Understanding TAG screening, and how to prepare without cramming

Gifted identification is not one exam a child passes. It is a body of evidence gathered across four areas, and there is more than one route through it. Knowing which route your child is on is the single most useful thing a parent can do.

What is assessed

Screening is usually split into four domains. Our practice modules follow the same four.

Creative Thinking

What it looks like

Lists many uses for an everyday object
Answers that nobody else in the room gave
Adds detail rather than stopping at the first idea
Finishes an incomplete drawing in an unexpected way

Practise Creative Thinking

Verbal Reasoning

What it looks like

Analogies: bird : sky :: fish : ?
Explains how two things are alike
Picks the word that does not belong and says why
Follows a two- or three-step spoken instruction

Practise Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning

What it looks like

Finds what comes next in a shape pattern
Completes a matrix where a piece is missing
Spots a shape that has been rotated or flipped
Sees the rule two figures share

Practise Non-Verbal Reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning

What it looks like

Compares amounts without counting one by one
Continues a number pattern and names the rule
Works out a missing number in a sequence
Solves a short word problem in more than one step

Practise Quantitative Reasoning

The two routes to eligibility

A child needs one route, not both. Districts set their own cut scores, and the rules differ from state to state — the source is noted at the foot of this page.

Option A

Test scores alone

Both of these, together:

Mental ability99th percentile in grades K–296th percentile in grades 3–12
Achievement90th percentiletotal battery, total maths or total reading

The K–2 bar is the highest number on this page. For a five-year-old, Option B is often the more realistic route.

Option B

Multiple criteria

Meet the bar in any three of the four areas below. This is the route where creativity and motivation count as evidence in their own right.

Mental ability96th percentile or aboveComposite, full-scale or an approved component score on a norm-referenced mental ability test. Individually administered tests must be given by a qualified psychological examiner.
Achievement90th percentile or aboveTotal battery, total maths or total reading on a norm-referenced achievement test — or a student-generated product scoring 90 or above on a 100-point scale, judged by a panel of qualified evaluators.
Creativity90th percentile or aboveA norm-referenced creative thinking test scoring fluency, originality and elaboration; or a standardised creativity rating scale; or products judged at 90 or above on a 100-point scale.
Motivation90th percentile or aboveA standardised motivation rating scale, or products judged at 90 or above on a 100-point scale. From grade 6 a GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale can be used instead, averaged over two years of core subjects.

Practise the four domains

A ten-question practice test for each of the four domains above. All free, no account needed.

Start with Verbal Reasoning

See all assessments

Eligibility criteria are quoted from one US state's board of education rule for gifted education programs, and the four assessment domains from a school district's own parent resources. Districts set their own referral cut scores within their state's rule, and the rules differ from state to state — check with your own district before relying on any number here.