Free Online CogAT Grade 3 Test Preparation: Practice CogAT Level 9 Sample Questions & Tips – 2025

What Is the CogAT 3rd Grade Test?

CogAT, an abbreviation for the Cognitive Abilities Test, is an aptitude test that determines eligibility to enroll into a gifted and talented program. Children that are in the 3rd grade will be taking the CogAT 3rd Grade Test. The 3rd grade test is an extension of the 2nd grade test, with questions that are slightly more difficult. The CogAT 3rd Grade Test is also identified as the CogAT Level 9, since 9-year-olds will be the age group taking this exam. By now, 3rd graders will be expected to have developed verbal skills, meaning that the test sections will be more advanced.

What Are the CogAT 3rd Grade Test Sections?

In previous years, students were not expected to be able to read and the questions were typically read aloud. This is not the case for 3rd graders. Majority of the test will remain nonverbal, but there will be a mandatory verbal section. The CogAT 3rd Grade Test will measure each student’s verbal, nonverbal, and quantitative reasoning abilities. There will be a total of 170 questions, and each battery will also include three subsections.

Verbal Battery

3rd graders will be tested on their vocabulary efficiency and their ability to memorize verbal phrases. During lower-level testing, teachers would explain the directions to the students out loud, and students were not required to read anything. However, the picture classification and picture analogy sections have now been changed into verbal classification and verbal analogy sections. The sentence completion and verbal classification sections will include 20 questions, while the verbal analogy section will have 22 questions.

• Verbal Classification: Three words will be provided to the 3rd graders. The three words will be similar to each other, and one word from the answer row will also be similar to the original words. The students will need to recognize the similarity between the first three words, and choose a fourth word that matches.
• Verbal Analogies: Three words will again be provided to the 3rd graders. The initial two words will be similar to each other, and the last word will be similar with one of the answer choices. Students will choose a word that they believe is similar to the third word.
• Sentence Completion: Although this section was optional for children in kindergarten through 2nd grade, it is now a requirement for children in 3rd grade or higher. The students will read a sentence that will include a missing word. They will need to look through the words provided in the answer section, and choose the word that complete the unfinished sentence.

Find out more about CogAT’s verbal reasoning tests battery.

Nonverbal Battery

3rd graders may find that the nonverbal battery section appears similar to nonverbal questions that were asked during their younger years. The questions are designed to assess the mental ability of all students, regardless of their English skills. The nonverbal battery section will include the same three subsections, including paper folding, figure matrices, and figure classification. 20 questions will be asked in the figure matrices and figure classification sections, and only 16 questions will be asked during the paper folding section.

• Figure Matrices: Three figures will be split across three separate cells in a 2×2 matrix. The figures in the top row will be related in a way that may not be immediately clear. The 3rd graders will need to solve the top row’s relation, and apply it to the single figure in the lowest row. Only one answer will have a matching relation to the third picture.
• Figure Classification: These questions will look almost identical to previous CogAT test questions. Three matching shapes or figures will be placed together in a row. One of the provided answers will include a matching shape, and the 3rd graders will need to choose the correct answer.
• Paper Folding: The first part of the paper folding process will be similar to previous lower-level questions. A copy of a sheet of paper will be folded at least two times. However, once the paper is folded, it will also receive several hole punches in order to make the questions slightly harder. Then, the 3rd graders will have to recreate the unfolding of the paper in their head, and choose the piece of paper from the answers that matches their recreation.

Quantitative Battery

3rd graders will answer quantitative battery questions that measure their problem-solving skills. This battery includes number series, puzzles, and analogies. The number series and analogy sections will both include 18 questions, but number puzzles will only include 16 questions.

• Number Series: Previously, students were required to count beads on an abacus toy. Now, 3rd graders will see a string of numbers that follow a pattern. They will choose a number from the options that completes the number pattern.
• Number Puzzles: A simple math equation that includes numbers will be written on the exam. There will be a question mark in place of one of the numbers in the equation. The 3rd graders will look through the numbers in the answer row and choose the number that solves the solution.
• Number Analogies: The 3rd graders will notice at least two pairs of numbers that are related. The third pair will be missing a number. Students will identify the relation between the numbers, and then apply the relation to the third number to solve the problem.

How to Read CogAT 3rd Grade’s Score Report

A comparison is conducted between every 3rd grader who is similar in age. The CogAT score will traverse through various steps before a final score is calculated. Most schools will be looking for a specific percentile rank score in order for your child to be considered for a gifted and talented program.

• Raw Score: The first step in determining a final score is the raw score. The test proctors will add up the amount of questions that your 3rd grader answered right, and will show that number over the entire number of questions. Because there are 170 questions, a score could look like 150/170, if 150 questions were answered right.
• Universal Scale Score (USS): The next step is to normalize the raw score and have it converted into the USS. Each CogAT battery will receive a USS. The three USS results will be averaged together to form the Composite USS result.
• Standard Age Score (SAS): Then, each 3rd grader’s USS result is compared with the results from other students. 160 is the best SAS score possible, while the average 3rd grader will score around 100.
• Percentile Rank (PR): Each 3rd grader will be assigned a percentage based on their CogAT performance. The percentages are allocated based on how high each student scored. Thus, a child with a percentile rank of 90% scored identical to or better than 90% of other students.
• Stanine (S): A number amid 1 and 9 is assigned to each child that represents their aptitude and ability level.

CogAT 3rd Grade Tips

1. Practice with set time limits. Each section of the CogAT exam will include a time limit. In most cases, the time limit will be between 10 to 12 minutes. If you have a student that is a slow test taker, or hesitates when answering questions, they will need to learn how to answer the questions faster. Practice with online preparation exams with time limits. This will prepare your child for the actual exam and will help them achieve a higher score.
2. Physical objects can become your child’s best friend. In certain sections, especially the paper folding section, it may be hard for your child to visualize patterns or manipulations. If this happens, try explaining the process with a physical object. Take a piece of paper and fold it in front of your child. Then, have them unfold it and pay attention to each step of the process. This will assist them in understanding the folding process and aide them in mentally visualizing it.

How to Prepare for the CogAT 3rd Grade Test

The 3rd grade CogAT test will include a new format that will be unfamiliar for the students. Pictures of shapes will be turned into math equations or English words. Younger children may have heard rumors from older children that the 3rd grade test is extremely hard compared to the 2nd grade test. The good news is, practice exams are available for the CogAT 3rd Grade Test. Practice exams will familiarize your 3rd grader with common patterns and sentence structures that are seen on the exam. They will offer various example questions and explanations that review crucial knowledge. The explanations will also help identify your child’s areas of weakness and how they can improve. Practicing is the first and most important step in preparing for the CogAT 3rd Grade Test.