Description: This article will take a look at what the CAT4 test involves and the best ways to prepare for the entrance exam.
The CAT4 assessment is a cognitive ability test usually undertaken by students as an entrance exam for secondary school.
The purpose of the test is to help teachers place their students in academic brackets, more commonly known assets, by predicting their academic abilities. This can be for a range of subjects.
Schools that require this exam are typically grammar schools. However, certain high schools also use this exam in deciding your child’s academic bracket.
What Does the Test Involve?
The exam involves the evaluation of four key areas: verbal, non-verbal, mathematical and spatial reasoning.
A common misconception is that it examines students’ current curriculum knowledge. The test, however, involves eight short quizzes to understand the child’s learning ability. This can help teachers in deciding the best ways to educate effectively.
Each quiz typically involves a set of “puzzles” which identify foundational abilities that can be applied to any academic subject.
For example, the non-verbal reasoning puzzles require the child to think about shapes and patterns. The mathematical reasoning section requires students to work through number patterns, typically working to figure out the next value in a sequence.
How to Prepare
In order to prepare for the exam, a good idea would be to tackle practice questions section by section.
Certain websites allow candidates to take a practice test but online resources are limited. Various exercise books are available to purchase online and in-store.
Practice questions typically involve shape and number puzzles that are similar to those that appear on the test. By becoming familiar with these types of puzzles, your child will feel more comfortable in identifying, describing and explaining the patterns that they see.
Although there is no specific method for revision, students can prepare for the verbal reasoning section in a number of ways.
Supporting Your Child
You can encourage your child to read a variety of fiction and non-fiction books to expand their vocabulary. Spelling tests and word games, such as Scrabble, can also help students improve their writing skills.
To prepare for spatial reasoning, many parents recommend unorthodox methods such as playing Tetris or with Lego. These interactive and exciting ways of learning help your child to understand how shapes interact with each other.
Parents may find it difficult to help their child prepare for all areas of this exam. Telios Tutors offer a variety of tutors who specialise in helping children with the CAT4 assessment.
Our tutors are adept at identifying areas where your child can improve and setting manageable goals to help them prepare for the assessment.
Interested in working with one of our CAT4 tutors? Contact Us.