CAT4 Test: Format, Batteries, Levels, Scores, and Preparation
The Cognitive Abilities Test: Fourth Edition, usually called CAT4, is a school assessment that measures how students reason with words, numbers, figures, and spatial information.
Unlike a curriculum attainment test, CAT4 is not primarily designed to check how well a student remembers material taught in class. Schools use it to build a broader picture of how a student approaches unfamiliar problems and which forms of reasoning may be relative strengths or areas for development.
For parents:
A CAT4 result should not be viewed as a permanent label or a complete measure of a child’s intelligence, ability, or future performance. Schools should interpret the profile alongside classroom attainment, teacher observations, language background, wellbeing, and other evidence.
Optional TestPrep-Online preparation:
When your school permits practice, families can review TestPrep-Online CAT4 preparation packs, CAT4 practice test overview and TestPrep-Online Family Membership. Confirm the assessment, grade or level, current pack contents, access terms, and school policy before purchasing.
What Does CAT4 Measure?
CAT4 covers four reasoning batteries:
- Verbal Reasoning;
- Quantitative Reasoning;
- Nonverbal Reasoning;
- Spatial Ability.
Each battery uses a different kind of information.
| Battery | Information used | Broad purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal | Words and verbal relationships | Reasoning with language and concepts |
| Quantitative | Numbers and numerical relationships | Identifying and applying numerical rules |
| Nonverbal | Shapes and visual patterns | Solving figure-based problems with limited language |
| Spatial | Mental manipulation of shapes | Visualising transformations, folds, and embedded forms |
The pattern across the four batteries can be more informative than one overall score.
Why Do Schools Use CAT4?
Schools may use CAT4 to support:
- educational planning;
- understanding reasoning strengths and differences;
- comparison with attainment data;
- identifying possible underachievement;
- enrichment or additional challenge;
- classroom grouping or setting;
- admissions or scholarship processes;
- decisions about whether further assessment is needed.
The purpose varies by school, country, age group, and testing context.
Parents should ask how the school intends to use the result rather than assume that CAT4 has one universal role.
How Is CAT4 Structured?
For many levels, CAT4 is organised into three parts containing eight subtests.
Part 1
- Figure Classification;
- Figure Matrices.
Part 2
- Verbal Classification;
- Verbal Analogies;
- Number Analogies.
Part 3
- Number Series;
- Figure Analysis;
- Figure Recognition.
Levels X, Y, and Pre-A are designed for younger students and may use a different structure, more picture-based content, or additional administrator support.
The exact format should be confirmed with the school.
What Do the CAT4 Subtests Assess?
Verbal Classification
The student identifies the category or conceptual relationship shared by several words.
Verbal Analogies
The student identifies a relationship between words and applies the same relationship to another pair.
Number Analogies
The student identifies a numerical relationship and applies it consistently.
Number Series
The student identifies the rule governing a sequence of numbers.
Figure Classification
The student identifies the visual feature or rule shared by several figures.
Figure Matrices
The student identifies a transformation or relationship within a visual matrix.
Figure Analysis
The student mentally reverses folds or transformations to determine how a figure would appear.
Figure Recognition
The student identifies a target shape within a more complex design.
These descriptions explain the broad task families. They do not reproduce operational CAT4 questions or official difficulty calibration.
Is CAT4 Timed?
CAT4 subtests are timed.
For many standard levels, each subtest lasts only several minutes. The complete administration, including instructions and examples, is commonly spread across three parts and may take around two hours in total.
Actual arrangements can vary according to:
- the CAT4 level;
- school timetable;
- breaks between parts;
- administration platform;
- approved access arrangements;
- whether all parts are completed on one day.
Students should follow the school’s instructions rather than rely on a preparation provider’s timing table.
Which CAT4 Level Will My Child Take?
The school selects the level according to age, school year, testing date, curriculum, and purpose.
CAT4 includes:
- Level X;
- Level Y;
- Pre-A;
- Levels A through G.
Age ranges overlap. A general table can provide orientation, but parents should not self-assign a level when the school has supplied one.
Confirm the level:
Using the wrong CAT4 level can make preparation irrelevant and create confusion about the score report. Follow the level stated by the school, admissions office, or testing provider.
How Are CAT4 Scores Reported?
A CAT4 report may include:
- raw scores;
- Standard Age Scores, or SAS;
- National Percentile Ranks;
- stanines;
- confidence bands;
- a mean SAS;
- separate results for the four batteries;
- a profile description.
The main score is usually the Standard Age Score, which adjusts performance for the student’s age.
The CAT4 SAS scale has an average of 100. That does not make 100 a pass mark.
For a detailed explanation of SAS, percentiles, stanines, confidence bands, profiles, and levels, read our CAT4 Scores and Levels guide.
What Is a CAT4 Profile?
The profile shows how the four battery results relate to one another.
A student may have:
- a relatively even profile;
- a relative Verbal strength;
- a relative Quantitative strength;
- a relative Nonverbal strength;
- a relative Spatial strength;
- substantial differences between batteries.
An uneven profile is not automatically a problem. It may help the school ask more specific questions about language, attainment, instruction, and access to the curriculum.
The profile should not be converted into a rigid learning-style label.
Is CAT4 an IQ Test?
CAT4 is a cognitive-abilities assessment, but it is not the same as a comprehensive individual clinical intelligence evaluation.
CAT4 is generally:
- administered to groups;
- used for educational planning;
- organised around four reasoning batteries;
- completed under standardised school conditions.
An individual psychological assessment can include one-to-one administration, broader cognitive tasks, developmental history, professional observation, achievement testing, and clinical interpretation.
Is There a CAT4 Passing Score?
CAT4 does not have one universal passing score.
A school may create local criteria for:
- admissions;
- scholarships;
- setting or grouping;
- enrichment;
- further assessment;
- additional support.
Those criteria belong to the school and should not be presented as universal GL Assessment thresholds.
What Is a Good CAT4 Score?
There is no single CAT4 score that is good for every student or school purpose.
A useful interpretation depends on:
- age;
- the battery concerned;
- confidence bands;
- the complete profile;
- attainment data;
- language background;
- the purpose of testing;
- local school policy.
A high score does not automatically guarantee admission, a scholarship, gifted identification, or a particular class placement.
A lower score does not prove that a student lacks potential or has a learning disability.
Can CAT4 Identify Gifted Students?
CAT4 may contribute to a school’s understanding of high reasoning ability or an uneven cognitive profile.
A gifted or advanced-programme decision may also consider:
- achievement assessments;
- classroom work;
- teacher recommendations;
- portfolios;
- interviews;
- another cognitive assessment;
- local programme criteria.
No single CAT4 score guarantees a gifted decision.
Use our Gifted Tests Comparison to distinguish CAT4 from CogAT, OLSAT, NNAT, SCAT, and Canadian CCAT-7.
Can CAT4 Diagnose a Learning Disability?
No.
A CAT4 profile may identify a pattern that deserves further investigation, but it cannot independently diagnose dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, a language disorder, or another condition.
A formal evaluation requires additional evidence and appropriately qualified professional interpretation.
Should Students Prepare for CAT4?
When the school permits practice, families can review TestPrep-Online CAT4 preparation packs or compare options with CAT4 practice test overview. Confirm the grade or level, current pack contents, access terms, and school policy before purchasing.
GL Assessment advises schools and families to avoid intensive coaching that could reduce the value of CAT4 as a measure of developed reasoning.
The first step is to ask the school whether familiarisation is recommended or permitted.
Appropriate support may include:
- explaining the purpose of the assessment calmly;
- becoming comfortable with the computer interface;
- understanding that subtests are timed;
- practising general reasoning skills rather than memorising answers;
- maintaining normal sleep and meal routines;
- encouraging careful work and sensible pacing.
Avoid attempting to reconstruct secure questions or presenting CAT4 as a test of whether the child is intelligent.
Existing CAT4 Sample Questions
Tests.School has an established CAT4 sample-question page containing independently created examples and explanations.
The examples are not official GL Assessment questions and cannot reproduce:
- the secure item bank;
- official level calibration;
- standardised timing;
- scoring and norms;
- the complete testing environment.
Use that page only when the school permits familiarisation.
When Can Additional Practice Be Useful?
Some families may choose structured practice when:
- the school permits it;
- the exact level has been confirmed;
- the student is unfamiliar with timed reasoning tasks;
- explanations can support confidence and strategy;
- preparation can remain proportionate and low-pressure.
Before purchasing, verify the level, current pack contents, access period, renewal conditions, refund policy, and school rules.
Optional CAT4 preparation:
Families who decide that additional preparation is appropriate can review the current TestPrep-Online CAT4 practice options. Confirm the exact level and current product terms before purchasing.
Practice cannot guarantee a Standard Age Score, percentile, stanine, scholarship, admission, setting decision, or another educational outcome.
What Should Parents Ask Before Testing?
- Which CAT4 level will be administered?
- Will all three parts be completed?
- Is the test online or paper-based?
- How will breaks be organised?
- Which access arrangements apply?
- Does the school permit familiarisation?
- How will the result be used?
- When will the report be available?
What Should Parents Ask After Receiving Results?
- What are the four battery SAS results?
- Do the confidence bands overlap?
- What are the National Percentile Ranks and stanines?
- Is the profile relatively even or uneven?
- Could language have affected the Verbal Battery?
- How does the profile compare with attainment data?
- Will another assessment be administered?
- How will the result affect teaching, support, grouping, or enrichment?
CAT4 guides and practice
Read the CAT4 practice hub, CAT4 scores and levels and CAT4 sample questions. Compare Canadian CCAT, gifted test comparison and MAP Growth if you are evaluating multiple assessments. Optional practice: TestPrep-Online CAT4 preparation packs, CAT4 practice test overview and TestPrep-Online Family Membership.