The recommendations below are for the typical gifted child taking CogAT Primary Edition Level 1. If your child has areas of particular strength or weakness then you may wish to adjust up or down a level. If you'd like recommendations for your situation please email or phone with some information about your child and I'd be happy to make suggestions.
The CogAT is a test of reasoning skills. It’s not like a spelling or a math test where if you know the words or the facts you can get 100% and there is little advantage is learning more difficult words or practicing more difficult math problems. There is no defined curriculum for the CogAT. An average child in first grade would not be expected to be able to answer the most difficult questions on the CogAT. That's why the list below includes titles that are notionally for higher grades.
Building Thinking Skills Level 1 is my number one recommendation. This is a Gr 2-3 product covering verbal and nonverbal reasoning. The software covers the same skills, with the same examples, but the presentation is very different. I suggest having a look at the sample activities provided and getting your child to try them. If they have difficulty you may wish to get the software so that they can repeat the areas they find challenging until they master them (once you’ve written in the book it’s difficult to do the same exercise again). If you are concerned about your child's ability to answer a pen and paper test then you may wish to purchase the book instead or as well as. There are questions in the book formatted very like those on the actual test. Don’t expect your child to be able to provide written answers to the questions that are not presented in a multi-choice format.
Usually the numerical component of the test is less novel for children because if they're good at math they are given extension math activities in the classroom. Mathematical Reasoning through Verbal Analysis is a full compressed math curriculum. It teaches the reasoning tested for in the CogAT but has more math than you need. Level C, which is a Grade 2 book, is recommended below.
The test will be done orally with instructions and questions read to the children. Can You Find Me? is a collection of logic riddles in different subject areas. Your child listens to you reading the riddle and then identifies the correct picture. It is great practice for the type of listening required during testing. Your child will find some of the questions very simple. Most adults find at least a few of the questions challenging. This too is great practice for the test.
Other options for practicing listening skills are Mind Benders Warm Up (deductive logic) and Dr. Dooriddles A2 (associative reasoning). These are designed to be done orally. They are not illustrated.
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