Some kids do great on the CogAT. If they actually finish the test and put effort into it, the result is probably somewhat accurate. The problem with my DD was that she only answered 50 percent of the quantitative questions and about 2/3 of the non-verbal--the rest of the test was left blank. The test should have been immediately invalidated and they should have offered to give her something else. But they didn't. I had to scrutinize the score report to figure out she didn't finish it. DD scored over the 99.9th percentile on the WISC for non-verbal and her GAI was 150 (without extended norms). The look on the psych's face when I handed over the CogAT report was priceless! It also took her a minute to figure out DD left so many questions unanswered. Since I knew NOTHING about the CogAT when I got the score report I was horrified as well--the scores did not align at all with DD's achievement testing and the abilities that we see at home.
And BTW, NO, she does not appear to be THAT gifted. I was hoping she would just squeak by with the WISC. So many people on this site talk about their highly motivated kids who obviously operate several years ahead in all areas and that is not what I see with DD. If someone gave her a "Rainbow Magic" book, she would happily read it. She watches "My Little Pony." In fact I think her teacher would describe her as "slow" in some areas, but that is because she has 2e issues. I think kids with high non-verbal as opposed to verbal do not appear to be as obviously bright, it is more hidden. My DS is the same way. You would never know talking to him that his GAI on the WISC is above the 99th percentile. Regardless of what the CogAT tells you, get more testing done so you know for sure what you're dealing with. We paid $400 for a WISC for DD. I was worried about paying that much but it was worth it.
