The CAT4 – short for Cognitive Abilities Test, Fourth Edition – is a standardised assessment published by GL Assessment. It is widely used by schools in the UK and by British curriculum and IB schools around the world, including in the Middle East and Asia.
Unlike SATs, GCSEs or end-of-term tests, the CAT4 does not test what a child has already learned. It looks at how a child thinks: how they process information, solve problems and reason through unfamiliar tasks. That gives schools a fair picture of a child’s abilities, largely independent of their school background.
Whether your child is applying to a new school, moving up a year or simply sitting the test at their current school, knowing what to expect makes a real difference to how calm and confident they feel.
What does the CAT4 measure?
The CAT4 measures reasoning across four areas, called batteries. Together they give a profile of a child’s strengths and of how they tend to learn best.
Because the test is about reasoning rather than curriculum content, it is often described as a test of potential. Teachers use it to see whether a child is working in line with that potential – or whether something, such as still learning English, may be holding them back.
The four CAT4 areas
Each of the four areas has two subtests, so your child meets eight question types in the real test.
Verbal reasoning
Thinking with words. The subtests are verbal classification (find the word that belongs to a group) and verbal analogies (complete a word pair). Strong verbal reasoning often goes along with subjects such as English, history and languages. Children who are still learning English may score lower here – because of the language, not because of their reasoning.
Quantitative reasoning
Thinking with numbers. The subtests are number analogies and number series. No advanced maths is needed – the focus is on spotting patterns and rules, not on calculating.
Non-verbal reasoning
Thinking with shapes. The subtests are figure classification and figure matrices. Because it uses no words or numbers, this area is the least affected by language and school background.
Spatial ability
Thinking in space. The subtests are figure analysis (how a folded, hole-punched paper looks when unfolded) and figure recognition (finding a shape hidden in a design). Many children find this area the most unfamiliar, because it rarely comes up in everyday schoolwork.
See all question types with examples →
CAT4 test levels
The CAT4 comes in nine levels, each matched to an age range and year group, so the questions fit your child’s stage.
| Level | Age | UK year | US grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| X | 6–7 | Year 2 | Grade 1 |
| Y | 7–8 | Year 3 | Grade 2 |
| A | 8–9 | Year 4 | Grade 3 |
| B | 9–10 | Year 5 | Grade 4 |
| C | 10–11 | Year 6 | Grade 5 |
| D | 11–12 | Year 7 | Grade 6 |
| E | 12–13 | Year 8 | Grade 7 |
| F | 13–15 | Years 9–10 | Grades 8–9 |
| G | 15–17+ | Years 11–12 | Grades 10–11 |
The CAT4 is age-normed: your child’s result is compared with children of the same age, in years and months. A 9-year-old and a 12-year-old are never compared directly.
How is the CAT4 scored?
The two most important measures are the Standard Age Score (SAS) and the stanine.
Standard Age Score (SAS)
Each area gets an SAS, and there is an overall mean. 100 is exactly average for the age group, and about two thirds of children score between 85 and 115. An SAS of 100 does not mean 100% correct.
Stanine
The stanine (“standard nine”) groups results into nine bands from 1 to 9.
| Stanine | SAS | Percentile | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | below 74 | 1–4 | Very low |
| 2 | 74–81 | 5–11 | Below average |
| 3 | 82–88 | 12–23 | Below average |
| 4 | 89–96 | 24–40 | Average |
| 5 | 97–103 | 41–59 | Average |
| 6 | 104–111 | 60–76 | Average |
| 7 | 112–118 | 77–88 | Above average |
| 8 | 119–126 | 89–95 | Above average |
| 9 | 127 and above | 96–99 | Very high |
Schools rarely publish minimum scores, and many use the CAT4 mainly to plan teaching. For a step-by-step guide to your child’s report, read CAT4 results explained.
How schools use the CAT4
In the UK, many schools test whole year groups, for example at the start of Year 7. Internationally, the CAT4 is common at British curriculum and IB schools. In Dubai, the schools regulator KHDA requires private schools to run a cognitive abilities test, so many children sit the CAT4 in Grades 3, 5, 7 and 9 (Years 4, 6, 8 and 10).
Schools typically use the results to:
- plan teaching and set groups in core subjects,
- spot children who need more challenge,
- spot children who may need support – for example when CAT4 and classwork tell different stories,
- and, at some schools and in some year groups, as part of admissions. Dubai College, for example, asks for recent CAT4 or standardised test results for Year 7 entry.
Good to know
Whether the CAT4 counts in admissions depends on the school and the year group. Check the admissions page of your school.
How to prepare for the CAT4
The CAT4 measures reasoning, not knowledge, and GL Assessment advises against drilling. What does help is knowing what to expect: a child who meets figure matrices or number analogies for the first time under time pressure has to work out the format and the task at once.
- Get to know all four areas. Make sure your child has seen every question type, so nothing is a surprise.
- Keep it short and regular. 15–20 minutes a few times a week works better than long sessions.
- Give weaker areas a little more time. Most children have a natural profile – for example stronger with words than with shapes.
- Add timing gradually. Start without a timer, then add time limits as confidence grows.
- Keep it calm. Treat the tasks as interesting puzzles, not as exam drill.
How MindScout helps
MindScout adapts the difficulty to your child’s answers. Atlas, our AI tutor, explains the reasoning behind every question step by step, and the parent dashboard shows progress across all four areas. Try the free starter test →
See the question types for yourself
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