—administered?
• Were any accommodations, language supports, or alternative subtests used?
• Was anything unusual observed during testing, such as illness, anxiety, interruption, or incomplete responses?

2. Identify every comparison group

• Does the report show age norms, grade norms, local norms, or more than one?
• Which percentile and stanine values are age-based, grade-based, or local?
• Which comparison does the school use when making program decisions, and why?

A percentile rank only makes sense after identifying the comparison group. Age and grade percentile ranks can both appear on CogAT reports, while local norms are available in some testing programs.

3. Understand the score types

• What are the SAS values for each battery and for the composite?
• Can you explain the percentile ranks without treating them as percentages correct?
• What do the stanines add to the interpretation?
• Are confidence bands shown, and do apparently different scores meaningfully differ?

4. Look beyond the composite

• How do the Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal battery results compare?
• Does the Ability Profile show an A, B, C, or E pattern?
• Do any plus or minus symbols indicate a relative strength or weakness?
• How should these patterns influence instruction, enrichment, or support?

An Ability Profile combines the median age stanine with the pattern across the three batteries. In the publisher’s system, A means scores are roughly at the same level; B means one is above or below the other two; C means two scores contrast; and E describes extreme differences. Battery letters and plus or minus signs identify relative strengths or weaknesses.

5. Ask how the school will use the results

• What are the district’s current, published gifted-identification criteria?
• Is CogAT one part of a multiple-measure decision? What other evidence is considered?
• Are cut scores based on composite, battery, age, grade, or local norms?
• What happens when a student has one very high battery but a lower composite?
• Is there an appeal, review, retest, or additional-evidence process?

Qualification rules are local decisions and can change. Request the current district policy rather than relying on a national threshold or an undated online answer.

6. Agree on useful next steps

• What classroom strategies fit this student’s relative reasoning strengths?
• What support would help a relative weakness without labeling it as a fixed limitation?
• When will the results be reviewed again, and who is the best contact for follow-up?
• What can we do at home that builds reasoning and curiosity without creating test anxiety?

Frequently asked questions

Is percentile rank the same as percentage correct?

No. Percentile rank describes the student’s standing in a comparison group. Raw score is the number of correct answers.

Does a high CogAT score automatically qualify a student for gifted services?

Not everywhere. Districts determine their own identification rules and may combine CogAT results with achievement data, local norms, teacher evidence, portfolios, or other measures.

Why can battery results matter more than the composite?

The composite summarizes performance, but it can hide meaningful differences in verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning. Those differences may be useful when planning instruction or deciding what additional evidence to collect.