Verbal and Non-Verbal ReasoningBuilding Thinking Skills Level 2
is our number one recommendation if your child is reading confidently at at least a fourth grade level (if not start with Level 1). This is a Gr 4-6 product covering verbal and nonverbal reasoning. The software covers the same skills, with the same examples, but the presentation is very different. The choice of book or software is up to you. The presentation of the book is more like that of the test but the software is more engaging and can be used more independently. Exercises can be repeated more easily with the software enabling a third grader to rework areas they find challenging until they master them. Many of our customers choose to purchase both book and software particularly if they have a short period of time before testing. The book allows for a quick overview and looks more like the actual test but children are frequently willing to spend more time "playing" with software than answering questions in a workbook.
Quantitative Reasoning
The quantitative analysis battery in the CogAT is not about math per se but rather about understanding relationships between numerical concepts and how numbers can be manipulated. The three subtests cover quantitative relations, number series and equation building.
If math is not your child's strength you might like to start with Mathematical Reasoning D. This title integrates reasoning activities into grade level mathematics. While designated as a Gr 3 title it includes Gr 4 material. If your child is an able math student you do not need Mathematical Reasoning.
Math Blockout is a very simple program providing practice with equation building (Math Blockout does not run under Vista 64 bit).
Scratch Your Brain has a selection of math problems which will ensure that your child has the expected grade level knowledge of concepts like place value, units of measurement, time, fractions etc and provide them with an opportunity to apply that knowledge in a variety of problems. One strength of this title is that your child will not know what is coming next. Being able to brainstorm and think around a problem to arrive at a solution is a characteristic of gifted children which they'll be expected to use during testing.
Math Analogies presents figural and quantitative analogies. From the quantitative reasoning perspective your child will get exposure to grade level appropriate concepts of measurement and calculation. They'll also learn how to identify the "expected" answer.
More Verbal Reasoning
If your child needs more work in the verbal reasoning area and particulary if they are bilingual we recommend some additional titles.
One area many children find challenging are the verbal analogies. Verbal Analogies are covered in the last chapter of Building Thinking Skills. Think Analogies (book) or Thinkanalogy Puzles (software) provide more information on how analogies work and more examples. Think Analogies explains how different types of analogies work in detail and provides more examples. Thinkanalogy Puzzles has less explanation of how analogies work and more examples with 300 analogy pairs in 20 exercises.
Vocabulary is also important in general. Your able 3rd grader is probably ready to tackle Word Roots A1. They'll extend their vocabulary and learn word associations as they constuct words from latin prefixes, suffixes and root words.
More Non-Verbal Reasoning
If you'd like further resources to work on your child's non-verbal reasoning ability you'll find a number of other suggestions under our NNAT recommendatons.
Deductive Logic - Which Answer Should I Choose?We always recommend
Mind Benders for any multi-choice test. These are deductive logic puzzles. This is the skill you use in multi-choice testing to eliminate (a) and (b) as impossible even though you don’t know the answer thereby improving the chance of guessing correctly. They are also great for practicing the type of reading required for multi-choice testing where every word matters. Many able children skim read.
For testing they need to practice slowing down and taking account of every word.
A1 would be a good place to start but we have titles above and below this in difficulty. There are 14 titles in the
Mind Benders series.
Conventional Test Preparation
Finally we've included two traditional test preparation titles in the list below. If your child hasn't had a lot of experience taking standardized tests it can be helpful to expose them to this prior to testing. Spectrum Test Prep is a traditional test preparation book written for parents. Spectrum Test Practice contains additional practice tests. Spectrum Test Prep has less background information (like get a good night sleep and eat breakfast) and more practice tests. The format of the practice tests in the Test Prep title is more that of real tests including bubble sheets. Remember that these are traditional test preparation books. The questions test areas like reading comprehension and mathematics skills. They were not written for the CogAT.
Software or Book?
The choice is up to you and your child. Your child will be exposed to the same skills whichever format you choose. Books are more portable but they don't allow easily for repetition of difficult exercises. Software can be used by multiple children and the variety of presentation may engage a child's interest for longer. For most of the titles we don't have a strong preference ither way. Where we do you can find that information in the detailed product description (click on "more info" after any of the brief descriptions below.)
