What is the CAT4 test?
5 min read · updated 2026-09-05
The CAT4 — Cognitive Abilities Test, published by GL Assessment — is the test many UK independent schools use for entry decisions and most use for setting once children arrive. Unlike the 11+, it does not test learned knowledge at all: it measures reasoning in four dimensions, which changes how preparation should work.
The four batteries
CAT4 assesses Verbal Reasoning (words and language logic), Quantitative Reasoning (number relationships), Non-Verbal Reasoning (shapes and patterns) and Spatial Reasoning (visualising objects in space). Each battery is short and multiple choice, and the whole test usually runs across a couple of sessions rather than one sitting.
How results are reported
Scores become Standard Age Scores (SAS) comparing your child with others of the same age, then map to stanines from 1 to 9. Stanine 5 is the middle of the range; 7-9 indicates above-average reasoning profiles. Schools use these differently: some set a minimum for entry, most use them to group and support students — and a few use them as a first filter before their own written papers.
Does preparation help?
You cannot revise for CAT4 the way you revise for GCSEs — that is the point of the design. But familiarity genuinely helps: children who have seen the question styles, practised managing the timer, and worked through reasoning puzzles beforehand perform closer to their true ability than children meeting the format cold. Think of it as instrument familiarisation, not cramming — a handful of practice sessions in the weeks before is the honest sweet spot.
FAQs
Which schools use the CAT4?＋
Many UK independent schools use it for entry (often alongside their own papers or the ISEB Pre-Test) and hundreds of state schools use it for setting in Year 7. Internationally, British-curriculum schools across the Gulf and Asia also run it.
Can my child fail the CAT4?＋
There is no pass mark in itself — schools set their own thresholds. A stanine in the top half keeps most doors open; below that, schools weigh CAT4 alongside interviews and written papers. Practice under timing is the fairest way to show real ability.
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