NYC Gifted and Talented: Sample Test Questions
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The NYC Gifted and Talented test is administered by the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to determine which children aged between 4 and 7 year old will be admitted to the NYC Gifted and Talented Program. Testing for the gifted and talented programs in NYC is offered for students entering Kindergarten through 3rd grade.
The test has two components, which are derived from two widely-used assessments that measure a child’s cognitive aptitudes: the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT®8) and the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT2®).
In this article, we provide you with gifted and talented sample test questions for 4-6 year olds (Kindergarten and 1st grade entry), as well as links to further information on question types, section strategies, and other resources.
NYC G&T Test (Entry Into Kindergarten & 1st Grade)
The NYC Gifted and Talented test for Kindergarten and Pre-K children is a challenging test, as the average young student will be unfamiliar with the types of questions that he or she will encounter on the test.
The best way to help your child prepare for the test is to practice with some sample gifted and talented test questions so she or he can become familiar with what to expect on the day of the exam.
It’s also important to support your child by teaching strategies that can help him or her perform optimally and not get discouraged by difficult questions faced during the test.
So what will your child see when he or she sits down to take the gifted and talented test? To help familiarize you and your child with the different question types, we feature below some sample questions reflecting each of the question types on the test.
Naglieri Nonverbal Abilities Test (NNAT2®): Sample Questions
The 48-question NNAT part of the test measures the abilities of children to reason and problem solve using nonverbal test items.
In particular, the NNAT tests pattern completion, reasoning by analogy, serial reasoning, and spatial visualization. This assessment accounts for 50 percent of the final score on the NYC gifted and talented test. Each question type on the NNAT involves the following steps:
- The student is presented with a picture of a matrix.
- The student must observe and detect the relationship among the parts of the matrix.
- The student must solve the problem based on the information shown to her within the matrix, and choose the correct answer from five possible options.
PATTERN COMPLETION
With this question type, the child is presented with a design in a rectangle. Inside the large rectangle is a smaller white rectangle representing a missing piece that completes the design. The child must choose the answer that best fits the inner rectangle so that the missing parts complete the design.
REASONING BY ANALOGY
With this question type, the child is presented with a matrix of 4-6 boxes containing objects, usually geometric shapes.
To solve the problem, the child must determine how the object changes as it moves across the row and down the column in the matrix. The question may require that the student pay close attention to several aspects of the design (e.g: shading, color, shape) at the same time.
SERIAL REASONING
With this question type, the student is shown a series of shapes that change across the rows and columns throughout the design. These questions require the child to understand how the objects in rows and columns relate to each other. The child must isolate and apply the rule/s in order to identify which object from the answer choices fits the empty box in the bottom right-hand corner of the matrix.
SPATIAL VISUALIZATION
With this question type, a child is presented with a series of objects that combine, invert, transform and/or rotate across rows and columns. The child must identify the rule for the top row of objects and then predict what will happen to objects in the second (or third) row. She must then select which object among the answer choices follows this rule and should go in the empty box in the matrix.
Otis-Lennon School Ability Test® (OLSAT): Sample Questions
The 30-question OLSAT tests how a child follows directions, as well as aural and arithmetic reasoning. Like the NNAT®, the OLSAT® also makes up half of your child’s final score. Only the verbal section of the OLSAT® is used for evaluating children for the NYC gifted and talented programs. The question types from the nonverbal section of the OLSAT is not used on the NYC Gifted and Talented test.
FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS
‘Following Directions’ questions measure a student’s ability to listen carefully and choose a representation (figural design or picture) of a description that is read to a student by a test administrator.
AURAL REASONING
‘Aural Reasoning’ questions assess a student’s ability to listen to, understand and visualize a question that is read aloud to him or her. A child is tested on his or her ability to use logic and inferences to figure out the correct response.
ARITHMETIC REASONING
The main skill tested by ‘Arithmetic Reasoning’ questions is the ability to create mathematical problems from language and to solve those problems.
25 Free G&T Sample test Questions
Would you like to help your child become familiarized with more gifted and talented sample test questions, so he can improve his chances of doing well on test day? If so, please download the 25 free sample questions by clicking the button below.
How Can We Help?
At Origins Tutoring, we believe that preparation for the NYC Gifted and Talented test does not have to be daunting and exasperating; instead, it can represent an important opportunity along a child’s path to learning mastery. Indeed, the perspectives and abilities acquired during test preparation can help a student throughout his or her school career and beyond.
Our two-track approach to mastering content and improving test-taking skills means that students will not only thoroughly understand the fundamental concepts and skills tested by the Gifted and Talented test, but they will also excel in using essential techniques to improve attitude, endurance and focus.
Each child in our program receives the undivided attention and expertise of a dynamic and experienced coach who provides the framework to support each student on his unique path to becoming a master learner.
Please call 917.287.7927 now for a complimentary consultation to discuss how we can help your child achieve his or her personal best on the Gifted and Talented test.
What's Next?
This article has provided you with an overview of the question types on the OLSAT and NNAT, and Gifted and Talented sample test questions so your child can start practicing for test day.
To learn more, visit our other pages to get more in-depth information on the NYC Gifted and Talented test, question types, section strategies, and other resources.
