What is CAT4?

CAT4 is the Cognitive Abilities Test: Fourth Edition. Schools use it to build a broader picture of how a pupil reasons and learns. It is not simply another curriculum test and it should not be interpreted as a final judgement on intelligence, achievement or future potential.

The assessment can help schools spot relative strengths, areas that may need further investigation and patterns that are not always obvious from ordinary classroom attainment. A balanced interpretation considers the whole profile, including differences between batteries, rather than relying only on a single overall score.

How CAT4 scores work

The score parents most often see is the Standard Age Score, usually shortened to SAS. It adjusts the raw score for the pupil’s age so that performance can be compared with an age-referenced sample.

A score of 100 is average. A higher score is above the age-referenced average and a lower score is below it. However, confidence intervals, test conditions, motivation and the pattern across batteries all matter. Avoid treating one number as a diagnosis or fixed ceiling.

Read the full CAT4 scores and reports guide.

How to prepare for CAT4 effectively

Good preparation is mainly about familiarity, confidence and pacing. It should help a child understand what different question formats look like and how to approach them calmly. It should not become relentless drilling or an attempt to memorise answers.

A simple four-step preparation plan

1. Start with a short sample. Identify which question types are familiar and which feel confusing.
2. Teach the method. Show how to inspect the rule, eliminate unlikely answers and check the final choice.
3. Practise in short sessions. Ten to twenty focused minutes is often more useful than a long, tiring worksheet.
4. Add light timing later. Build accuracy and confidence before increasing pace.

What to avoid

• A practice pack aimed at the wrong age or CAT4 level
• Repeating one question type while ignoring weaker areas
• Introducing strict timing before the child understands the method
• Promising a particular score or treating practice as a guarantee
• Creating anxiety by presenting CAT4 as a pass-or-fail exam

Free CAT4 sample tests and practice resources

Use a free sample to check format familiarity and identify where targeted preparation may help. A sample is most useful when you review how the child reached an answer, rather than focusing only on the number correct.

• Free sample CAT4 tests
• Free quantitative reasoning practice
• CAT4 figure matrices practice
• CAT4 figure recognition practice
• CAT4 sections and question formats

CAT4 practice tests by school year

Choose the guide that matches your child’s current school year. Year-specific pages should remain separate because they meet a distinct search need and help parents find age-relevant resources quickly.

Before publishing, complete this grid with the single retained URL for every year. Any older page serving the same year and intent should be merged into the retained page and then 301 redirected.

CAT4 question types

CAT4 contains several subtests within the four broad batteries. The exact format depends on the level and administration, but parents commonly encounter tasks involving verbal analogies, verbal classification, number analogies, number series, figure classification, figure matrices, figure analysis and figure recognition.

The best preparation teaches the thinking process behind each format:

• Identify the relationship before looking at answer options
• Describe the rule in simple words
• Eliminate answers that break part of the rule
• Check orientation, sequence, quantity and position carefully
• Move on calmly when one item is taking too long

About this guide

CAT4 is associated with its publisher, GL Assessment. School Entrance Tests is independent and does not claim ownership of the CAT4 assessment. Schools and parents should use official publisher documentation for administration and formal score interpretation.