CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) Exam Survival Guide

Audience: G&T / placement (K–12) | Batteries: Verbal • Quantitative • Nonverbal

Must-do

• Verbal: analogies, sentence completion, verbal classification.
• Quantitative: number analogies/series, equation building.
• Nonverbal (figural): figure matrices, paper folding, figure classification.

Top traps

• Treating analogy as vocabulary only (it’s relationship logic).
• Guessing figural rules without testing across all panels.
• Number series: missing the two-rule pattern (e.g., +2, ×2 alternating).

Quick checks

• Verbal analogy: BIRD : NEST :: BEE : ? (HIVE)
• Number series: 3, 6, 12, 24, ? (48)
• Matrix rule: rotate 90° each step → pick image that follows.

You will make

• Relationship Map (part↔whole, function, cause↔effect, type).
• Two-Rule Series Cards (alternate add/multiply).
• Figural Rule Deck (rotate/reflect/add/remove/size/number/position).

Last-48h

• 15 mixed analogies (say the relationship aloud).
• 10 number series (write the rule).
• 2 figural matrix mini-sets (timed 8–10 min).
• 1 paper-folding drill (predict holes).
• Light vocab skim (common noun→function pairs).

Speed tactics

• Name the rule → test it on all examples before answering.
• Eliminate options that violate any discovered rule.
• If stuck on series: check for alternating or growing step.

Day-of plan

• 6-minute warm-up: 4 analogies, 4 series, 4 figures.
• Cap items at ~45–60s; mark & move.