What is the CAT4 test, and can you prepare for it?

Question

Priscilla Han · Accepted Answer

CAT4 (the Cognitive Abilities Test, fourth edition) is a reasoning test published by GL Assessment and used by many international and UK schools for children aged 6-17+. It measures reasoning ability — not curriculum knowledge — across four areas: verbal, non-verbal, quantitative, and spatial reasoning. Schools use it to understand a child's potential and to set realistic expectations, not as a pass/fail entrance exam. It is deliberately not a test you can revise for. GL Assessment explicitly advises against practice and does not endorse any CAT4 practice materials — because the point is to measure underlying reasoning, which coaching distorts rather than improves. A child who is drilled may score higher than their true ability, which then sets expectations they cannot meet in class. The most useful preparation is simply a good night's sleep and familiarity with the on-screen format (each section includes untimed examples). Scores are age-standardised (an average of 100), so a child is compared with others of the same age, not against a fixed pass mark. Because it profiles four separate reasoning types, CAT4 can reveal a mismatch — for example, strong non-verbal reasoning in a child whose English is still developing — which is exactly why it is useful for internationally-mobile and EAL students whose exam results may understate their ability.