The story behind Brain Booster
When my son was in Grade 2, his school announced that all students would be undertaking testing as part of their district's gifted programme assessment process. As my partner and I did not grow up in the district, we were not familiar with these testing regimes — and we were curious about how we could go about helping our son navigate what was a structured programme of tests unlike anything we were accustomed to back home.
There was a wealth of information out there, but I was struggling to find a fun and straightforward tool to support my son through the journey. The resources I found were either expensive, overly complex, or built for professional administrators rather than parents trying to help at the kitchen table after school.
I also noticed that the families who seemed most prepared were the ones who already knew the landscape — often because an older child had been through it, or because they had the time and resources to track down specialist materials. The playing field was not level, and that bothered me.
Brain Booster is the tool I wish had existed then. Free, well-designed, covering all the question types that matter across all grade levels, with a parent dashboard that makes it easy to see what's working and where to focus next — without needing to understand psychometric theory to interpret it.
Our approach to test preparation
Brain Booster is built on a specific belief about what good preparation looks like — and what it isn't.
It isn't about memorising answers. The CogAT and SAGES test reasoning processes, not facts. A child who memorises 200 analogy answers doesn't become a better analogical reasoner. A child who practises the thinking patterns that analogies test — recognising relationship types, applying rules to new examples, eliminating distractors — does.
Good preparation is about building genuine cognitive familiarity. Seeing enough analogy questions that the format feels natural. Working through enough number series that the pattern-hunting reflex becomes automatic. Practising enough figure matrices that you know to look for rotation, then size, then shading — rather than staring at the grid hoping something clicks.
This is why Brain Booster structures practice in short sessions (5 questions at a time) rather than long test simulations. Cognitive habits form through repeated, low-pressure exposure — not through high-stakes drilling.
What we believe
Every child deserves the same preparation
The advantage that test familiarity provides is real. Brain Booster exists to make that advantage available to every family, regardless of background or resources.
Reasoning can be developed
Cognitive reasoning ability isn't fixed at birth. It develops through experience, practice, and exposure. Brain Booster is built on this premise.
Parents are the most important variable
The Parent Dashboard exists because we believe engaged, informed parents make a bigger difference than any app feature. Parents who can see what's working can focus their support where it matters most.
Short and consistent beats long and sporadic
Five questions every day is more effective than fifty questions once a week. Everything about Brain Booster is designed around sustainable daily practice.
Children's privacy is non-negotiable
No personal data from children. No behavioural advertising. No tracking. Brain Booster is COPPA compliant, and always will be.
The skills matter beyond the test
Analogical reasoning, pattern recognition, spatial thinking — these aren't just test skills. They're cognitive habits that serve children for life. The test is the occasion; the skills are the point.
What Brain Booster covers
Brain Booster includes practice content for the two most widely used gifted assessment tools for Grades K–8: the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test, published by Riverside Insights) and the SAGES (Screening Assessment for Gifted Elementary and Middle School Students, published by PRO-ED Inc.).
Content is organised across six categories — CogAT Verbal, CogAT Quantitative, CogAT Nonverbal, SAGES Reasoning, SAGES Language Arts, and SAGES Maths & Science — and five grade levels from Kindergarten through Grade 8. Each grade level has its own calibrated question bank, so the difficulty always matches your child's stage of development.
The app is a Progressive Web App (PWA) — it runs in any browser on any device, and can be saved to the iPhone or Android Home Screen for full-screen, offline-capable access.
A note on advertising
Brain Booster is free to use. It is supported by contextual advertising shown to parents on the parent dashboard and welcome screens. Children never see advertisements during their practice sessions.
All advertising is served through Google AdSense with child-directed treatment flags applied — meaning no behavioural targeting, no remarketing, and no tracking of children. Advertising is based on the educational content of the page, not on any data about your child.
If you have questions about how Brain Booster handles advertising and data, the Privacy Policy covers everything in detail.
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