Thinkabara🧠 Gifted Test Practice (K–8)
Free · no sign-up · new questions every time · answers explained
Practice for gifted & talented tests like the CogAT®, NNAT® and OLSAT® with original questions in the same styles: verbal, quantitative and nonverbal (figure) reasoning. Pick a grade, then practice one type, take a timed 3-part test, or print a sheet with an answer key.
Practice by grade
The 6 question types
How gifted testing works in the US
Most school districts look for gifted students in two steps. First, a screening test — often the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) or a short nonverbal test like the NNAT — given to a whole grade or to students who are nominated. Students who score high are then looked at more closely, with a second test, grades, teacher ratings or a portfolio.
The tests check how a child reasons, not what they memorized. The CogAT has three parts, called batteries: verbal (analogies, classification, sentence completion), quantitative (number series, number puzzles, number analogies) and nonverbal (figure matrices, paper folding, figure classification). The NNAT is only figure matrices, so it works for kids who are still learning English.
Rules, dates and cut-off scores differ a lot between districts and states. Ask your school which test is used, in which grade, and how results are used.
Tips for parents
- Keep it light. Call it a brain game, not “test prep.” A relaxed child thinks better.
- Short and often. 10–15 minutes a few times a week. Stop when your child is tired — even mid-set.
- Ask “How did you know?” Explaining the rule out loud is the real skill.
- Read every option. The first answer that looks right is often a trap.
- No memorizing. The real test has different questions. The goal is to feel at home with the question types.
- The score isn’t the child. A test is a picture of one morning. Say it before the test — and remember it after.
These are original practice questions written for Thinkabara, in the style of the thinking skills that gifted tests check. They are not taken from any real test, and Thinkabara is not affiliated with Riverside Insights (CogAT®), Pearson (NNAT®, OLSAT®) or any school district.
Questions and answers
Is this the real CogAT, NNAT or OLSAT?
These are original practice questions written for Thinkabara, in the style of the thinking skills that gifted tests check. They are not taken from any real test, and Thinkabara is not affiliated with Riverside Insights (CogAT®), Pearson (NNAT®, OLSAT®) or any school district.
Which grade is gifted testing in?
It depends on the district. Second grade is the most common year for school-wide screening, but many districts test in kindergarten, 1st or 3rd grade too, and re-test in 4th–6th grade. Ask your school which test, which grade and which month.
Can you prepare for a gifted test?
The tests check thinking, not memorized facts. What helps is knowing the kinds of questions, so nothing is a surprise on test day, and building the habit of checking every option. Long, stressful drilling does not help.
How much should my child practice?
10–15 minutes, a few times a week, is enough. One relaxed set of 10 questions with a talk about the explanations beats an hour of questions in a row.
Is it really free?
Yes. Every question type, the timed test, the printable sheets and the answer keys are free, with no sign-up. New questions are generated every time, so you never run out.
Does my child need to read?
For kindergarten and 1st grade the questions use pictures and short sentences you can read aloud. From 3rd grade on, the verbal questions use words, like the real tests do.
More brain workouts: logic grid puzzles, sudoku, riddles and the at-home learning plan.