Score report guide

CogAT Score Chart: SAS, Percentile & Stanine

A CogAT report gives the same performance three different ways. Enter any one of them below to see the other two, or read the full conversion chart further down.

I have my child’s

Standard Age Score (50–160)

What the three scores mean

Standard Age Score (SAS)

Compares your child to other students of the same age in years and months — not the same grade. Average is 100, and the standard deviation is 16. An SAS of 132 is two standard deviations above average.

Percentile Rank (PR)

The percentage of same-age students your child scored above. A percentile of 85 means they outperformed roughly 85% of their age group. It is not the percentage of questions answered correctly.

Stanine

The percentile scale compressed into nine bands. Stanine 5 is the exact middle (percentiles 40–59). Stanines 7–9 are above average. Reports often use stanines because they avoid over-reading small differences.

Stanine bands at a glance

Stanine	Percentiles	Interpretation
1	1–3	Well below average
2	4–10	Well below average
3	11–22	Below average
4	23–39	Average
5	40–59	Average
6	60–76	Average
7	77–88	Above average
8	89–95	Above average
9	96–99	Well above average

Full SAS to percentile conversion chart

Every Standard Age Score from 145 down to 70, with its percentile rank and stanine.

SAS	Percentile	Stanine	Interpretation
145	99	9	Well above average
144	99	9	Well above average
143	99	9	Well above average
142	99	9	Well above average
141	99	9	Well above average
140	99	9	Well above average
139	99	9	Well above average
138	99	9	Well above average
137	99	9	Well above average
136	99	9	Well above average
135	99	9	Well above average
134	98	9	Well above average
133	98	9	Well above average
132	98	9	Well above average
131	97	9	Well above average
130	97	9	Well above average
129	97	9	Well above average
128	96	9	Well above average
127	95	8	Above average
126	95	8	Above average
125	94	8	Above average
124	93	8	Above average
123	92	8	Above average
122	92	8	Above average
121	91	8	Above average
120	89	8	Above average
119	88	7	Above average
118	87	7	Above average
117	86	7	Above average
116	84	7	Above average
115	83	7	Above average
114	81	7	Above average
113	79	7	Above average
112	77	7	Above average
111	75	6	Average
110	73	6	Average
109	71	6	Average
108	69	6	Average
107	67	6	Average
106	65	6	Average
105	62	6	Average
104	60	6	Average
103	57	5	Average
102	55	5	Average
101	52	5	Average
100	50	5	Average
99	48	5	Average
98	45	5	Average
97	43	5	Average
96	40	5	Average
95	38	4	Average
94	35	4	Average
93	33	4	Average
92	31	4	Average
91	29	4	Average
90	27	4	Average
89	25	4	Average
88	23	4	Average
87	21	3	Below average
86	19	3	Below average
85	17	3	Below average
84	16	3	Below average
83	14	3	Below average
82	13	3	Below average
81	12	3	Below average
80	11	3	Below average
79	9	2	Well below average
78	8	2	Well below average
77	8	2	Well below average
76	7	2	Well below average
75	6	2	Well below average
74	5	2	Well below average
73	5	2	Well below average
72	4	2	Well below average
71	3	1	Well below average
70	3	1	Well below average

Common questions

What is a good CogAT score?

Most gifted programs look for a Standard Age Score of 125 or higher, which is roughly the 95th percentile (stanine 8). Cutoffs vary by district — some use 130+, others admit from the 90th percentile. Your district's own threshold is the number that matters.

What does SAS mean on the CogAT?

SAS stands for Standard Age Score. It compares your child only to other students of the same age in years and months, not to their grade. It is scaled to an average of 100 with a standard deviation of 16, so 100 is exactly average and 132 is two standard deviations above.

Is percentile the same as percent correct?

No, and this is the most common misreading of the report. A percentile of 85 does not mean 85% of answers were correct. It means the child scored higher than about 85% of students the same age.

What is a stanine?

A stanine compresses the percentile scale into nine bands, from 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest). Stanine 5 is dead centre and covers percentiles 40 to 59. Stanines 7 to 9 are generally considered above average.

The report also shows an ability profile

Something like 9A or 6B (V+). It tells you whether your child’s three battery scores agree with each other or one stands apart — often more useful than the numbers alone.

Look up your ability profile →

CogAT® is a registered trademark of Riverside Assessments, LLC, which neither sponsors nor endorses this site. All practice questions are original and do not reproduce actual CogAT test items. Conversions use the published CogAT scoring model (SAS mean 100, standard deviation 16) and are for guidance only — always refer to your child's official score report and your district's own criteria.