CAT4 is a reasoning test schools use to see how a child thinks with words, numbers, shapes and space. There’s no pass mark, and the best help you can give is making sure no question type is a surprise on the day.
It’s made by GL Assessment and sold only to schools. Over three quarters of a million children take it each year, from age 6 upwards.
Why do schools use it?
Mostly to get to know their pupils. The scores show teachers each child’s strengths and help them choose the right pace. Some schools use them to set classes.
Many secondary schools test the whole of Year 7 at the start of the year, as a baseline for the years ahead. A few schools also use it for entry, for example for places that come up in other year groups.
Each school decides whether to share the results with parents, so ask if you’d like to see them.
What are the four parts?
Every question is multiple choice with five options, and each test is strictly timed. From Year 4 up, there’s about 72 minutes of questions, split over three sittings. Here’s each part, with a tiny example.
Verbal. Spotting what words have in common, and word analogies. Hot is to cold as tall is to short.
Quantitative. Patterns in numbers rather than school sums. In the series 3, 7, 11, 15, the next number is 19. In a number analogy, if 2 goes to 6 and 5 goes to 15, then 4 goes to 12.
Non-verbal. The same ideas with shapes. If a big white circle becomes a small black circle, a big white square becomes a small black square.
Spatial. Picturing paper and shapes in your head. Fold a square in half, punch one hole through both layers and open it out: there are two holes, mirrored across the fold. The other asks them to find a simple shape hidden in a busier design.
How is CAT4 scored?
Each part gets a standard age score, where 100 is average for a child of that age, so the youngest in the year aren’t at a disadvantage. Most children score between about 85 and 115.
Alongside it comes a stanine from 1 to 9, where 5 is average and 9 is the top 4%. Nobody passes or fails.
How can I help my child do their best?
Get familiar with each question type
Most children have never met a number analogy or a fold-and-punch question at school, and the first go is always the slowest. A child who has seen them at home spends the test working out answers instead of working out what’s being asked.
Here’s a number analogy to try together tonight, talking it through out loud:
- Look at the first pair. 3 goes to 10. Maybe the rule is “add 7”, or “times 3, add 1”.
- Test it on the second pair. 5 goes to 16. Adding 7 gives 12, so that rule is out. 5 × 3 + 1 is 16, so that one works.
- Use it. 6 goes to 6 × 3 + 1, which is 19.
The habit to teach is step two: check the rule on a second pair before trusting it. It works for word and shape analogies too.
For fold and punch, use real paper and a hole punch: fold, punch, guess where the holes will be, then open it and check.
Make the basics quick
Number series and analogies get much easier when times tables and number bonds come without thinking, and verbal questions get easier with a bigger vocabulary. Every second saved on 7 × 8 is a second for the tricky part.
Practise with a gentle clock
Learn each type untimed first, then add a timer for short bursts. A week might look like this:
- Monday: five word analogies, untimed, talking through each one.
- Tuesday: number series, five minutes on a timer.
- Wednesday: fold and punch with real paper.
- Thursday: shape analogies and odd one out.
- Friday: a mixed set of ten, timed, then a look at any they missed.
Ten minutes a day is plenty, and weekends off.
Sleep, breakfast and calm
Call it a puzzle session. Each test starts with untimed examples, so tell your child to use them to check they’ve understood. If a question won’t come, they should pick their best answer and move on. Sleep and breakfast matter more than last-minute practice.
Where Rush fits
Rush practises the same kinds of question, 100 seconds at a time: analogies, number series, shape patterns, fold and punch and hidden shapes. Our free guides to verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning explain each type with worked examples.
Questions parents also ask
Can my child fail CAT4?
No. There’s no pass mark. If a school uses the scores for entry or sets, any cut-off is its own choice.
Is CAT4 an IQ test?
No. It shows how a child reasons with four kinds of question on one day, and scores can change as a child grows and gets used to the question types.
Which version will my child sit?
There are ten levels matched to year groups, such as level C for Year 6. Children in Years 2 and 3 have two sittings of about 30 minutes instead of three.
