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← Families · Short answer · About IQ tests · How NY schools identify · Thinking games · Try 3 puzzles · A weekly plan

Gifted programs, IQ tests and thinking games

Families often ask: “Should my child take an IQ test?” Here is an honest answer, how New York schools usually find students for gifted programs, and fun thinking games every child can play.

General information as of November 8, 2026. This is not medical or psychological advice. For questions about your own child, talk with the school or a licensed professional.

The short answer: most children do not need an IQ test. Real IQ tests are given one-on-one by trained psychologists, for a clear reason. Online “IQ tests” are not real assessments. Goal100 will never give IQ scores. Instead, we offer thinking games that help every child grow.
“123” Not a number label ⭐ Practice → strategies → progress
In 10 seconds: we praise effort, good strategies and progress. We do not give children number labels.

What an IQ test really is

Real IQ tests

  • Are given one-on-one by a trained, certified or licensed professional.
  • In New York schools, an individual psychological evaluation is done by a NYS-certified school psychologist or a licensed psychologist. It is usually part of a special education evaluation by the Committee on Special Education (CSE).
  • The psychologist explains what the scores mean for this child and how to help.

Online “IQ tests”

  • An American Psychological Association article warns that some popular online IQ tests give scores based on a small set of poorly explained questions.
  • It quotes a psychologist: internet testing “is not the same as an assessment conducted by a qualified professional.”
  • A wrong score can hurt a child's confidence. Please skip them.

Why Goal100 does not offer IQ scores

  1. Not valid. A website quiz cannot do what a trained psychologist does.
  2. Labels stick. A number can change how a child sees themself. We want children to see that practice works.
  3. Privacy. Goal100 does not collect scores like this. Progress stays on the device.

How New York schools usually find students for gifted programs

New York does not require districts to have gifted programs. If a district has one, it sets its own steps. Here is the common shape, with the parts New York requires marked ✓.

  1. Step 1
    Screening of new entrants ✓
    Schools screen every new entrant. If a student appears to meet the gifted definition (“possibly gifted”), the school tells the superintendent and the family within 15 calendar days.
  2. Step 2
    Referral ✓
    Under Education Law §4452, identification starts with a referral from a parent, teacher or administrator.
  3. Step 3
    Parent approval ✓
    The district tells the parent and asks for approval before giving diagnostic tests. No fee may be charged for testing.
  4. Step 4
    Many kinds of information
    NAGC (the National Association for Gifted Children) says one test at one moment should not decide who is gifted, and that several tools should be used. Districts may look at class work, teacher input, projects and tests. NYSED says choosing screening tools is a local decision.
  5. Step 5
    Placement notice ✓
    If a student is placed in a gifted program, the family is told.
Example with made-up details

Two made-up families, two different questions

Family A: their grade 3 child finishes math work early and asks for harder problems. Good first step: talk with the teacher about extras and ask whether the district has a gifted or enrichment program and how referral works. No IQ test is needed to ask.

Family B: their grade 5 child reads far above grade level but writing assignments take a very long time and cause tears. Good first step: talk with the teacher and ask about a referral for an evaluation. A school psychologist may do an individual evaluation as part of it. A child can be gifted and have a disability (“twice-exceptional”). See the IEP and 504 meeting guide.

Next steps on the honors road: Honors and advanced paths, grade by grade.

Thinking games for every child (free on Goal100)

No test, no label: just good thinking practice. Pick one and play 15 minutes.

Chess from Zero
Learn the moves, then plan ahead. Play chess
Play on this device. Math Foundations
Tricks and number sense. Competitions
Contest-style problems, grade 6. Competitions, grade 8
Harder contest problems. Student contests
Real contests to enter. STEM
Build, test, improve. Robotics and coding
Logic in action, grades 7-8. Study Skills
Learn how to learn.

Try 3 quick puzzles

Puzzle 1 · Pattern

2, 4, 8, 16, … What comes next?

Puzzle 2 · Balance

A scale balances: 2 apples = 6 grapes. How many grapes balance 1 apple?

Puzzle 3 · Logic

Three made-up friends each have one pet: a cat, a dog, a fish. The Red friend has the dog. The Green friend does not have the fish. Who has the fish?

A simple weekly thinking plan for families

Day15 minutesSay this
MondayA chess game or puzzle“What was your plan?”
TuesdayA Math Foundations trick“Can you show me another way?”
WednesdayRead and ask “why?”“What made you think that?”
ThursdayOne contest problem“Not yet is fine. What will you try next?”
FridayBuild something (blocks, code, paper)“What would you change?”

Praise effort, strategies and progress. Avoid “you're so smart”; try “you kept going and found a better strategy.”

Questions people ask

Can I ask the school to test my child for gifted?

You can ask about referral. Under §4452, a parent can make a referral, and the district must get parent approval before diagnostic testing, with no fee. Whether the district has a gifted program is its own choice.

Should I pay for a private IQ test?

Ask the school first what it uses and whether it would consider an outside report. Any test should be given by a licensed professional. Goal100 cannot advise on a single child.

Does Goal100 have a gifted test?

No, and it will not. We offer challenges and games for every learner, with Goal 100% and kind “not yet” feedback.

Official sources

If a link and this page ever disagree, the official page wins.