NNAT Reasoning by Analogy Test Preparation – 2025
What Is the NNAT Reasoning By Analogy Test Section?
The reasoning by analogy section of the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) is one of four sections that is used to determine young children’s eligibility for a gifted and talented program. Children that are enrolled in kindergarten through 4th grade will be asked to complete this portion of the NNAT and will be compared with other children who live nationwide.
What Are the NNAT Reasoning By Analogy Test Sections?
The reasoning by analogy section expects your child to be capable of looking at various shapes and recognizing patterns or relationships. This section is usually made up of four boxes. Three of the boxes will have shapes and patterns that transform as they move up and across rows. The fourth box will be left empty; thus, the students will need to choose an answer that contains a shape with a pattern that matches the first three boxes.
How to Read the NNAT Reasoning By Analogy Test Section Score Report
Although the reasoning by analogy section is only one of the NNAT test sections, your child’s performance on this section will be calculated into the following three results:
- Raw Score: Once you receive your child’s scores through the mail, you will first notice a raw score. The raw score may look something like 40/48. All this means is that your child accurately responded to 40 out of 48 questions.
- Naglieri Ability Index (NAI): You will then notice a NAI score. When your child’s raw score is normalized, it becomes their NAI score. Although the average NAI score is a 100, it is completely possible to achieve a 160, which is the highest score. However, once the NAI scores are normalized, most children will only score between 85-116.
- Percentile Rank: The final number on the score report will be your child’s percentile rank. The NAI scores are compared with children nationwide that are close in age, specifically within 3 months of each other. Then, each student will receive a percentile rank based on their NAI scores compared with other children. Therefore, a child who scored 65% on their test will have scored identical to or better than 65% of students nationwide.
NNAT Reasoning By Analogy Tips
- Make sure your child understands what they are being asked to do. Although this is a nonverbal test, that doesn’t mean you can’t used verbal dialogue to assist them while studying. Find an online practice test, and then point to the patterns and say “This shape is to ____ as this shape is to ____.” This will help them understand the relation between each shape and how they fit together.
- Before you look at the answer choices, take a guess. Once your child has looked over the shapes and believes they recognize the pattern, make them guess. Ask them what they think the pattern is and what the empty box should include.
- If they can’t recognize the pattern, use the process of elimination. If your child comes across a question that has an unrecognizable pattern, don’t just have them choose a random answer and move on. Instead, have them take a look at every individual answer and determine which answers are not a possible fit. This will help them narrow it down to one or two possible answers, and may help them figure out the pattern along the way.
How to Prepare For the NNAT Reasoning By Analogy Test
If this is not your child’s initial time taking a NNAT test, you may think that they don’t need to study. But the truth is, they need to study again. The test sections become progressively harder as the children get older, so the tests will not look the same year to year. In order to stay up to date on the current test questions, you will want to practice with online practice exams and sample questions that also include explanations. The explanations will guide you through the test makers’ thought process and how they expect you to answer. Gift your child with the best chances of receiving a high score and being accepted into their school’s gifted and talented program by taking the time to study.