Using CAT 4 in secondary schools
The UK and Ireland's most widely used test of reasoning abilities for children aged 16 - 17+ years.
CAT4is an assessment of developed abilities in areas known to make a difference to learning and achievement - namely verbal, non-verbal, quantitatie and spatial reasoning - and provides you with an accurate analysis of potential student achievement.
standardised on 25,000 student and verified every year based on analysis of a quater of a million students, CAT4 provides you with valuable baselining data with national benckmarks. It also gives reliable indicators for national tests and examinations, including retrospective Key Stage 2 indicators, 9-1 GCSE and A level indicators.
FAQs
What does CAT4 do?
It provides a rounded profile of student ability so you can target support, provide the right level of challenge, and make informed decisions about their progress. Reports indicate strengths and weaknesses across four batteries:
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.
How can CAT4 help me to set a baseline for my students?
CAT4 provides individual scores for each student’s verbal, non-verbal, spatial and quantitative reasoning, enabling you to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and how much support they may need in future.
This means you can make sound decisions based on statistical evidence.
If you use our New Group Reading Test, Progress Test in English or Progress Test in Maths, you will also be able to compare your students’ ability with their attainment in our Combination Reports, available to you automatically. These will highlight easily whether students are achieving as expected or are in need of additional support.