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Elementary School Admissions Tests

Gifted & Talented
Teacher Eval (NYC)

Pre-K teachers now complete an evaluation for students to determine eligibility for the lottery for entrance into NYC DoE Gifted & Talented Schools and Programs.

Stanford-Binet/ HCES (NYC)

In New York City, children take a modified version of the Stanford-Binet 5 to earn a place in the second round of the admissions process for Hunter College Elementary School (HCES), a tuition-free, gifted school open only to Manhattan residents.

Private School T&E Assessment (NYC)

Private Schools will start formally assessing children again starting this fall. The assessment is called Thinking and Engagement (T&E) and will be administered via Zoom.  Most Independent Member Schools will require this assessment for all children applying to Kindergarten

NNAT 2/3

(Nationwide)

The Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) is a standardized nonverbal test designed to assess the reasoning ability of students ages 5 - 17. The NNAT is utilized as part of the admission process for G&T programs throughout the country and is one of two tests administered for the  NYC Gifted & Talented Test in NYC.

OLSAT

(Nationwide)

The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) is a multiple-choice K-12 assessment that measures reasoning skills with types of verbal, non-verbal, figural and quantitative reasoning questions. The OLSAT is a test of abstract thinking and reasoning ability of children aged pre-K to 18. 

SSAT

(Nationwide)

The SSAT is the required admission test at many of the best independent schools in the world. The SSAT is designed for students in grades 3 through PG and is administered on three levels (Elementary, Middle, and Upper​​).  

Primary ISEE

(Nationwide)

The Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) is used in the admissions process for private schools. The Primary ISEE-level test is designed for students entering 2nd - 4th grades. In other words, a first, second, or third grade student would take this test.

Chicago Gifted Programs

The Chicago Public School (CPS) system is one of the largest school districts in the US! CPS offers magnet & magnet cluster schools, along with charter & Regional Gifted Centers & Classical Schools (academically-advanced). 

Common Core

(Nationwide)

NY State administers ELA/Literacy and Mathematics Common Core tests intended to provide students, families & educators better measures of student proficiency in the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in college & careers.

CogAT (Nationwide)

The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is designed to evaluate the level and pattern of cognitive development of students in grades K through 12. The assessment measures reasoning skills with different types of verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal questions.

SCAT

(Nationwide)

The School & College Ability Test is a standardized test used by Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) to identify 2nd – 12th graders for their gifted program. This is an “above grade level” test and measures math & verbal reasoning abilities.

Elementary School Academic Tests

Common Core (Nationwide)

NY State administers ELA/Literacy and Mathematics Common Core tests intended to provide students, families & educators better measures of student proficiency in the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in college & careers.

CTP-5 (Nationwide)

Given by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB), the Comprehensive Testing Program is administered to students in private schools as an achievement test. The purpose of CTP is to assess student growth and performance at the time of testing.

ITBS (Nationwide)

The Iowa Assessments are frequently used to test for admissions into gifted and talented or accelerated learning programs. They are often used in conjunction with cognitive tests, like the NNAT or CogAT, to get a complete picture of a student’s accomplishments and potential. 

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