The recommendations below are for the typical gifted child taking CogAT Primary Edition Level 2. 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 second 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. A child who has prepared at this higher level is more likely to be able to answer the most difficult questions on the test.
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. 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. The book is portable. Many of my customers choose to purchase both.
If your child is bright they are likely to be working at a higher level than Building Thinking Skills Level 1 in at least some areas. If some of the sample activities look very simple you might like to get Level 1 in book format and Level 2 in software. This will enable them to practice and advance in those areas where they are particularly able in the software and master the skill areas they are not as confident in using the book.
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. Book 1, which is a Grade 2 book, is recommended below. There is a separate instructor/answer guide. You won’t need this for the answers but it has all the discussion points. For the CogAT it is this reasoning that is important and for busy parents it’s nice to have discussion points and vocabulary laid out.
The test will be done orally with instructions and questions read to the children. Mind Benders Warm Up is a collection of deductive logic puzzles. Dr. Dooriddles A3 is a collection of associative reasoning activities. These are both designed to be done orally. They are not illustrated and there will not be questions exactly like these on the test. They are very helpful, particularly for a fluent reader who may not listen to instructions as carefully as they could, for practicing listening skills and learning that it is just as important to listen when the questions are easy as when they are hard – if you don’t hear the question you can’t answer it.
For children who like software Think Ahead Games is an optional extra. Children find a path through a grid by matching game board pieces by color or size. Among the skills built are sequencing, classifying and recognizing patterns. These are all tested for in the nonverbal subtests.
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