Guide to the CAT4 Test

What is the CAT4 test?

CAT stands for Cognitive Ability Test; it is one of the world’s most widely use cognitive ability tests and it is used in schools to understand developed ability and academic potential.

The CAT4 is used by some independent schools as a part of their admissions process. This assesses a candidate’s verbal, non-verbal, mathematical, and spatial reasoning ability and academic potential. UK independent Prep Schools also use the CAT4 tests as a data point to guide Senior School conversations with parents. This is because of its resemblance to the entry Pre-Tests.

The fourth edition of CAT or CAT4 as it is more commonly known is based on extensive research, including the analysis of 25,000 UK students’ test data, and is one of the most common standardised assessment tools used in schools.

A Star Learning recommends you watch the following video to gain an insight into CAT4 tests: A short explanatory video of the CAT4’s content

What does the CAT4 assess?

The CAT4 assesses four areas:

Verbal Reasoning: the ability to reason with words representing objects or concepts.
Non-Verbal Reasoning: the ability to reason with shapes and patterns.
Quantitative Reasoning: the ability to identify numerical relationships.
Spatial Ability: the ability to reason with shapes to transform visual images.

The test is comprised of 8 short tests assessing the following sections of the four areas above:

Figure Classification (10 mins)
Figure Matrices (10 mins)
Verbal Classification (8 mins)
Verbal Analogies (8 mins)
Number Analogies (10 mins)
Number Series (8 mins)
Figure Analysis (9 mins)
Figure Recognition (9 mins)

Can you sit the CAT4 at any age?

The CAT4 assessment is divided into 10 levels, each with tailored content to specific age group and academic stage:

Level A: Year 4 (ages 8–9)

Level B: Year 5 (ages 9–10)

Level C: Year 6 (ages 10–11)

Level D: Year 7 (ages 11–12)

Level E: Year 8 (ages 12–13)

Level F: Year 9 & 10 (ages 13–15)

Level G: Year 11 (ages 15+)

The most used levels in the UK are A to G, and for those students sitting a CAT 4 assessment as a part of an independent school admissions process, they are possible to sit the following levels:

11+ Entry: Level C & D

13+ Entry: Level E

14+ Entry: Level F

16+ Entry: Level G

What is a good CAT4 score?

CAT4 tests have the ability to produce a vast amount of data. For each of the four areas assessed the following data is shared:

The number of questions answered.
A Standard Age Score (SAS).
A National Percentile Rank (NPR).
Stanines (ST).

CAT4 assessments also provide a Mean Standard Age Score (SAS)

The average SAS is 100. Whilst a ‘good score’ is specific to the chid sitting the test, a score above 100 could be considered good based on being above average.

The top independent senior schools are often seeking the Standard Age Scores in excess of 125 in Year 6.

CAT4 test sample questions

GL Assessment, the creators of the CAT4, “strongly advise against any kind of practice ahead of a CAT4 test”.

For this reason, there are no sample or example test to assist you to prepare for the test. However, GL Assessment do give indication of the types of question students might face in each section of the test in their Teacher Guidance.

How to prepare for the CAT4?

Each section of the CAT4 assessment includes information with practice examples to help students become familiar with the style and format of the questions.

Students may wish to do this prior to the test. For this instance, it is possible to achieve some degree of familiarisation via the variety of web-based tests and apps available as listed below:

The majority of students sitting the CAT4 as a part of an independent school admissions process complete this in Year 6 or 7 and the resources available online typically aimed at these year groups.

However, students sitting the CAT4 as a part of the 16+ admissions process can still utilise these resources, as they will give good indication of the content assessed and types of questions asked and build on their familiarity of the assessments.

Tutors for the 11 Plus and Pre-tests

A Star Learning supports many students preparing for the 11 Plus. The 11 plus tutors we represent are experienced in the intricacies of the 11 Plus exams and how they vary between schools’ assessments.

We would generally recommend that preparation begins around 12 – 18 months prior to exams.

For more details on how A Star Learning can assist with 11 Plus preparation, please call the office for a chat with one of our managers or contact us via our website.