CAT4

Information

What is the CAT4?

▸ The Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) is a

diagnostic assessment that is designed to

help students and their teachers understand

how they learn and what their academic

potential might be.

▸ It assesses how students think in areas that are

known to make a difference to learning.

What does the CAT4 involve?

▸ Tasks involve thinking about shapes and

patterns (Non-Verbal Reasoning), words

(Verbal Reasoning), numbers (Quantitative

Reasoning) and some questions are

answered by mentally generating and

transforming visual images (Spatial Ability).

What are each of the areas?

▸ Verbal Reasoning – the ability to express ideas and reason through words is

essential to subjects with a high language content, and the most obvious

skill picked up by traditional assessment.

▸ Non-verbal Reasoning – problem-solving using pictures and diagrams; skills

which are important in a wide range of school subjects, including maths

and science-based subjects.

▸ Spatial Reasoning – the capacity to think and draw conclusions in three

dimensions, needed for many STEM subjects, but not easily measured by

other datasets.

▸ Quantitative Reasoning – the ability to use numerical skills to solve problems,

applicable well beyond mathematics.

Why use CAT4?

▸ CAT4 is used in many schools to provide information to teachers, students and

parents that, with other information such as results from Key Stage 2 tests, forms the

basis for discussion about how best a child can learn and reach his or her potential

in school.

▸ CAT4 does not require any prior knowledge and you cannot ‘learn’ how to answer

the questions in CAT4. It is therefore a good test because everyone starts at the

same place.

▸ CAT4 contributes to setting targets (for example, levels expected at the end of the

next Key Stage or grades at GCSE) and allows an individual’s progress to be

monitored.

▸ CAT4 results helps teachers decide about the pace of learning that is right for an

individual and whether additional support or challenge is needed.

▸ CAT4, unlike an English or Math test, is not a test of what the student has learned. It

tests how an individual can think in areas that are known to make a difference to

learning and achievement.

▸ KHDA state that every child in Y2 and Y4 must have a CAT4 assessment in the first

term.

Time needed for Testing

▸ CAT4 consists of four short tests. The

administration of the digital tests is in 2 parts.

Children cannot move onto part 2 without

completing part 1.

▸ Test timings (which are fixed) with an

approximation of the time needed for

instructions, examples and practice items, are

given in the table on the following page.

Time needed for Testing

*A timer appears on screen and counts down from the time allocated to each

test. This cannot be over-ridden as the tests in CAT4 are strictly timed. If a

student does not reach the end of the test in the given time, the test will time-

out and the student will be moved to the next section or will exit the test.

CAT4 Digital Test Time* Approx. time need

for practice

Approx. length of test

session

Part 1

Section 1 12 mins (24 qs) 3 mins 15 mins

Section 2 10 mins (24 qs) 3 mins 13 mins

Part 2

Section 3 12 mins (18 qs) 3 mins 15 mins

Section 4 11 mins (18 qs) 3 mins 14 mins

SCHEDULE OF TESTING

FORMAT OF THE TESTING

SESSIONS

▸ Tests can be completed on the iPads.

▸ Each test gives the students clear instructions through

headphones. At the start of each test section, the students will be

shown examples of how to answer the different types of

questions, and will be given a number of practice questions to do

before the actual test starts.

▸ The test commentary instructs the students to check their work

carefully before moving onto the next section and before they

click that they have finished the test. The supervising teacher will

also reinforce this message.

▸ Students need to have a paper and pencil available at all times,

should they wish to do any working out.

▸ Should there be a technical issue, the teacher supervising will

deal with this, and ensure that the student still gets the full

allocated time to complete their test. The teachers cannot help

students with questions on the content of the tests.

▸ During the tests, the students can move forward and backwards

through the questions in all sections.

Examples of Practice

Qs

Understanding the

Report

Is additional time allowed for children with SEND?

▸ CAT4 is a timed assessment and additional time is not

permitted as this will affect the reliability of the results.

CAT4 is not just about what and how it tests but how the

questions are answered within a set timeframe. The timed

element makes it diagnostically very powerful.

▸ CAT4 subtests are generously timed and most children

reach the final questions, however there may have been

a minority of students during the standardisation process

who would have obtained higher scores if they had been

given more time. Therefore, giving extra time to a

particular student could give an inflated view of their

relative ability when comparing their results with the CAT4

norms.

THANKS!Any questions?