In short
The CCAT 7 is the Canadian edition of the CogAT 7. Both tests use the same three batteries and the same nine question types, from verbal analogies to paper folding.
The main difference is the comparison group: CogAT scores compare your child with US children, CCAT scores compare them with Canadian children. The same raw performance can produce a slightly different percentile.
If your child is in an Ontario public school, the grade 3 screener is usually the CCAT. If you are in the US, it is usually the CogAT. Practice for one transfers almost fully to the other.
Key facts
| CogAT | CCAT 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | Riverside Insights (US) | Nelson (Canada) |
| Comparison group | US children | Canadian children |
| Batteries | Verbal, Quantitative, Nonverbal | Verbal, Quantitative, Nonverbal |
| Question types | 9 | The same 9 |
| Typical use | US district gifted screening, K to 8 | Ontario board screening, usually grade 3 |
| Scores reported | Standard Age Score, percentiles, stanines | Age-based scores, percentiles, stanines |
Are the CogAT and the CCAT the same test?
Almost. Nelson adapted the CogAT 7 for Canadian schools and normed it on Canadian students. The structure, the batteries and the nine question types are the same. Some items are adjusted for Canadian spelling, money and context.
For a parent, this means one practical thing: the skills your child needs are identical.
Which nine question types appear on both?
| Battery | Question type | What the child does |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal | Verbal analogies | Finds the word pair with the same relationship |
| Verbal | Sentence completion | Picks the word that makes the sentence make sense |
| Verbal | Verbal classification | Finds the word that belongs with a group |
| Quantitative | Number analogies | Applies the same number rule to a new pair |
| Quantitative | Number puzzles | Balances a simple equation |
| Quantitative | Number series | Finds the next number in a pattern |
| Nonverbal | Figure matrices | Completes a grid of shapes |
| Nonverbal | Paper folding | Predicts where holes appear after unfolding |
| Nonverbal | Figure classification | Finds the shape that belongs with a group |
For a closer look at the trickiest nonverbal type, see how paper folding questions work.
Why does the comparison group matter?
A percentile only means something next to the group it compares with. A child who answers the same number of questions correctly could land at a slightly different percentile on the CogAT and the CCAT, because the two norm groups are different children.
This is also why you should not convert a CCAT result using a CogAT table, or the reverse.
Which one will my child take?
- Ontario public school, grade 3: usually the CCAT 7 as a universal screener. The Toronto District School Board and York Region both start with it.
- US public school: usually the CogAT, sometimes alongside the NNAT or another test. Grades vary by district.
- Private school admission: it varies. Ask the school which test and which form.
How should you prepare for either test?
Get your child comfortable with the question formats, not with memorized answers. A child who has never seen a paper folding item loses time on the instructions. A child who has seen ten of them can focus on the reasoning.
The Toronto District School Board asks families not to practice the test itself in advance. Familiarity with the general kinds of puzzles is a different thing from coaching on real items, and original practice questions stay on the right side of that line. Our 4-week plan shows a calm schedule.
Common mistakes
- Buying a “CCAT book” that is a copy of real items. Memorized items do not help on a different form, and they cross a line schools care about.
- Converting scores between tests. Use the percentile on the official report.
- Skipping the verbal part for a child learning English. The nonverbal score may carry more weight, but the verbal part is still scored.
- Drilling speed in grade 3. Accuracy and calm first. Speed follows.
FAQ
The CCAT 7 is the Canadian edition of the CogAT 7. Both have verbal, quantitative and nonverbal batteries and the same nine question types. The CogAT compares your child with US children and the CCAT compares them with Canadian children, which can change the percentile slightly.
No. The two tests are built the same way and ask the same kinds of questions. Difficulty is set by the level for your child’s age or grade, not by the country. Only the comparison group differs, so percentiles are not directly interchangeable.
Yes. The question types are the same, so practice with original CogAT-style questions transfers to the CCAT. Avoid materials that reproduce real test items, which schools ask families not to use and which do not help on a different form.
Many Ontario public boards, including the Toronto District School Board and York Region District School Board, use the CCAT 7 as a grade 3 screener. A child who scores high is then considered for an individual assessment such as the WISC-V.
Ontario boards mostly give the CCAT in grade 3, so most Canadian families meet it then. In the US, the CogAT is often given as early as kindergarten or grade 1, with picture-based items read aloud for young children.
Only through the percentile, and even then with care, because the norm groups differ. Do not run a CCAT score through a CogAT conversion table. The official report gives the correct percentile for the test your child took.
Both are given in sessions over one or more days, usually in a classroom. Each subtest has its own time limit. Your school will tell you the schedule, and a short practice with timed sets helps children feel calm about the clock.
Sources
CCAT 7 structure and Canadian norms: Nelson, CCAT 7 and Nelson CCAT brochure. CogAT scores: Riverside Insights, Types of Scores. Ontario screening: TDSB Universal Screening, YRDSB Gifted Screening Procedure. Checked 30 October 2026.
Prep4Gifted practice questions are original and written by our team. Prep4Gifted is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Riverside Insights (CogAT), Nelson (CCAT) or Pearson (WISC, NNAT, OLSAT). Test names are trademarks of their owners.
Practice for both with one set of original questions. The free readiness check covers all three batteries and shows which question types need attention.
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