CATs test and CAT4 in secondary school
Schools use the Cognitive Abilities Test to help judge students' cognitive abilities before secondary school. CAT4 is the current CAT assessment that’s likely used across schools today.
When joining Year 7, your school needs an idea of which sets you should be in. For the most part, schools typically go by your exam results and place you from there, however, your CATs test could move you up or down in the sets depending on how you do.
It is also common for schools to re-test you in Year 9, just to see how you've progressed and see if there is anything else that they can do to help you out, should you need it.
What is a CAT test?
CAT stands for Cognitive Abilities Tests (sometimes known as a CogAT). These are tests that examine the general intelligence of a student and see your aptitude within certain subjects.
The CAT test is a great way to test your aptitude in certain subjects. Currently, the test is in its fourth edition, known simply as CAT4, with the assessment now broken down into four sections:
- Verbal Reasoning: Thinking with words
- Non-verbal Reasoning: Thinking with pictures and diagrams
- Spatial Reasoning: Thinking and drawing conclusions in three dimensions, needs for STEM subjects
- Quantitative Reasoning: Thinking with numbers
CAT tests are sometimes used for students in primary school as well, though it is more common among secondary school students in Year 7 and sometimes in Year 9.
Can you revise for CATs tests?
It is possible to find past papers online but CAT test revision isn't always helpful, as the exam is to test views and opinions. The results can't be influenced by things you learn outside of the test.
How many times do you sit the CATs test?
How many times you take CATs all depends on the school you're at. Many schools only test students once in Year 7, whereas others have been known to test students in Year 9.
When do I get my test results?
This too depends on the school that you attend, but many schools don't share the results with students or parents. The test is more for the school's benefit rather than your own, so for the most part, it's not really important for you to see your results. Some schools may send the results to you or teachers will tell you your results.
What is a good score to get on the CATs?
The score is set into three separate tiers for students and has two different sections that correspond to the overall ranking of the results. The expected CAT score for Year 7s is reported to be 100.
| Tier | CAT score |
|---|---|
| Oustanding ability | 130 plus |
| Highly talented | 120 plus |
| Above average | 112 plus |
| Average | 89-111 |
| Below average | 88 or less |
These tiers correspond to the score you received and are a good way for schools and teachers to decide on the overall sets that you will be in for your school time. The boundaries may move depending on when the CATs are taken.
How long is each section?
You'll have approximately 40 minutes per section to complete as many of the questions as you can. The time you get will depend on what year you are taking the CAT test.
Those with disabilities will also have the option of help from assistants, if they need it.
Do universities ever do CAT tests?
No, universities don't offer CAT tests. Universities may offer psychological tests of some kind to monitor students or as a way of being able to filter the application process.
The University of Cambridge have its own CAT test, but it's different from the test we're speaking about here. At Cambridge, the test is called the Cambridge Admissions Test (sometimes referred to as the Classics Admissions Test) and is often applied by the University of Oxford as well.
How are CATs different from SATs?
SATs are the exams that are done at the end of your key stages in infant and junior school - Year 6 and sometimes Year 2. SATs are designed to decide your overall sets for when you move into secondary school.
CATs are also there to inform your settings. But while SATs determine your suitability in certain subjects like English, Maths and Science, there are subjects you won't take SATs for that you'll be taking in secondary school. This is when your CATs come in!
CATs can be a second stat to help schools set you in those core subjects too. For example, you might start in a lower set for Maths, but after your CATs, your school may choose to move you up a set or two.
Do universities take your CAT scores into account?
They do not. Universities need to know more about you by seeing what your A Level results are like or your college work, like a BTEC.
Your CATs results are purely for your school's use and they are not relevant to anything else you do, they do not impact anything else, not even your T Levels.
The CAT tests are required by all schools and students cannot be exempt from sitting them as they are used for standard testing purposes. It is not uncommon to see schools update the overall structure of the test, especially since the test has seen a lot of change since its inception in 1954, when it was known as the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test.
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