GRADES 5–6 · LEVEL E
Grades 5–6 NNAT guide: Level E
Older elementary students can take a more active role in reviewing their reasoning. Ask them to distinguish a consistent relationship from a visual resemblance. A useful explanation states the rule, identifies the relevant features and shows why a tempting alternative fails.
Updated October 8, 2026 · Independent parent guide
Confirm the test before choosing practice
Pearson’s usual grade guidance places grades 5–6 in Level E. Ask the school which edition and level it will administer, whether students will use paper or a device, and when testing is scheduled. The school’s assignment takes priority over a website recommendation.
NNAT3 is a visual reasoning assessment. Its published format has 48 items and 30 minutes of working time; allow approximately 35–45 minutes for the complete session including directions. Actual scheduling comes from the school.
Use precise rules and check combinations of clues.
These are preparation activities, not an official item distribution or a claim that every skill appears in a specific proportion at this level.
- List the features that change and those that stay fixed.
- Test a proposed rule across more than one completed relationship.
- Use elimination only when a choice conflicts with a specific clue.
A practical session for this stage
Ask the student to keep a brief practice reflection: one missed clue, one successful strategy and one question to revisit. Use this to choose the next learning activity, not to estimate an official score.
Use a quiet setting and fresh examples. If you explain the rule during learning practice, give the student another problem later to see whether the idea transfers. Repeating the same picture can test memory more than reasoning.
What to notice during review
If accuracy falls during longer sessions, separate fatigue from a reasoning gap. Compare a short untimed session with a later timed session rather than assuming the student needs uniformly harder material.
Record the kind of help needed: understanding directions, finding a relationship, checking a second feature or managing a timed session. A short note about the missed clue is more useful than treating a practice percentage as an official ability score.
Explore an original example
Our worked-example gallery shows how to compare five choices and explain a relationship. Those examples teach selected ideas; they are not a complete reviewed Level E form. Use the question-type lessons for general solving strategies.
Questions families ask
Are these pages a complete Level E practice bank?
No. This is an information guide. Original sample illustrations teach general reasoning ideas; they do not represent a complete reviewed Level E form.
Can a practice percentage be converted to NAI?
No. Independent practice accuracy is not an official normed score and does not supply a valid conversion to NAI or percentile rank.