CogAT lessonsNonverbal Battery
CogAT figure classification
Three pictures that are alike in some way. Your child picks the picture that belongs with them.
What your child sees
Grade 4, a question like this one
The three pictures in the row are alike in some way. Which picture goes with them?
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
Kindergarten to Grade 2, read aloud
Look at the three pictures in the top row. They are alike in some way. Which picture goes with them?
- A
- B
- C
Show the answer and whyHide the answer
Look for what is the SAME in all three pictures: the shape, the number of sides, the shading, or the dots inside.
Ignore what changes from picture to picture, such as size or which way a shape points.
Here the three pictures are all hexagons.
Final answer
The picture that is also one of the hexagons.
Remember
Look for what is the same in all three top pictures: the shape, the number of sides, the shading or the dots inside.
Up to Grade 2 the directions are read aloud and there are three shapes to choose from.
Worked example
The same question, one step at a time.
- 1Look for what is the SAME in all three pictures: the shape, the number of sides, the shading, or the dots inside.
- 2Ignore what changes from picture to picture, such as size or which way a shape points.
- 3Here the three pictures are all four-sided shapes with 2 dots inside.
- 4Final answer: the picture that is also one of the four-sided shapes with 2 dots inside.
Common traps
Every wrong choice is built from a mistake children really make.
Close, but one detail is off
Each wrong choice copies the answer and changes one thing the three pictures share, such as the number of sides or dots.
In the example: choices A, C, D and E.
Chasing what changes
Size and which way a shape points change from picture to picture on purpose. The rule is what stays the same.
In the example: choices A, C, D and E.
Where it is on the test
Figure classification is one of the three parts of the Nonverbal Battery. Up to Grade 2 it is a picture version, read aloud with no time limit.
| Grade | Part | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten (Level 5/6) | Figure classification | 14 | No time limit |
| Grade 1 (Level 7) | Figure classification | 16 | No time limit |
| Grade 2 (Level 8) | Figure classification | 18 | No time limit |
| Grade 3 (Level 9) | Figure classification | 20 | 10 minutes |
| Grade 4 (Level 10) | Figure classification | 22 | 10 minutes |
| Grade 5 (Level 11) | Figure classification | 22 | 10 minutes |
| Grade 6 (Level 12) | Figure classification | 22 | 10 minutes |
| Grade 7 (Level 13/14) | Figure classification | 22 | 10 minutes |
| Grade 8 (Level 13/14) | Figure classification | 22 | 10 minutes |
Counts and times are Riverside Insights’ published figures.
Try it
Ten free Nonverbal Battery questions, new every time, with the score at the end. You will be asked to make a free account.
The other parts of the Nonverbal Battery
CogAT® is a registered trademark of Riverside Assessments, LLC. Scholar Tests is not affiliated with or endorsed by Riverside Insights or any school district. Our practice questions are written by us in the style of the published CogAT question types; they are not real CogAT questions, and a practice score is not a CogAT score.