Cognitive Abilities Test, Fourth Edition · GL Assessment · Ages 6 to 17+

CAT4 practice for the four kinds of reasoning it measures

CAT4 does not test what a child has been taught. It measures four kinds of reasoning, verbal, quantitative, non-verbal and spatial, through eight short timed tests, and most children have never met half of those formats before the day. Five sample questions are below, no account needed.

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No account needed for these. They come from the same engine as our full practice tests.

What the CAT4 is made of

The most widely used reasoning test in the UK and Ireland, given to whole year groups rather than only to children referred for gifted screening.

Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Classification and Verbal Analogies. Word knowledge matters here, so this is the battery a child still learning English finds hardest.

Quantitative Reasoning

Number Analogies and Number Series. Reasoning about how numbers relate, not sums taught in class.

Non-verbal Reasoning

Figure Classification and Figure Matrices. Shapes only, with no words or numbers.

Spatial Ability

Figure Analysis (folding and punching paper) and Figure Recognition (finding an exact outline hidden inside a busy drawing). Both ask the child to hold a picture in mind and change it.

What our practice covers: seven of the eight tests. The five sample types above are in the full practice test too, and Verbal Classification and Verbal Analogies open from grade 3 (Year 4) once you have an account. We do not yet have Figure Recognition, so practise that format with GL's own familiarisation materials if your school provides them.

The question types you can practise here

Figure classification

Several shapes have something in common. The child works out what it is, then picks the one answer that shares it.

Figure matrices

A grid of shapes with one cell empty. A change runs across and another runs down, and the answer has to fit both.

Figure analysis (paper folding)

A square is folded, a hole is punched, and the child pictures it opened out. Every fold doubles and mirrors the holes.

Number series

A row of numbers follows a rule. Find the rule, then the next number. Rough paper is allowed on the real test.

Number analogies

Pairs of numbers are changed by the same hidden rule. Spot it from the examples and apply it to a new number.

How CAT4 scores work

Each test gives a raw score, the number right. GL Assessment then compares it with children of the same age in years and months and reports three scores for every battery: a Standard Age Score, a national percentile rank and a stanine. There is also a mean score across the four batteries and a profile showing whether a child leans verbal or spatial.

Standard Age Score (SAS)average 100, standard deviation 15About two thirds of children score between 85 and 115. The scale runs from roughly 60 to 140.
Stanine 9SAS 127 and aboveThe 97th percentile and up: about 4 children in 100.
Stanine 8SAS 119 to 126The 90th to 96th percentile.
Stanine 5 (middle)SAS 97 to 103The 41st to 58th percentile. Stanines 4 to 6 are the average band.
Profileseven bands, extreme verbal bias to extreme spatial biasBuilt from the verbal and spatial stanines. "No bias" in the middle is the most common result.

CAT4 has no pass mark. Most schools use it to set targets and to spot children whose reasoning is ahead of their results; the few that use it for entry or setting choose their own cut-off. Ask the school how it reads the scores before deciding what a number means.

Format notes worth knowing

Levels follow age

GL lists twelve levels. Level X is for 6 and 7 year olds, Pre-A and Y for 7 and 8 year olds, then Level A (Year 4, about US grade 3) up to Level G for students of 14 and over. Each level is normed on its own age band.

Eight tests in three sittings

From Level A up, the eight tests are split into three parts of about 40 minutes each, and every test has its own fixed time of 8 to 10 minutes. The youngest levels, X and Pre-A, have four tests in two sittings of about 30 minutes.

Rough paper on the number tests

GL's administration guide allows rough paper and a pencil for Number Analogies and Number Series. The other tests are done without writing anything down, which is part of what they measure.

Published by GL Assessment. We are not affiliated with them, and these practice questions are our own.

More on the CAT4

CogAT practice →

The US reasoning test with a similar design: verbal, quantitative and non-verbal batteries.

InView practice →

The reasoning test US schools pair with TerraNova.

Questions parents ask

What is CAT4?
CAT4 is the Cognitive Abilities Test, fourth edition, published by GL Assessment. It measures verbal, quantitative, non-verbal and spatial reasoning through eight short tests, for ages 6 to 17 and over. GL describes it as the most widely used reasoning test in the UK and Ireland. Schools usually give it to a whole year group to see each child's potential rather than what they have already learned.
What is on the CAT4 test?
Four batteries of two tests each. Verbal Reasoning has Verbal Classification and Verbal Analogies. Quantitative Reasoning has Number Analogies and Number Series. Non-verbal Reasoning has Figure Classification and Figure Matrices. Spatial Ability has Figure Analysis, which is paper folding, and Figure Recognition, which is finding a shape hidden in a drawing.
How long is the CAT4 test?
From Level A up, the eight tests take 8 to 10 minutes each and are given in three sittings of about 40 minutes including instructions and practice questions. Levels X and Pre-A, for the youngest children, have four tests in two sittings of about 30 minutes.
What is a good CAT4 score?
The Standard Age Score averages 100, and about two thirds of children score between 85 and 115. Stanine 7 (SAS 112 to 118) is above average, stanine 8 (119 to 126) is well above, and stanine 9 (127 and up) is the top 4% for the age. There is no pass mark; a school that uses CAT4 for a decision sets its own cut-off.
What CAT4 level will my child take?
The level follows age. Level A is aimed at Year 4 (ages 7 to 9, about US grade 3), Level B at Year 5, Level C at Year 6, and so on up to Level G. The youngest children take Level X or Pre-A. Scores are always compared with children of the same age, so a young child in the year is not penalised.
Can you prepare for CAT4?
You cannot revise content for it, because it is not testing content. What helps is knowing the formats, so a child is not using their first minutes on a timed test working out what a paper folding or figure matrix question wants. A few sessions of practice are enough for that; long drilling adds little.
Is CAT4 the same as the 11+?
No. CAT4 is GL Assessment's reasoning test that schools give to whole year groups. Grammar school 11+ entrance tests are separate papers set for each area, although some use similar question types. Check which test your school or area actually uses.
What does a verbal or spatial bias on CAT4 mean?
GL compares the verbal and spatial stanines and places each child in one of seven bands, from extreme verbal bias through no bias to extreme spatial bias. It is not a grade. It suggests how a child may learn most easily, for example through words or through pictures and diagrams, and it is worth discussing with the teacher.
Is CAT4 an IQ test?
No. It is a group reasoning test given in school. GL itself points out that stanines help avoid the mistaken impression that a Standard Age Score is an IQ score.

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A timed practice test of the non-verbal, spatial and quantitative batteries, scored, with every wrong answer explained.

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Also preparing for CogAT or NNAT or OLSAT or InView? Or try our olympiad papers and Math Kangaroo practice.