GATE is Glendale Unified School District's Gifted and Talented Education program. The NNAT® is the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, a computer-based visual reasoning assessment that does not require reading, writing, or speaking.
This guide is written for Glendale Unified School District (GUSD) parents who want to understand the spring screening process, what the district's published cutoff actually means, and how to help a 3rd grader prepare calmly before testing.
What Glendale Unified says about GATE identification
GUSD says the NNAT3 is administered to all 3rd graders district-wide in spring, and separately to 4th through 6th grade students who are new to the district. It is a computer-based test with 48 problems and a 30-minute time limit. Families receive a notification before testing with the option to opt out, using the district's online form or a paper form from the school. If your child was already identified as gifted in another district, the district asks you to give those documents to your school's teacher specialist.
The district publishes an actual cutoff: students scoring at or above the 92nd percentile rank qualify for GATE. GUSD is explicit that percentile rank is not the same as percentage correct, since that distinction is a common source of parent confusion. Once a student is identified as GATE in GUSD, they are not retested and keep that identification for as long as they remain enrolled in the district.
Two more rules are worth knowing:
- A second chance: if a student does not qualify the first time, further screening can be requested by a parent, teacher, counselor, or administrator. A student may test a maximum of 2 times.
- Scored by age: the NNAT3 compares your child with children nationwide in the same 3-month age band, so a child who is young for the grade is not compared with older classmates.
| Test basics | What Glendale parents should know |
|---|---|
| Test | NNAT3, computer-based, 48 questions in 30 minutes |
| Screened grades | Universal for all 3rd graders; also 4th to 6th graders new to the district |
| Qualifying score | 92nd percentile or higher |
| Opt-out | Online or paper form, after the notice sent before testing |
| Retesting | By request if not identified, up to 2 tests total; identified students keep GATE status while enrolled |
| Norms | 3-month age bands, national comparison |
| Results | A district letter is sent to families after all screening sessions district-wide are complete |
The NNAT® may look nothing like ordinary classwork. Give your child a first look at pattern completion, analogies, serial reasoning, and spatial visualization.
Start free practiceAt 3rd grade, the NNAT3 uses Level D, the level used for grades 3 and 4. It covers the same four question families as the earlier Level C, with more answer choices and finer visual distinctions. See our guide to NNAT® Level C vs Level D for what actually changes.
Sample question
Try an NNAT® practice question
Look across the rows and down the columns. Choose what completes both patterns.
A real GateBuddy practice question.
Choose one of the five answers.
The outside and inside colors move through the same three-color cycle. Every row and column uses each outside color once, and the inside shape always uses the next color in the cycle. Continue both color patterns to get white background with large blue diamond at the center and small yellow triangle at the center.
Try 10 more questions free
See how easy practice can be for your child.
- Short practice sets made for kids
- Read aloud, so they can work on their own
- Extra practice where they miss
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Practice preview
Let your child see the format before test day.
GateBuddy introduces the visual reasoning formats used on the NNAT® through short, age-appropriate practice with clear explanations.
- Built around the four NNAT® question types
- An explanation after every answer: what changed and what stayed the same
- Short adaptive sets plus full, timed practice tests
- A live view so parents can follow along
Real GateBuddy practice questions, one of each NNAT® question type.
Why the district waits for every school to finish before sending results
Glendale's letter goes out only after all screening sessions across the district are complete and processed, not school by school as testing happens. That means a family whose school tests early in the spring window may still wait weeks for a result while other schools finish. It is not a sign anything went wrong; the district sends results only after every school is done.
The practical takeaway: if your school tested weeks ago and you have not heard back, that is expected. If you have questions in the meantime, your school's teacher specialist is the district's named contact for NNAT3 testing.
What GATE gives your child in Glendale Unified
The district describes GATE services this way:
- Differentiated instruction in the regular classroom. Students work toward the same learning goals as classmates, but the teacher adjusts how they learn based on the student's interests, preferences, and strengths.
- GATE learning experiences outside the regular classroom. The district says each school offers these; what they look like varies by school.
GUSD does not describe a separate GATE class or school, so ask your school's teacher specialist what GATE looks like at your campus.
Curious how your child would do? Find out with no pressure.
Try 10 questions free nowQuestions Glendale parents should ask
- What date will my 3rd grader's class take the NNAT3 this spring?
- When will the testing notice go home, and what is the deadline if we want to opt out?
- When does the district expect to send result letters this year?
- If my child is new to the district in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade, when will they be tested?
- If my child does not qualify, when can we request a second screening?
- What GATE learning experiences does our school offer outside the regular classroom?
Our broader questions to ask your school guide can help you turn those into one clear conversation with the office or program contact.
How to prepare effectively for the NNAT
- Learn the format. Go through each of the four NNAT® question types, and after every question talk through the rule: what changed and what stayed the same, not just which answer is right. GateBuddy shows an explanation after every question that names the rule, and it can read instructions and explanations out loud, which helps a child who is still building reading skills or simply learns better by hearing it.
- Practice 10 to 15 minutes a day, for as long as you can. Reasoning skills build like a muscle, a little at a time. A few weeks of practice helps, but months of short, steady sessions build much more.
- Spend extra time on the weakest type. Most children find one or two question types harder. Focus there once the basics feel familiar. GateBuddy’s practice sets do this for you: each set of five leans toward the question types your child has seen least and adjusts how hard the next questions are based on recent answers. You can also pick one question type and a level (easy, medium, or hard) to work on a weak spot.
- Practice on a screen. Glendale gives the NNAT3 on a computer, so some practice should be on a screen too.
- Take full, timed practice tests: at least two, and more is better. A full test is where your child learns pacing and how to work alone against a clock, the way test day works. Every GateBuddy plan includes eight full, timed NNAT® practice tests, so your child can take several along the way and still save the last two for the final few weeks as a dress rehearsal. While your child works on their own, GateBuddy’s Live View lets you follow along from your own phone: how many questions they have answered, the answer they just picked, and how many they have right so far. Your child gets the independence of test day, and you still see everything.
Practice teaches your child what the questions look like and gives them ways to approach and think through them, so test day feels familiar instead of surprising.
Our guide to how to prepare for the NNAT® goes deeper on each step.
Why GateBuddy
Practice that feels like test day, built by parents who needed it.
GateBuddy started with parents preparing their own kids for the NNAT® and finding mostly printable packets and answer keys. So they built what they wished they had: short daily practice that adapts, full timed tests that feel like test day, and a way to see progress without hovering.
What your child gets:
- Five questions at a time, picked for your childEach short set adapts to your child’s recent answers and to the question types they have seen least. Ten to fifteen minutes fits on a school night.
- Explanations that teach the ruleAfter every question, your child sees what changed and what stayed the same, so the idea carries over to the next one.
- Read aloud when it helpsInstructions and explanations can be read out loud, so a child still learning to read can focus on the reasoning.
- Full, timed practice testsEight full tests with a visible timer, a question list to skip and come back, and pause and resume for real life. Take several along the way and save the last two as dress rehearsals.
- Live view for parentsFollow a practice test from your own phone: questions answered, the answer just picked, and how many are right so far. Your child works on their own, like test day.
- Focused practice when you want itPick one of the four NNAT® question types and a level (easy, medium, or hard) to work on a weak spot.
GateBuddy vs printable packets and workbooks
| Feature | Packets and workbooks | GateBuddy |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing what to practice next | The same pages for every child | Adapts to your child’s answers |
| When an answer is wrong | A letter in the answer key | An explanation of the rule |
| Timed practice | You time it yourself | Built-in timer, skip and return, pause |
| Watching progress | Grade it by hand afterward | Live view while they work |
| Format | Paper | On screen, the way many districts now give it |
Start with 10 free questions.
See how your child handles NNAT® practice questions in about ten minutes, then decide.
Frequently asked questions
What test does Glendale Unified use for GATE?
The NNAT3 (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, Third Edition), a computer-based visual reasoning test with 48 problems and a 30-minute time limit.
What percentile qualifies for GATE in Glendale Unified?
GUSD says students scoring at or above the 92nd percentile rank are eligible for GATE. The district notes that percentile rank is not the same as percentage correct.
Is GATE testing universal in Glendale Unified?
Yes, for all 3rd graders district-wide, plus students in grades 4 through 6 who are new to the district. Families may opt out with an online or paper form.
When does Glendale Unified test for GATE?
Testing happens in 3rd grade classrooms in the spring. The district has not published a single district-wide date; each school shares its testing time with families beforehand.
Can my child test again if they do not qualify in Glendale Unified?
Yes. Further screening can be requested by a parent, teacher, counselor, or administrator, and a student may test a maximum of 2 times. Once identified as GATE, a student is not retested and keeps that identification while enrolled in the district.
Why does it take a while to get GATE results in Glendale Unified?
GUSD sends result letters only after all screening sessions across the district are complete and results are processed, so timing can vary even after your own school has finished testing.
How is the NNAT3 scored in Glendale Unified?
By age, not grade. The district says the NNAT3 uses 3-month age bands, so your child is compared with children nationwide born in the same 3-month span.
- Glendale Unified School District: Learn About GATE
- Glendale Unified School District: GATE Frequently Asked Questions
- GateBuddy: What is the NNAT®?
GateBuddy compiled this guide from its own research of publicly available information and is not affiliated with Glendale Unified School District. The guide may contain errors or be out of date. Please confirm all details with your school or district.