Test score interpreter
Enter a percentile (any test) or a CogAT SAS and see the stanine, what the score means in plain English, and how it compares to typical gifted cutoffs.
Percentile = the % of same-age peers your child scored above. Stanines compress percentiles to a 1–9 scale. This tool is educational; gifted cutoffs vary by district and year — confirm yours with the school.
Common questions
What does a percentile rank mean on the CogAT or NNAT?
A percentile rank is the percentage of same-age students your child scored above. A 95th percentile means your child scored higher than 95% of peers — it is not a percent-correct score.
What is a stanine?
A stanine compresses percentiles onto a 1–9 scale: stanine 9 is roughly the 96th percentile and up, stanine 8 ≈ 89th–95th, stanine 5 is the average middle. Many score reports show stanines alongside percentiles.
What is a good CogAT score for gifted programs?
Many gifted programs use a cutoff around the 95th–98th percentile (often a CogAT SAS of about 125–132+). Exact cutoffs vary by district, grade, and year — confirm yours with the school.
How does the CogAT SAS convert to a percentile?
The Standard Age Score (SAS) has a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 16. An SAS near 116 is about the 84th percentile, 124 about the 92nd, and 132 about the 98th. This tool estimates the percentile from an SAS.