CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) Level E
The suggestions below are for a highly capable child taking CogAT Level E in seventh grade. If your child has areas of particular strength or weakness then you may wish to adjust up or down a level. If you're planning ahead (thinking about testing next year for a sixth grader, for example) you may also need to consider staring at a lower level in some of these series and working towards the level recommended here. If you'd like suggestions for your situation please email or phone with some information about your child and we'd be happy to make suggestions.
For most children Building Thinking Skills Level 3 Figural, Building Thinking Skills Level 3 Verbal and perhaps math and logic titles will be the place to start. Add other titles depending on your child's relative strengths and weaknesses in the different areas of testing, what they'd enjoy doing and what you've got time for.
Scroll below this text to see the list of titles. For each of the titles below you can get more information including a look inside at sample pages by clicking on "more info" after the brief product description.
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 seventh 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.
The CogAT has three sections each with three subtests. Your preparation should cover verbal, non-verbal and quantitative analysis.
Building Thinking Skills Level 3 is our number one recommendation. This comprises two books at a Gr 7-12 level covering verbal and nonverbal reasoning.
The third set of subtests in the CogAT is the quantitative battery. The quantitative analysis battery in the CogAT is not about math per se but rather about understanding quantitative relationships and how numbers can be manipulated. Becoming a Problem Solving Genius will get your child thinking about math in different ways and prepare them for the type of thinking they will need to do to solve CogAT problems.
If you have doubts about your child's understanding then Mathematical Reasoning through Verbal Analysis Middle School Supplement is a good choice. It teaches the type of reasoning that the CogAT is looking for. Remember that is the reasoning behind the problems which is important, not the computation.
Quick Thinks Math is another option. It has quick problems in curriculum areas to provide quick review.
Verbal Analogies are covered in the last chapter of Building Thinking Skills Level 3 Verbal. Think Analogies explains how different types of analogies work in detail and provides more examples. This is particularly important for children who do not have American English as their first language. They may miss some subtleties in verbal analogies without additional practice. Thinkanalogy Puzzles (software) provides the same material in a more interactive format.
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. There are 9 titles in this series so plenty of opportunity to provide your child with lots of practice if they need and/or enjoy these activities.
Orbiting with Logic takes a more general approach to the teaching of logic with more than just deductive logic.
Finally we've included a traditional test preparation title 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. Gruber's Essential Guide to Test Taking provides a comprehensive review of the main topics tested for in both ability and achievement testing at this level.
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