2025 Non-Verbal Reasoning Skills CAT4 test practice

Welcome to the 2025 CAT4 Non-Verbal Reasoning Skills practice tests. This is specifically designed to improve your non-verbal reasoning skills.

FREE downloadable CAT4 test practice PDFs, CAT4 practice tests

and CAT4 test samples.

2025 CAT4 Non-Verbal Reasoning Skills practice tests

Here’s School Entrance Tests‘s 2025 CAT4 Sample Test.

Our popular non-verbal reasoning CAT4 practice test samples

 

Which skills are assessed by the cat4?

There are multiple CAT4 skills. The skills assessed in the CAT4 test are fundamental to a child’s academic success and future career performance. For example, an architect relies heavily on strong spatial awareness and quantitative reasoning, while an English teacher benefits from the ability to recognize patterns in text and apply advanced verbal reasoning skills.

So, what are the CAT4 question types?

The CAT4 consists of 8 individual tests to evaluate a student’s Verbal Reasoning (VR), Non Verbal Reasoning (NVR), Quantitative Reasoning (QR) and Spatial Awareness (SA).

Individual tests are between 8-10 minutes and consist of the following;

  • Figure Classification and Figure Matrices
  • Verbal Classification and Verbal Analogies
  • Number Analogies and Number Series
  • Figure Analysis and Figure Recognition

There are many types of question in GL Assessment’s excellent replacement CAT4 tests range to the SAT’s benchmarking system. So, CAT4 test questions are designed as “puzzles” rather than traditional knowledge-based questions. They assess core cognitive skills essential for academic success across various subjects.

What do the CAT4 question types look like?

Here’s an overview of the CAT 4 question types:

  • Non-Verbal Reasoning: Tests the ability to think about shapes and patterns. Students analyze shapes and patterns to determine what comes next or identify underlying patterns.
  • Verbal Reasoning: Assesses a child’s understanding and manipulation of words. Students evaluate word patterns, identify connections, and determine which words fit or don’t belong.
  • Quantitative Reasoning: Focuses on recognizing numerical patterns. Students analyze number sequences and predict the next value in the sequence.
  • Spatial Ability: Evaluates how well a child interprets visual images. Students work with shapes, generating and transforming visual images to identify the correct final shape.

These questions are designed to measure cognitive abilities rather than acquired knowledge, providing insights into a child’s potential and problem-solving skills.

Why do schools use the CAT4 test suite?

  • The cognitive abilities test or CAT4 is one of the most recognized methods for testing a student’s academic potential and challenges.
  • It is basically divided into different categories including quantitative, spatial abilities, non-verbal and verbal.
  • CAT4 reports are for both teachers and parents as well and for receiving individual reports, teachers will be able to access group reports as well.

What Are CAT4 Results Used For?

CAT4 results provide a detailed breakdown of a student’s abilities in verbal, non-verbal, quantitative, and spatial reasoning. These results can help determine whether a student is a good fit for a school or guide their placement in the appropriate academic group.

While CAT4 tests are sometimes used as standalone tools for admissions, schools often combine them with traditional assessments and interviews to gain a fuller understanding of the student’s potential.

Additionally, the results help educators understand a student’s learning preferences and tailor educational materials accordingly. Grouping students with similar abilities ensures that the pace of teaching is appropriate, maximizing learning outcomes.

Can You Prepare for CAT4 Tests?

Schools and teachers typically discourage extensive preparation for CAT4 tests to maintain their integrity as measures of natural cognitive ability. However, students unfamiliar with the “puzzle” style of questions may struggle initially, as these differ from the knowledge-based assessments they usually encounter.

Engaging in practice activities can help students become familiar with the test format and reduce anxiety, particularly for timed online tests. While practicing identical questions is unethical, exposure to similar exercises can improve understanding without compromising the results. Parents and schools that nurture problem-solving and foundational cognitive skills can also prepare students indirectly.

How do Parents Receive CAT4 Results?

Teachers are guided on how to share CAT4 results with parents. Typically, they provide insights into a child’s strengths and areas for improvement, emphasizing how the results can enhance the educational approach. Since the CAT4 is a diagnostic tool, the focus is on using the results to better support the child’s development and learning journey.

What’s the CAT4 pass mark?

That depends. Although there isn’t a CAT4 pass mark as such.

 

How can parents support their child’s CAT4 preparation?

Parents can support their child in the following ways:

  • By organizing various teaching methods that suit their child’s learning process best.
  • Providing a suitable, quiet working environment.
  • Provide new books and magazines which will encourage the learning of new words. Plus word meaning and different uses.
  • Arrange scientific experiments that can help to boost their child’s enthusiasm for learning CAT4-related concepts.

 

How do schools use CAT4 test results?

  1. Primarily to determine the reasoning qualities of a child and compares his or her progress to the children of the same age and groups.
  2. Aligned with the above as a means of tracking in detail an individual student’s learning progress.
  3. But also to show teachers how best to teach individual students.

In summary, CAT4 results are invaluable for creating personalized learning plans. They allow educators to identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses, tailoring enrichment programs for high-achievers and providing targeted interventions for those needing extra support. These insights also help schools allocate resources effectively to ensure every student can achieve their full potential and develop into a well-rounded individual

How does GL Assessment recommend using CAT4 results?

 

What are the types of Non-Verbal Reasoning question in the CAT4?

CAT4 Non Verbal Reasoning

The CAT4 Non-verbal Reasoning question type involve shapes and patterns. These appear in the form of figures & matrices.

  • Non-verbal reasoning is the ability to visually understand shapes, their relationships and patterns, differences, and similarities.
  • CAT4 measures a child’s ability in this area using a figure classification test and a figure matrices test.
  • The figure classification test presents a group of shapes which are similar in some way.
  • Respondents select one of the other five shapes presented that also belong to the group due to the shared characteristic.

 

CAT4 figure classification sample questions

CAT4 figure matrices sample questions

Mosaic’s free CAT4 skills resources

Our CAT4 video series.

Which is the most useful CAT4 non-verbal Reasoning test practice?

Each of the CAT practice tests by age below represent free CAT4 test practice. We offer these for each school year group who take the CAT4.

How are skills assessed by the CAT4?

  • The CAT4 is a very accurate marker of innate academic potential.
  • Hence, academically selective independent secondary schools in the independent education sector are often interested in each applicant’s CAT4 scores.
  • The key CAT4 summary statistic is its Standard Age Score; an adjustment of each pupil’s raw score for age.
  • It is this CAT4 SAS which then enables age-adjusted CAT4 scores to be put on a continuous CAT4 score scale.
  • That in turn allows comparisons to be made with a nationally representative CAT 4  sample. This is a nationally representative pupil sample of the same school age.
 

Which skills does the CAT 4 assess?

  • The CAT4 is more than just a test; it’s a comprehensive evaluation of a child’s cognitive abilities. It delves into four distinct areas: verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and spatial awareness.
  • These areas collectively provide a holistic picture of your child’s cognitive strengths and potential areas for development.
  • GL Assessment’s excellent replacement CAT4 range to the SAT’s benchmarking system is popular in both the USA and in the UAE.
  • Where, the CAT4 assessments act as a reliable and valid international benchmark of individual attainment for non-UK pupils. Please read our explanation of the meaning of your CAT4 test score for further CAT4 test introductory info. In summary, the CAT 4
  • Firstly, assesses a child’s learning potential in many ways it’s similar to an adult IQ test for adults.
  • Secondly, creates uniformity and consistency across each primary/secondary school’s year group.
  • Thirdly, CAT4 results are an excellent predictor of future academic success at school.
  • GL Education’s Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) and LASS help the school ensure that every child achieves their potential in the classroom.
  • The CAT4’s verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial ability tasks are used as a starting point to provide teachers with information on children’s: Strengths; Learning preferences; and Weaknesses.
  • GL Education recommends that any school using the CAT4 analyses those CAT4 results on a regular basis. Such CAT4 analyses should then be discussed at a CAT4 progress meeting. Attainment CAT4-related questions include,

CAT4 non-verbal reasoning skills

The CAT4 Test has these two Non-Verbal Reasoning assessment modules: a) CAT 4 Figure Matrices test sections b) CAT 4 Figure Classification module Each CAT4  non-verbal reasoning module has been categorized by question type according to the specific skill being assessed.

CAT4 non-verbal reasoning skills to pass CAT4 Figure Matrices questions

  • Combining Shapes or Figures
  • Division of Shapes
  • Count of Shapes or Elements
  • Alteration of Size
  • Variation in Shading
  • Evolution of Shapes
  • Reflection
  • Positioning
  • Rotation
  • Alterations in Line Style
  • Utilization of Multiple Techniques
  • Exploration of Latin Squares

CAT4 Skills required to pass CAT4 Figure Classification test

  • Rotation
  • Identical or Similar Figures
  • Count of Sides
  • Countof Shapes
  • Positioning
  • Reflection
  • Duplication
  • Shading
  • Size
  • Layers
  • Division of Shapes or Symmetry
  • Utilization of Multiple Techniques

How are non-verbal reasoning skills assessed by the CAT4 ?

The specific CAT4 sections assess visualisation skills; the ability to
  • create and retain a firm mental image of a shape
  • representing angles and lengths accurately.
In fact, the eight CAT sections assesses a different set of reasoning skills. These can be examined:
  1. firstly in terms of the four major aptitude tests for skills in numerical, verbal, spatial and non-verbal reasoning.
  2. secondly in terms of how the CAT4 also assesses the additional working memory and processing skills abilities.
Both these CAT 4 skills taxonomy approaches are well-supported in the aptitude research theory and skills literature.  

 

Have a CAT4 question?

Rob Williams

Feel free to contact our Founder, Rob Williams, who is a specialist CAT4 test designer.

An Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Rob Williams is a Chartered Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working and designing tests.

He is also the author of five psychometrics books and has worked for the  school entrance test publishers ISEB, Hodder and GL Assessment, the CAT4 publisher.

Here’s our popular You Tube channel‘s CAT4 video guide.

 

CAT4 case Studies

GL Assessment also offers some unique CAT4 case studies such as the CAT4 school applications below. All CAT4 sub-sections measure:
  • Processing Speed which is a pupil’s skills at processing / responding to visual and auditory info.
  • Working Memory which is a pupil’s skills at holding / manipulating info within their individual short-term memory capacity.
 

CAT4 Non Verbal Reasoning skills questions

This CAT4 skills section assesses critical thinking, logical thinking and analytical thinking. The CAT4 Non Verbal Reasoning skills questions adopt CAT4 shapes and figures, without relying on language skills. It also assesses a student’s problem-solving pattern recognition skills using various designs and shapes. Non-verbal reasoning is important to students when it comes to interpreting diagrams, charts, numbers, and letters.  Having strong non-verbal skills helps students in subjects like geography, mathematics, technology, and science.

CAT 4 Non-Verbal Reasoning test practice.

CAT4 Non-Verbal Reasoning sample questions

Here are some freely available example CAT4 non-verbal reasoning questions:

CAT4 Figure Recognition example question