COGAT Scores

[Kelly Collett]

My daugher is in first grade and just took the cogats. She scored in the 99th percentile in all areas. Does this indicate that she is gifted?

[Kevin_K]

Probably, though the COGAT is not a very precise test. Certainly it would be worth following up wiht more detailed testing, to find out what her strengths (and weaknesses) really are.

[Nancy Bosch]

I've always heard that the CoGats can score higher than an individual IQ test. The top score (as I remember) is 150, scores in that range would get my attention if I was assessing for gifted services.

[Judi Holst]

In our district, a student would be identified as gifted if he/she scored in the 97% or above. Does your school district have a gifted program?

[Kelly Collett]

She is in first grade in a catholic school where they do not have a gifted program.

[Sandi Sherman]

Kelly, Many school districts in our state (AZ) use the Cognitive Abilities Test to identify students for gifted programs. Students who score in the 97th percentile or above on either the verbal, quantitative or non-verbal section would be considered gifted. A child who scores in the 99th percentile on ALL sections would be considered highly gifted. I would suggest you use this information, along with achievement test scores and classroom performance , to make sure that your child is placed in a classroom where the teacher will nurture her strengths and give her challenges worthy of her talent. Good luck.

[Lynette Breedlove]

We use the CogAT in our district along with some qualitative pieces to identify students. Scoring in the 99th percentile would likely indicate a need for GT services in our district.

The top score of 150 is hard to get depending on a child's age. Even if a child answered every question right, they might not get the 150 score - as the ceiling is slightly different for each age. It's not very sensitive at the top - it doesn't discriminate well between the 95th and the 99th percentiles as that's not what it was designed to do.