CAT Testing in Year 7

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Pumpkin Pie
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Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 7:27 pm

CAT Testing in Year 7

Post by Pumpkin Pie »

I believe that some Secondary Schools set these CATs (Cognitive Ability Tests) at the beginning of Year 7. These tests consist of verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and quantitative tests.

Should we prepare our DC for these tests?
My DD has not done any non-VR as it wasn't required for her GS entrance exam. Should she become familiar with non-VR during the summer? :roll:
scary mum
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Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: CAT Testing in Year 7

Post by scary mum »

No! Lots of threads on CATs on here. They are just to give them a baseline. Supposedly tutor proof anyway (!). Let your DD have a break.
scary mum
Marylou
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Re: CAT Testing in Year 7

Post by Marylou »

scary mum wrote:Supposedly tutor proof anyway (!).
They should be using them as 11+ tests in that case. :wink:
Marylou
scary mum
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Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: CAT Testing in Year 7

Post by scary mum »

That has been suggested before! DD's school used them for entry into year 10.
scary mum
Pumpkin Pie
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Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 7:27 pm

Re: CAT Testing in Year 7

Post by Pumpkin Pie »

Thanks Scary Mum, that's just what I wanted to hear! :D
Pumpkin Pie
Posts: 661
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 7:27 pm

Re: CAT Testing in Year 7

Post by Pumpkin Pie »

One of the mums at school has just said that she will be getting her DD to do some work in the summer holidays as the time from finishing SATs to the start of Year 7 is a long time without proper education. Are you going to do the same?

I have decided that my DD will be having a long summer break! :wink:
Reading Mum
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Location: Reading

Re: CAT Testing in Year 7

Post by Reading Mum »

summer break here - we all need it :D
moved
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Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:42 pm
Location: Chelmsford and pleased

Re: CAT Testing in Year 7

Post by moved »

CATs are not tutor proof. They use the same skills as the 11+!

There is no benefit to tutoring for them though, as mentioned above.
silverysea
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Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:32 pm

Re: CAT Testing in Year 7

Post by silverysea »

They seem to have used them to predict end of KS3 results, including for MFLs that dd had never done before which I found odd-but I guess it's based on previous experience with students in the past.

At the end of Y8 DD has passed some, on target for most and gone backwards in one! Not sure what the use of it is, but I think tutoring would mess it up and they might get over-inflated targets that are hard to meet. Some might be discouraged. Alternatively, some might work harder to meet the targets.
CarpeDiem
Posts: 208
Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:35 pm

Re: CAT Testing in Year 7

Post by CarpeDiem »

I would not bother trying to do anything re CATS.

My DS had no prep whatsover for his CATs on entering yr 7 as he did not try for any GS so had never ever seen any verbal or non verbal type questions before. He got a really good score on verbal reasoning not so good on non verbal and rather poor on quantative. This was a true reflection of his ability overall. He is a very eloquent child that is not particularily good at thinking outside the box and his maths ability is fairly poor. My DD did CATs when she entered yr 7 six years later she had done some 11 plus practice her verbal reasoning score was excellent as she too is very eloquent but even more gifted than her brother, her non verbal was above average and her quantative was really high again a true reflection of her natural abilities.

I think the CATs are designed to be able to recognise if a child has seen the system before by putting the same question to them in different ways so that they cannot judge what they may think is the correct answer.

They are usually only used as a baseline to set targets from so I would not worry unduly about them.
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