iPrepGenius

The iPrepGenius blog

Practical, honest articles for parents navigating gifted, state, and admissions testing.

Kindergarten CogAT Practice: Sample Questions & Prep Tips
CogATSeptember 13, 2026 3 min

Kindergarten CogAT Practice: Sample Questions & Prep Tips

Get a clear understanding of Kindergarten CogAT sample questions. Learn about the types of reasoning and how to prepare your child with practical tips.

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SSAT Example Questions: What to Expect & How to Prepare
SSATSeptember 11, 2026 3 min

SSAT Example Questions: What to Expect & How to Prepare

Explore SSAT example questions for Elementary, Middle, and Upper levels. Understand question types and get practical prep tips for success.

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SSAT Test Schedule: Dates, Deadlines & How to Register
SSATSeptember 7, 2026 4 min

SSAT Test Schedule: Dates, Deadlines & How to Register

Plan ahead for your private school application. Find SSAT test dates, registration deadlines, and understand your testing options.

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ISEE Test Dates: When to Take the Independent School Entrance Exam
ISEESeptember 6, 2026 3 min

ISEE Test Dates: When to Take the Independent School Entrance Exam

Navigate ISEE test dates with ease. Learn about testing seasons, registration, and how to find the perfect date for your child's Independent School Entrance Exam.

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ISEE Test Registration: Your Step-by-Step Guide for 2026
ISEESeptember 4, 2026 3 min

ISEE Test Registration: Your Step-by-Step Guide for 2026

Learn how to register for the ISEE test, understand testing options, and prepare for your child's independent school admissions in 2026.

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Understanding Your STAAR Test Results: A Parent's Guide
Test PrepAugust 31, 2026 3 min

Understanding Your STAAR Test Results: A Parent's Guide

Navigate your child's STAAR test results with confidence. Learn what scores mean, how to access them, and actionable steps for supporting your child's learning.

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STAAR Test Practice Online: Boost Your Child's Readiness
Test PrepAugust 30, 2026 3 min

STAAR Test Practice Online: Boost Your Child's Readiness

Find effective online STAAR practice tests and resources for grades 3-8. Prepare your child for success with iPrepGenius.

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Understanding Your Child's MAP Test Scores
Test PrepAugust 28, 2026 4 min

Understanding Your Child's MAP Test Scores

Demystify NWEA MAP Growth scores. Learn what RIT scores and percentiles mean for your child's academic progress and how to use this data effectively.

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Free CogAT Practice Tests: Find Resources for Your Child
Test PrepAugust 26, 2026 3 min

Free CogAT Practice Tests: Find Resources for Your Child

Looking for free CogAT practice tests? Discover where to find them and how they can help your child prepare for this important assessment.

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SCAT Test Examples: Understand Question Types & Practice
SCATAugust 24, 2026 3 min

SCAT Test Examples: Understand Question Types & Practice

Explore SCAT test examples for verbal and quantitative reasoning. Learn about question formats and how to prepare effectively for this gifted program assessment.

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What is the HSPT Test? Your Guide to High School Placement
HSPTAugust 24, 2026 4 min

What is the HSPT Test? Your Guide to High School Placement

Understand the HSPT test for 8th graders applying to high school. Learn about its purpose, format, scoring, and how to prepare effectively.

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NNAT Test Scores: Understanding Your Child's Results
NNATAugust 24, 2026 3 min

NNAT Test Scores: Understanding Your Child's Results

Demystify NNAT test scores! Learn what percentiles mean, how scores identify giftedness, and how to interpret your child's results for educational planning.

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SSAT Test Time: How Long Does It Take? (Middle & Upper Levels)
SSATAugust 24, 2026 3 min

SSAT Test Time: How Long Does It Take? (Middle & Upper Levels)

Understand the SSAT test time for Middle and Upper Levels. Get a breakdown of section durations, breaks, and tips for pacing your child's test.

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Preparing for STAAR Grade 3 Math
STAARAugust 13, 2026 3 min

Preparing for STAAR Grade 3 Math

Get ready for STAAR grade 3 math with practice tips and resources

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Understanding Gifted Program Cutoffs and Percentiles
GiftedAugust 6, 2026 3 min

Understanding Gifted Program Cutoffs and Percentiles

Learn about gifted program percentile cutoffs and how they work

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Figure Matrices Explained: The Nonverbal Question Every Test Uses
NonverbalAugust 3, 2026 3 min

Figure Matrices Explained: The Nonverbal Question Every Test Uses

Improve figure matrices skills with practice and strategy

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OLSAT Practice for Kindergarten and Grade 1
OLSATJuly 30, 2026 3 min

OLSAT Practice for Kindergarten and Grade 1

OLSAT kindergarten practice tips and resources

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MAP Test Practice: Tips & Resources for Student Success
MAPJuly 27, 2026 3 min

MAP Test Practice: Tips & Resources for Student Success

Looking for MAP test practice? Discover effective strategies, understand scoring, and find resources to help your child excel on NWEA MAP Growth assessments.

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SSAT Elementary Level: A Complete Parent Guide
SSATJuly 13, 2026 3 min

SSAT Elementary Level: A Complete Parent Guide

SSAT Elementary prep guide for parents

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ISEE Lower Level: What to Expect and How to Prepare
ISEEJuly 9, 2026 3 min

ISEE Lower Level: What to Expect and How to Prepare

ISEE Lower Level guide for parents and students

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NNAT vs OLSAT: Which Gifted Test Does Your Child Take?
GiftedJuly 6, 2026 3 min

NNAT vs OLSAT: Which Gifted Test Does Your Child Take?

Understand NNAT vs OLSAT for gifted programs

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CCAT Prep for Canadian Families: A Parent's Guide
CCATJuly 6, 2026 3 min

CCAT Prep for Canadian Families: A Parent's Guide

Navigate the CCAT with confidence! This guide for Canadian parents covers test structure, effective prep strategies, and how to support your child's success.

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How to Prepare for the CogAT in Grade 3
CogATJuly 6, 2026 3 min

How to Prepare for the CogAT in Grade 3

Prepare your child for the CogAT test in grade 3 with practice and strategies

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What if my child misses the gifted cutoff?
Gifted parentingJune 27, 2026 4 min

What if my child misses the gifted cutoff?

A calm, practical look at your options if your child scores just below the gifted threshold — appeals, retesting, and what really matters.

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Preparing your child for the CogAT without the stress
GiftedJune 26, 2026 7 min

Preparing your child for the CogAT without the stress

A calm, realistic plan for the weeks before the CogAT — what actually helps, what to skip, and how to keep your child's confidence intact.

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The HSPT explained: Catholic high school placement
AdmissionsJune 26, 2026 5 min

The HSPT explained: Catholic high school placement

What the High School Placement Test covers, how it's scored, and how 8th graders can prepare for Catholic high school admission.

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Signs your child might be gifted (that aren't grades)
GiftedJune 25, 2026 6 min

Signs your child might be gifted (that aren't grades)

Giftedness often shows up as intensity, curiosity, and unusual questions long before it shows up on a report card. Here's what to actually look for.

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Verbal analogies: a parent's teaching guide
Practice tipsJune 25, 2026 4 min

Verbal analogies: a parent's teaching guide

How to teach the verbal-analogy questions that power the CogAT, OLSAT, and SSAT/ISEE — with a simple naming trick.

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Helping a child who freezes on timed tests
ParentingJune 24, 2026 6 min

Helping a child who freezes on timed tests

When the clock starts and your capable kid goes blank, it's rarely about ability. Here's how to help a child stay calm and finish strong on a timed test.

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Number series questions: how to help your child see the pattern
Practice tipsJune 24, 2026 4 min

Number series questions: how to help your child see the pattern

A simple, parent-friendly method for teaching the number-series questions found on the CogAT and similar tests.

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CCAT prep for Canadian families: what's actually different
CanadaJune 23, 2026 6 min

CCAT prep for Canadian families: what's actually different

If your child's school board uses the CCAT for gifted screening, here's what the test involves, how it relates to the US CogAT, and how to prepare calmly.

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WISC-V and WPPSI explained: gifted IQ testing basics
Gifted testingJune 23, 2026 5 min

WISC-V and WPPSI explained: gifted IQ testing basics

What the WISC-V and WPPSI cognitive assessments measure, who administers them, and how they fit into gifted identification.

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NNAT vs OLSAT: which test, and what each one rewards
GiftedJune 22, 2026 5 min

NNAT vs OLSAT: which test, and what each one rewards

Two of the most common gifted screeners look very different. Here's how the NNAT and OLSAT differ, and what that means for how you help your child prepare.

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Kindergarten gifted testing: what parents should know
Gifted parentingJune 22, 2026 5 min

Kindergarten gifted testing: what parents should know

How gifted identification works for the youngest students — what's tested, how it's given, and how to prepare a 4–6 year old gently.

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The ISEE Lower Level, explained for nervous parents
ISEEJune 21, 2026 6 min

The ISEE Lower Level, explained for nervous parents

A plain-English guide to the ISEE Lower Level — what's on it, how the scoring works, and how to help your 4th or 5th grader prepare without panic.

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Raven's Progressive Matrices explained for parents
Gifted testingJune 21, 2026 4 min

Raven's Progressive Matrices explained for parents

What Raven's measures, how it's scored, and why districts use it for gifted screening — in plain language.

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Test-day tips for anxious kids
Gifted parentingJune 20, 2026 4 min

Test-day tips for anxious kids

Practical, kind ways to lower test anxiety so your child can show what they actually know.

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Math competitions for elementary & middle school: MOEMS, Kangaroo, MATHCOUNTS & AMC 8
Math competitionsJune 19, 2026 6 min

Math competitions for elementary & middle school: MOEMS, Kangaroo, MATHCOUNTS & AMC 8

A friendly overview of the major K–8 math competitions — what they are, who they're for, and how to prepare.

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Private school admissions timeline: a month-by-month guide
AdmissionsJune 18, 2026 5 min

Private school admissions timeline: a month-by-month guide

When to research, test, apply, and interview for selective private schools — a clear month-by-month plan.

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CogAT question types explained (all three batteries)
Gifted testingJune 17, 2026 6 min

CogAT question types explained (all three batteries)

A breakdown of every CogAT question type — verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal — so you know exactly what your child will see.

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How to get into a gifted program: a parent's guide
Gifted parentingJune 16, 2026 6 min

How to get into a gifted program: a parent's guide

The typical path into gifted & talented programs — referral, testing, cutoffs, and how to prepare.

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MAP Growth scores explained for parents
Score reportsJune 15, 2026 5 min

MAP Growth scores explained for parents

What the RIT score means, how percentiles work, and how to read your child's MAP Growth report.

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How to prepare for the Texas STAAR test
State testsJune 14, 2026 5 min

How to prepare for the Texas STAAR test

What the STAAR covers by grade, how it's scored, and how to help your child prepare without the stress.

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ISEE vs SSAT: which private-school test should your child take?
AdmissionsJune 13, 2026 6 min

ISEE vs SSAT: which private-school test should your child take?

A clear comparison of the two main private-school admission tests — sections, scoring, the wrong-answer penalty, and how to choose.

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How to prepare for the OLSAT
Gifted testingJune 12, 2026 5 min

How to prepare for the OLSAT

The OLSAT's verbal and nonverbal sections, how the SAI is scored, and a simple prep plan for parents.

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What is a good NNAT score?
Score reportsJune 11, 2026 5 min

What is a good NNAT score?

How the NNAT is scored — the NAI, percentile, and stanine — and what score gifted programs typically look for.

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Supporting a gifted child at home
Gifted parentingJune 10, 2026 4 min

Supporting a gifted child at home

Practical, low-pressure ways to nurture a curious, advanced learner — beyond test prep.

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Figure matrices: nonverbal reasoning explained
Practice tipsJune 9, 2026 4 min

Figure matrices: nonverbal reasoning explained

How figure-matrix questions work on the CogAT, NNAT, and OLSAT — and a simple way to teach the underlying skill.

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5 signs your child might be ready for gifted testing
Gifted parentingJune 8, 2026 4 min

5 signs your child might be ready for gifted testing

Traits commonly associated with giftedness — and a low-pressure next step if several sound familiar.

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Iowa Assessments (ITBS) explained for parents
Score reportsJune 8, 2026 4 min

Iowa Assessments (ITBS) explained for parents

What the Iowa Assessments measure, how they're scored, and how they're used for placement and gifted screening.

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What is a good OLSAT score?
Score reportsJune 7, 2026 4 min

What is a good OLSAT score?

How the OLSAT's School Ability Index (SAI), percentile, and stanine work — and what gifted programs typically look for.

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How to prepare for the ISEE
AdmissionsJune 6, 2026 5 min

How to prepare for the ISEE

The ISEE's five sections, stanine scoring with no guessing penalty, and how to prepare for private-school admission.

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How to prepare for the SSAT
AdmissionsJune 5, 2026 5 min

How to prepare for the SSAT

The SSAT's sections, percentile scoring, the wrong-answer penalty, and a focused prep plan for private-school applicants.

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CogAT vs NNAT vs OLSAT: which gifted test does your district use?
Gifted testingJune 4, 2026 5 min

CogAT vs NNAT vs OLSAT: which gifted test does your district use?

A plain-English comparison of the three most common gifted-screening tests — what each measures, and how to find out which one your child will take.

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How to read your child's CogAT score report
Score reportsJune 1, 2026 6 min

How to read your child's CogAT score report

What the CogAT percentile, stanine, and SAS actually mean — and how to tell where your child is strong without panicking over a single number.

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