What is the NNAT®?

The NNAT® (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test) is a nonverbal test frequently used for gifted and talented admissions throughout the United States, administered to children in kindergarten through 12th grade. The test measures visual-spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills, which is not necessarily what your child is directly learning in school. The questions use abstract designs and shapes to measure the student’s aptitude, and does not rely on the child’s language skills.
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One of the main drivers of the NNAT’s popularity is that it is considered to be unbiased with respect to a student’s primary language, educational background, socioeconomic status, or even history of vision impairment (the test uses only two colors, yellow and blues). The test uses minimal written and verbal instructions.

Subsections

The newest version of the NNAT is called the NNAT3. It contains 48 questions and takes 20 minutes to complete. The questions are broken into four types:

• Pattern completion
• Reasoning by analogy
• Serial reasoning
• Spatial visualization

Each type of question uses a different methodology to determine a student’s aptitude:

• Pattern completion: Questions in this subsection are similar to a jigsaw puzzle. Students are presented with a pattern contained inside a larger design, and a section has been removed. The students must identify the correct piece which is missing from the design.

• Reasoning by analogy: This is an analogy-type question that measures students’ visual-spatial reasoning skills. The child must be able to identify logical relationships between different shapes and figures. An example might be that a student is presented with a large triangle followed by a small triangle, then must deduce that a large square followed by a small square fits the same logical pattern.

• Serial reasoning: These questions require students to view figures and designs that change and form logical patterns, then determine the next design within the pattern. Students must identify a relationship within the top row, and then deduce the correct shape so that the bottom row follows the same pattern.

• Spatial visualization: These questions require students to deduce how two or more designs would look once they are combined. More complicated questions require students to deduce what the designs would look like when they are combined and rotated, folded, or otherwise changed (“hole punch” questions require students to determine what a piece of paper would look like after a hole is punched in it and it’s unfolded).

Grade Levels

The NNAT is administered based on grade level, but scored based on the relevant student’s age. When students’ tests are scored, they are measured against other students within 3 months of their own age.

Depending on your child’s grade, he or she will see different subsections of the test:

• Students in kindergarten, or entering kindergarten, take the Level A exam, containing Pattern Completion and Reasoning by Analogy questions.
• Students in first grade, or entering first grade, take the Level B exam, containing Pattern Completion, Reasoning by Analogy and Serial Reasoning questions.
• Students in second grade, or entering second grade, take the Level C exam, containing Pattern Completion, Reasoning by Analogy, Serial Reasoning, and Spatial Visualization questions.
• Students in third and fourth grade, or entering those grades, take the Level D exam, containing Pattern Completion, Reasoning by Analogy, Serial Reasoning, and Spatial Visualization questions.
• Students in fifth and sixth grade, or entering those grades, take the Level E exam, containing Pattern Completion, Reasoning by Analogy, Serial Reasoning, and Spatial Visualization questions.
• Students in seventh through ninth grade, or entering those grades, will take the Level F exam, containing Pattern Completion, Reasoning by Analogy, Serial Reasoning, and Spatial Visualization questions.
• Students in tenth through twelfth grade, or entering those grades, will take the Level G exam, containing Reasoning by Analogy, Serial Reasoning, and Spatial Visualization questions.

The following chart breaks down the types of questions asked for each grade level:

If you’re interested in more about the NNAT, visit the following links:

NNAT® Test (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test)

NNAT Info for Specific Grades

NNAT Practice Questions

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