CAT4 and GL assessments explained for parents
What the CAT4 cognitive abilities test measures, how to read the scores, and how British international schools use CAT4 and GL Progress Tests for admissions and teaching.
Many British international schools use tests from GL Assessment, most often the CAT4, for admissions and to track progress. If your child has been asked to sit one, here is what it measures and how to read the results.
What CAT4 measures
CAT4 (Cognitive Abilities Test, fourth edition) assesses reasoning ability in four areas, called batteries:
| Battery | What it tests |
|---|---|
| Verbal reasoning | Thinking with words: similarities, analogies |
| Non-verbal reasoning | Problem-solving with shapes and patterns |
| Quantitative reasoning | Thinking with numbers and number patterns |
| Spatial ability | Visualising and manipulating shapes in the mind |
CAT4 does not test what a child has learned in the curriculum. That makes it useful for children arriving from different school systems, or still learning English.
Reading the scores
- Standard Age Score (SAS): the main score, adjusted for age. The average is 100, and most children score between about 85 and 115.
- Stanine: a 1–9 scale, where 4–6 is average.
- National percentile rank: the percentage of children of the same age who scored lower.
- Profile: compares verbal and spatial scores to show whether a child has a verbal or spatial learning bias, or no bias.
The profile matters more to teachers than the overall score. It suggests how a child learns best.
GL Progress Tests and reading tests
Schools often combine CAT4 with:
- Progress Test in English, Maths and Science (PTE, PTM, PTS): measure curriculum attainment against UK benchmarks.
- New Group Reading Test (NGRT): reading and comprehension levels.
- PASS (Pupil Attitudes to Self and School): a wellbeing and attitudes survey.
Comparing CAT4 (potential) with Progress Tests (attainment) helps schools spot underachievement and plan support.
How schools use the results
- Admissions: to understand a new student’s ability, alongside reports and interviews.
- Teaching: to group students, plan challenge and support, and set realistic targets.
- Predictions: CAT4 can give indicative IGCSE/GCSE and A-Level grades. These are probabilities, not limits.
Ask the school to share and explain the report. A good conversation about the profile is often more useful than the number itself.
Frequently asked questions
Can my child prepare for CAT4?
CAT4 is designed to measure reasoning ability rather than learned knowledge, so intensive preparation is neither necessary nor recommended. Familiarity with the question formats can help a nervous child, and schools usually explain what to expect.
Is a low CAT4 score a reason for refusal?
Schools use CAT4 differently. Selective schools may use it as an entry threshold; non-selective schools use it to understand how a child learns and to plan support. Ask the school how the results will be used.