2026 Edition

CogAT® Practice Test

Try our free CogAT practice test with answers and instant scoring.

The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is a K–12 test that assesses a student's reasoning abilities in three areas: Verbal, Nonverbal and Quantitative. The CogAT is often used in admission decisions for Gifted and Accelerated school programs.

This practice test is broken down by grade level (K-2) so you have a choice of doing all the questions or just the grade level that is applicable to your child. For CogAT test levels K-2, parents read the instructions and text of the questions to the child and the child is to select the answer they believe is correct. For example, a parent will read the test instructions and the child will point to the image (A, B, C or D) to indicate their choice for the correct answer.

For more comprehensive and challenging practice, we offer two practice tests for the K-2nd grade age range, K-1st Grade and 2nd Grade.

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View 1 Question at a Time

I. Kindergarten Level

1 The wind moved the _________ on the lake.

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

A sailboat is moved by wind on lakes.

2 The sound of the _________ could be heard over the other musical instruments.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

A tuba is a musical instrument and may be heard over other musical instruments.

3 Which picture goes best in the empty box with the question mark?

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

A kayak goes on a river like a car goes on a road.

4 Which picture goes best in the empty box with the question mark?

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A jacket goes into a closet like a teddy bear is stored in a toy chest.

5 Choose the picture from the bottom row that goes best with the pictures in the top row.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Chalk is a drawing instrument like a crayon, pencil or pen.

6 Choose the picture from the bottom row that goes best with the pictures in the top row.

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A pineapple is a fruit like the ones in the top row.

7 Replace the question mark by selecting the picture that shows the same relationship as the first two pictures.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

One teddy bear added to one teddy bear equals two teddy bears. One flamingo added to two flamingos equals three flamingos.

8 Replace the question mark by selecting the picture that shows the same relationship as the first two pictures.

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The top row shows a whole cup of milk, then a half cup of milk. Answer B is half of the cake shown in the first box.

9 How many more apples would the second train need to carry the same amount as the first train?

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The top train shows six apples. Two apples must be added to the four apples in the second train to equal the first train.

10 How many more logs would the second train need to carry the same amount as the first train?

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The top train shows eight logs. One log must be added to the seven logs in the second train to equal the first train.

11 How many beads should be on the last bar?

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The pattern is one bead, then two, one bead then two. The next in this progression should be one bead, answer A.

12 How many beads should be on the last bar?

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The progression is six, five, four, three, subtracting one bead at each step, so the next should be two, answer B

13 Choose the answer that goes best in the box with the question mark.

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The top boxes reverse the order of the figures. Similarly, Answer D reverses the order of the figures in the bottom left box.

14 Choose the answer that goes best in the box with the question mark.

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The three lines make up the three sides of the triangle. The four lines make up the four sides of the square.

15 If you fold a paper in half as shown, cut/punch it as shown and then unfold it, what will it look like?

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If you fold the paper in half and punch a hole in the top left corner and then unfold it, there would be a hole on the top left corner and one on the bottom left corner.

16 Select the image that goes best with the three images in the top row.

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The pentagon is green, the same color as the figures in the top row.

17 Select the image that goes best with the three images in the top row.

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Answer B has a triangle inside the shape like the ones in the top row.

II. 1st Grade Level

18 The roar of the _________ scared the birds away.

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

A lion roars.

19 We rode in a _________ since the store was 20 miles away.

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One rides in a car and in an airplane. However, It would be too short of a trip for a plane, so car is the correct answer.

20 Which picture goes best in the empty box with the question mark?

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Milk comes from cows and orange juice comes from oranges.

21 Which picture goes best in the empty box with the question mark?

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

A hammer is used to drive nails and a saw is used to cut a log.

22 Choose the picture from the bottom row that goes best with the pictures in the top row.

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A bee has wings similar to the animals and insects in the top row.

23 Choose the picture from the bottom row that goes best with the pictures in the top row.

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The winter jacket is an item of winter clothing that is worn like the items in the top row. Answer A is a closet of clothes.

24 Replace the question mark by selecting the picture that shows the same relationship as the first two pictures.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Two stars added to the first two stars equals four stars. Two blocks added to the three blocks equal five blocks.

25 Replace the question mark by selecting the picture that shows the same relationship as the first two pictures.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Taking away four cookies from the first picture equals one cookie. Taking away four pencils from the six pencils equals two pencils.

26 How many more giraffes would the second train need to carry the same amount as the first train?

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The first train has ten giraffes. Three giraffes need to be added to the seven giraffes in the second train to equal the first train.

27 How many more cars would the second train need to carry the same amount as the first train?

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The first train has nine cars. Eight cars need to be added to the second train that has one car to equal the first train.

28 How many beads should be on the last bar?

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The progression is two beads, then four, then six, adding two at each step, so eight beads would be on the last bar.

29 How many beads should be on the last bar?

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Every other bar progresses by one bead (four beads, then five) so the next one should be six beads.

30 Choose the answer that goes best in the box with the question mark.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The second box contains half of the first shape (half of a circle) so the correct answer is A which is half of the square.

31 Choose the answer that goes best in the box with the question mark.

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

B is the correct answer. The arrow in the top left box is pointing up and the box to the right has the arrow in the position of a quarter turn clockwise. The bottom box has an arrow pointing down, and following the relationship of the top boxes, a quarter turn clockwise, results in answer B, an arrow pointing left.

32 If you fold a paper in half as shown, cut/punch it as shown and then unfold it, what will it look like?

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

If you fold the paper in half and punch stars in the top left and right corners and then unfold it, there would be stars in the top left and right corners and stars in the bottom left and right corners.

33 Select the image that goes best with the three images in the top row.

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The figure in A contains a vertical line like the top three figures.

34 Select the image that goes best with the three images in the top row.

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The figure in C is a square with a shape inside it like the top three figures.

III. 2nd Grade Level

35 As the _________ rose in the sky, the temperature increased.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The sun rising in the sky would cause the temperatures to increase.

36 We looked at a bug under a _________ to enlarge it.

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A bug would be put under a microscope to enlarge it. A telescope and binoculars would enlarge objects that are far away.

37 Which picture goes best in the empty box with the question mark?

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A tadpole will become a frog. A baby will become an adult.

38 Which picture goes best in the empty box with the question mark?

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

A garden hose is connected to a water pipe in order to be used. A lamp is connected to an electric outlet in order to be used.

39 Choose the picture from the bottom row that goes best with the pictures in the top row.

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A trumpet is a wind instrument, like the ones in the top row.

40 Choose the picture from the bottom row that goes best with the pictures in the top row.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

A dolphin is a mammal like the animals in the top row. The other options are not mammals.

41 Replace the question mark by selecting the picture that shows the same relationship as the first two pictures.

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

In the top two boxes, the right box doubles the amount of circles in the left box. If you double the amount of three diamonds in the bottom left box, the answer is six diamonds.

42 Replace the question mark by selecting the picture that shows the same relationship as the first two pictures.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The second box shows half the amount of hockey sticks as the first box (ten hockey sicks to five hockey sticks). Half of six rabbits would be three rabbits.

43 How many more umbrellas would the second train need to carry the same amount as the first train?

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Nine umbrellas plus the three in the first car would equal the twelve umbrellas in the top train.

44 How many more ladders would the second train need to carry the same amount as the first train?

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Eight ladders plus the four in the first car would equal twelve ladders in the top train.

45 How many beads should be on the last bar?

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Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Each bar decreases by four beads (12, 8, 4) so the last bar should have no beads.

46 How many beads should be on the last bar?

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The pattern is 1,3, 5, and since the last bar has 1, the final bar in the progression would be 3.

47 Choose the answer that goes best in the box with the question mark.

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The pattern is that the middle color moves to the left, the right color moves to the center (blue then red). In the bottom row, the middle color is purple and the right color is orange, so the correct pattern should be purple, orange then pink.

48 Choose the answer that goes best in the box with the question mark.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The pattern established by the top two boxes is that the center color and the outside color of the figures switch. After applying this pattern to the bottom row figure, the correct answer would be the pentagon with the blue center and the yellow border.

49 If you fold a paper in half as shown, cut/punch it as shown and then unfold it, what will it look like?

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

If you fold the paper in half diagonally and punch a hole in the top left corner and then unfold it, there would be a hole on the top left corner and one on the bottom right corner.

50 Select the image that goes best with the three images in the top row.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

The top three figures are in three dimensions, as is answer D.

51 Select the image that goes best with the three images in the top row.

Incorrect. Please choose another answer.

Each figure in the top three boxes have three lines inside the figure. Answer C has three lines in the figure.

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