Gifted & talented · CogAT · Updated October 24, 2026

CogAT scores, explained for parents

The report arrives with a Standard Age Score, a percentile, a stanine and a code like 8B (Q-). Here is what each one means, taken from Riverside Insights' own score guide, and what gifted programs actually look for.

What is a good CogAT score?

A Standard Age Score of 100 is exactly average for your child's age. Riverside calls a composite of 120 or higher well above average. Gifted programs usually look around the 95th to 98th percentile, roughly SAS 127 to 132, but the cut-off is set by your district or state, not by Riverside.

The three numbers on the report

Standard Age Score (SAS)

Average 100, standard deviation 16, for each battery and the composite. It compares your child with children of the same age in years and months, so the youngest in a class are not held against the oldest.

Percentile rank

The share of the comparison group who scored the same or lower. The 50th is average. It is not the percent of questions answered correctly, and its steps are uneven: the gap from the 90th to the 95th is far bigger than from the 50th to the 55th.

Stanine

The same result in nine broad bands, 1 to 9. Because the bands are wide, small differences that mean nothing do not show up as different numbers.

SAS to percentile, roughly

SASAge percentileWhat it means
100about 50thExactly typical for the age
108about 69thAverage range
116about 84thAbove average
120about 89thRiverside: "well above average" starts here for the composite
124about 93rdAbove average
128about 96thAround many gifted screening cut-offs
132about 98thTwo standard deviations above average
136about 99thVery high

Worked out from the normal curve with average 100 and standard deviation 16. Your child's report prints the exact percentile from Riverside's tables, which can differ by a point.

Reading the ability profile

A profile such as 6B (Q+) has three parts. The number is the middle of the three battery stanines. The letter is the pattern. Any V, Q or N with a plus or minus marks the Verbal, Quantitative or Nonverbal battery as a relative strength or weakness. Riverside's guide treats the profile as more useful than the composite score.

The number: overall level

9
Very high
7 to 8
Above average
4 to 6
Average
2 to 3
Below average
1
Very low

The letter: pattern

A: All about the same

Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal scores sit at roughly the same level.

About half of children at the younger levels (5/6 to 8), about 40% at Levels 9 and up

B: One above or below

Two scores agree and the third is a clear strength or a clear weakness.

About 26% at the younger levels, about 36% from Level 9

C: Contrast

One clear strength and one clear weakness at the same time.

About 12% at every level

E: Extreme

At least two scores are 24 or more SAS points apart.

About 9% at every level

Five profiles, decoded

9AVery high on all three batteries.
8B (Q-)High overall, with Quantitative noticeably lower than the other two.
5C (V+ N-)Average overall, stronger on Verbal and weaker on Nonverbal.
2B (N+)Below average overall, with Nonverbal a clear strength.
8E (V-)High overall, with Verbal far below the other two.

Source: Riverside CogAT Form 7 Score Interpretation Guide. Riverside lists Form 8 as an equivalent of Form 7.

What score do gifted programs need?

There is no national CogAT cut-off. Some states write a rule into law; most leave it to districts. Three real examples:

Georgia (state rule)

The 99th percentile in grades K to 2, or the 96th in grades 3 to 12, on a composite or full scale ability score, plus an achievement criterion. Or meet the bar in three of four areas: ability, achievement, creativity and motivation. Rule 160-4-2-.38

Florida (state rule)

An IQ two standard deviations or more above the mean on an individually given intelligence test. A group test like the CogAT can lead to a referral but cannot decide eligibility on its own. Rule 6A-6.03019

Maricopa Unified, Arizona (district)

At or above the 97th percentile on a state board approved test. District page

Your own district's gifted page is the only reliable source for the number that applies to your child. Our gifted testing dates page links each district's official page.

Questions parents ask

What is a good CogAT score?
A Standard Age Score (SAS) of 100 is exactly average for the child's age, and Riverside describes a composite SAS of 120 or higher as well above average. For gifted programs, districts usually look somewhere around the 95th to 98th percentile, which is roughly SAS 127 to 132, but each district or state sets its own rule and often adds other measures.
What does a CogAT SAS of 130 mean?
The SAS has an average of 100 and a standard deviation of 16, so 130 is just under two standard deviations above average, about the 97th percentile for the child's age. The exact percentile comes from Riverside's tables and is printed on the score report.
What does a CogAT ability profile like 8B (Q-) mean?
The number is the median of the three battery stanines, so 8 means above average overall. The letter is the pattern: A means the three batteries are about even, B means one stands out above or below, C means one is high and one is low, and E means at least two scores are 24 or more SAS points apart. Q- marks the Quantitative battery as the relative weakness.
What is the difference between age and grade percentiles on the CogAT?
An age percentile compares the child with others of the same age in years and months; a grade percentile compares with others in the same grade. Some reports also show a local percentile, which compares with children tested in the same district.
Why do percentiles near the top move so slowly?
Percentiles have unequal steps. Riverside's guide points out that a 5 point gap between the 50th and 55th percentile means almost nothing, while a 5 point gap between the 90th and 95th is a real difference. That is why one or two questions can move a child several percentiles in the middle but only one at the top.
What CogAT score is needed for gifted in Georgia?
Georgia's state rule allows two routes. A child can score at the 99th percentile (grades K to 2) or the 96th percentile (grades 3 to 12) on the composite or full scale score of a mental ability test and also meet an achievement criterion, or qualify by meeting criteria in three of four areas: mental ability, achievement, creativity and motivation.
Is the CogAT enough for gifted in Florida?
Not on its own. Florida's rule asks for an IQ two standard deviations or more above the mean on an individually administered intelligence test. The CogAT is a group test, so Florida districts use it to decide who is referred for that individual test, not to make the final decision.
Should I worry about one low battery?
Not by itself. Uneven profiles are common: Riverside reports that only about half of younger children, and about 40% of older ones, have an even A profile. A clear strength or weakness is useful information for the teacher, and the profile was designed to show exactly that.
Is the CogAT SAS an IQ score?
No. Riverside's own guide suggests explaining CogAT results to parents with percentiles and stanines because the SAS can be confused with an IQ score. The CogAT is a group test of reasoning given in school, not an individual IQ assessment.

See the question types before test day

Try five CogAT-style questions, no account needed: figure matrices, paper folding and number series, with the strategy explained after each one.

CogAT practice →CogAT for grade 2NGAT scores