Gifted & talented test prep at home: a calm guide for parents

If your child's school runs a gifted & talented (G&T) screening, you may be wondering whether to prepare and how. Here is a calm, practical guide to what these tests look for and how to help at home in 15–20 minutes a day.

How does G&T screening work?

Every district runs its own process, but most follow a similar pattern: a universal screener in a certain grade (often grade 2) or a parent/teacher referral, a group test, and sometimes a second, individual assessment.

Testing windows differ widely. Some districts test in the fall, many accept referrals in December and January and test in late winter or spring. Always check your own district's gifted program page for dates and referral deadlines.

Which test? A quick guide to the five big ones

CogAT: the most widely used. Three parts (verbal, quantitative, nonverbal), nine subtests; many schools give only a three-subtest screener.
NNAT3: shapes only, no words. 48 questions in 30 minutes.
NGAT: the newer Naglieri General Ability Tests. Separate verbal, quantitative and nonverbal tests, each about 30 minutes, with animated, language-free directions.
OLSAT: verbal and nonverbal questions read aloud by the teacher; used by fewer districts today.
CCAT: the Canadian version of the CogAT, used by many Canadian school boards (for example in Grade 3 in Toronto).

After a group screener, some districts add an individual assessment by a psychologist (for example the WISC-V). That step is not something to practise for.

What do the tests measure?

Common screeners (for example CogAT, NNAT or NGAT, which are trademarks of their publishers) focus on reasoning, not school knowledge. Typical question types include:

Pictures & words: picture analogies, sorting pictures into groups, finding the odd one out, listening to a question and picking the answer
Numbers: balancing equations, number patterns, number analogies with pictures
Shapes: shape matrices, pattern completion, paper folding, rotating shapes

Many of these tests are given on a tablet or computer, often with time limits and questions read aloud for young children.

Seven tips for practising at home

Short and daily: 15–20 minutes a day beats a long weekend session.
Teach the thinking, not the answer: ask "What's the rule here?" before checking the answer.
Explain mistakes kindly: ask why your child chose an answer, then find the right path together.
Make the format familiar: tapping answers, hearing questions read aloud and seeing a timer should not be new on test day.
Build up difficulty: early wins create the confidence to tackle harder puzzles.
Keep it playful: children reason better when they are curious, not anxious.
Rest before the test: sleep and free play matter more than last-minute drilling.

How Brainosaur helps

Brainosaur turns practice into a dinosaur adventure across 12 time periods. Every obstacle is a picture, number or shape puzzle in the style of school G&T screeners, and every question is read aloud, so no reading is needed. Difficulty adapts to your child, Grandpa Woolly explains mistakes, and the Test-Ready Report (behind a parent gate) shows which skills are ready using a clear rule: 8 of the last 10 hard questions right, on at least 3 different days.

One-time purchase: no ads, no subscription, no data collected. Works offline.

CogAT, NNAT, NGAT, OLSAT and CCAT are trademarks of their respective owners. Brainosaur is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any test publisher or school district, and it cannot guarantee a test result.

Frequently asked questions

Which gifted test will my child take?

There is no single national test. Each US school district (and sometimes the state) chooses its own screener; CogAT and NNAT3 are the most common, NGAT is growing, and some districts use OLSAT. In Canada many boards use the CCAT. Your district's gifted program page lists the test and the testing window.

When should we start practising?

A few weeks to a few months before the testing window is plenty. Short, daily, playful sessions work better than long cramming sessions.

Is test prep allowed?

Most US districts do not forbid families from practising, but some school boards do. For example, the Toronto District School Board asks that children are not prepared for its Grade 3 CCAT screening. Always follow your own district's rules.

Updated: 2026-10-26 · Tamakala Games