To ensure your child’s success on the CogAT, proper preparation and confidence on the testing day are crucial. Nonetheless, if your child enters the test unprepared and unaware of what to expect, they may face disadvantages. Others who have prepared will likely hold an advantage, regardless of fairness.
Luckily, there is an easy solution for this. Testing Mom has helped 1,000’s of children achieve higher scores on the CogAT test with a prep program unlike any other available. Many members even choose to continue their membership after testing because of the amount of educational content Testing Mom can provide a family who wants their children to succeed academically. Fun fact – any child in the family can use a single Testing Mom membership.
The Testing Mom Advantage
As the most widely-used gifted and talented assessment in the United States, the CogAT is heavily supported on Testing Mom. 1,000’s of practice questions, interactive games, online tutors, skill-building academy, and a team of testing experts to help guide parents through the testing process and beyond are all available with a Testing Mom membership.
The questions on the CogAT cover cognitive abilities that are not specifically taught, or included, in an academic curriculum. These are abstract thinking abilities such as problem solving, classifying and categorizing, recognizing patterns and sequences, reasoning with shapes and figures, deductive and inductive reasoning, mathematical reasoning, and more.
Common Mistakes to Look Out For
Watch for these common mistakes. At TestingMom.com, we have seen that children, no matter how bright they are, don’t always perform well on tests when they have no test-taking experience, and specifically, no practice with the format and structure of a particular test. Many critical test-taking skills go unaddressed in school, leaving students without practice in the art of test-taking. Consequently, they may misinterpret directions, lose focus, neglect answer choices, struggle with question comprehension, fail to eliminate incorrect options, waste time on challenging questions, and encounter other issues.
As you observe your child working through this practice test, watch for these common mistakes and gently make corrections. Through your your guidance and lots of practice, your child will be able to perform at his or her true ability for a fair and accurate evaluation during the actual test.
Since the CogAT is a cognitive test that assesses your child’s thinking and reasoning abilities in areas of language, math and spatial relations, TestingMom.com’s practice questions, that are similar to the test, can be very helpful in building your child’s underlying skills, experience, and confidence. The test itself is given in black and white, although many of our site’s practice questions are shown in color to make the test preparation process feel more interesting and fun for children.
How Testing Mom helps with CogAT prep
Testing Mom online test prep equips kids with the skills and knowledge required to tackle these assessments confidently and successfully. Here’s how Testing Mom can assist with the CogAT and how parents can play a crucial role in this process:
- Comprehensive Material: TestingMom.com offers a wide range of study material aligned with the content of the CogAT. It includes online practice questions, interactive games, skill-building exercises, and printable worksheets. With such a vast selection available, parents can pick the learning method that suits their child best. This choice ensures an effective and engaging study experience.
- Tailored Learning: The platform customizes the learning content based on the child’s grade level, ensuring the material is suitable and challenging enough to boost their cognitive abilities. This tailored learning approach aids in the comprehensive understanding and mastery of the topics that the CogAT will assess.
- Skill Development: The CogAT evaluates students’ abilities in areas such as verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal reasoning. TestingMom.com provides specific practice questions and resources for each of these areas, allowing children to develop the necessary skills systematically.
- Parental Support: TestingMom.com also offers resources for parents, including a guide to understanding the CogAT, strategies for test prep, and tips on how to support their child’s learning journey. This helps parents feel more equipped to assist their child in preparing for the test.
Here’s how parents can further help with CogAT test prep
- Regular Practice: Parents should ensure their child regularly practices using TestingMom.com. Consistency is key in reinforcing the skills and knowledge gained. Testing Mom also offers one-to-one online tutoring at super affordable prices! You can schedule a free call with one of our educational advisors to learn more about how our one-to-one tutoring can help your child soar on the CogAT!
- Encourage a Growth Mindset: It’s important for parents to foster a growth mindset in their children, emphasizing that intelligence can be developed and that effort leads to improvement. This helps children approach the CogAT with a positive and resilient attitude.
- Healthy Environment: Parents should provide a quiet, comfortable space for children to study, free of distractions. Also, maintaining a healthy balance between work and play is crucial to avoid burnout.
- Monitor Progress: Parents can utilize Testing Mom’s Digital Tutor to monitor their child’s progress effectively. This tool helps identify both strengths and weaknesses in preparation for CogAT success. By pinpointing areas of need, parents can offer targeted support. They can also explore how Testing Mom tutoring can provide that additional boost.
- Open Communication: Parents should maintain an open dialogue with their child about the CogAT. It’s essential to discuss any worries or concerns their child may have and to reassure them that a test is merely a way to show what they’ve learned.
By using TestingMom.com and following these guidelines, parents can support their child in preparing for the CogAT test. This combination of online learning and parental support can help students approach the test with confidence and perform to the best of their abilities.
How to get the most out of CogAT practice tests and questions
For optimal performance during a CogAT practice test, ensure your child is in a quiet, well-lit environment. This enables them to concentrate effectively while tackling the questions. We suggest doing these batteries in 3 separate sittings, with a rest period between each battery. This way practice sessions will more closely emulate the official testing day.
Materials You’ll Need:
- Separate the practice test from the instructions in this booklet. Staple or clip the practice test together.
- Have some soft, black #2 pencils and good erasers to use.
When Your Child Is Taking the Practice Test:
- Give your child one set of questions at a time. First, go through the sample questions in the set to make sure your child knows what to do.
- Then, allow your child to work through the rest of the questions if you don’t need to read individual question prompts.
- Read instructions exactly as they are written. Do not paraphrase them.
- For Sentence Completion questions, read through each question prompt. On the actual test, questions will not be repeated, so encourage your child to listen carefully to the question when you ask it.
- Give your child breaks as needed – ideally, take a break between each Battery of 3 question sets.
- During the practice test, refrain from providing feedback or assistance to your child. Intervene only if they are genuinely confused about what to do.. Review all answers after the test is over.
- At the end of each set of questions, give your child positive feedback for working hard and doing his or her best! This will help to instill a sense of motivation and confidence in your child!
To further enhance CogAT preparation, consider joining TestingMom.com. We offer hundreds of practice questions and engaging online prep games for your child.