CAT score

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sandra
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 4:58 pm

CAT score

Post by sandra »

My DS attends a prep school (Yr 5) and has scored reasonably well in CAT exams (127 median). Can CAT score be used as an indicator to identify the potential to get into a grammar school?
Ladymuck
Posts: 1240
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:04 pm

Re: CAT score

Post by Ladymuck »

Its just as useful an indicator of potential as "level 4 at the end of year 4" is though. The key is that is measuring potential, not achievement. Grammar school tests vary by school, but IME many are not looking for potential. In particular there are many brilliant candidates who do not perform as well in one paper, or even in one aspect of a paper, and end up not getting places.
DC17C
Posts: 1197
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:34 pm

Re: CAT score

Post by DC17C »

It is a bit of a tricky one ....My ds scored 128, 128, 141 in his Yr 5 CAT scores and school were convinced he would do well with the local GS test and perhaps with an external tutor he might have been fine but DIYing with me at home he did not get a high enough ranking to qualify .... those CAT scores however were a massive help when it came to appeal ..but then I appealled to a school with a history of a number of successful appeals each year and now DS is at a GS and coping well.
mumsdarling2
Posts: 270
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:25 pm

Re: CAT score

Post by mumsdarling2 »

CATs results indicate potential only as mentioned by others. In DSs school, some children who scored no more than 120 in any of the papers made it into grammar schools with good scores. So I suppose preparation is the key.
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: CAT score

Post by PettswoodFiona »

That is a good set of scores. Is the Prep a selective one? DD is at a selective prep and in Y5 the ranges for her school were generally 120 and above. They send the report home of the range for their cohort to give an idea of how they are doing compared to their peers. Of those who sat the grammar tests - some passed but not the superselective tests, others passed all the three local tests including the superselective. So it also depends on the pass mark required in your region and how competitive it is. I don't have their CAT vs pass mark scores but I have a general flavour. DD got 145 two years in a row for maths but whilst she is bright I wouldn't say she was phenomenal which a 145 score is meant to indicate. She did however pass all three grammar tests at a very good level. Her teacher agreed with me that she is just good at those types of tests. The CAT tests usually also allow for plenty of time, but depending on the grammar test DCs may struggle if they are not used to the time pressures that some styles of tests have.
sandra
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 4:58 pm

Re: CAT score

Post by sandra »

Thanks for the info. Although, I am not sure if we are talking about the same CAT test here, the maximum anyone can score in the one I am referring to is 141.

I also agree that preparation is the key for grammar school exams.
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: CAT score

Post by PettswoodFiona »

Ah, I was referring to the INCAS which is a form of CAT test and the max for that is 145. I Must be different if the range is different. Sorry for any confusion. I think however the similarities will be that they have a bell curve where there is a cluster of results around the average which is usually 100 and then anything within 15 marks of the average score either up or down will cover 85% of sitters, or at least that is how it is with the INCAS. Anything at the extreme ends is less common. 130 or above is top 5%, top score is top half percent.
firefox
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2014 9:15 pm

Re: CAT score

Post by firefox »

PettswoodFiona wrote:Ah, I was referring to the INCAS which is a form of CAT test and the max for that is 145. I Must be different if the range is different. Sorry for any confusion. I think however the similarities will be that they have a bell curve where there is a cluster of results around the average which is usually 100 and then anything within 15 marks of the average score either up or down will cover 85% of sitters, or at least that is how it is with the INCAS. Anything at the extreme ends is less common. 130 or above is top 5%, top score is top half percent.
The max on INCAS is 141 I believe, not 145. 1 SD either side of 100 (i.e. 85 - 115) is where most people (68%) will fall. a further 14% will be 1 SD lower( between 70 and 85 ) and a further 14% will be 1 SD higher (between 115 and 130) thereafter, it is 2% at the extremes of the ranges (so the remaining 4% in total)

Thats how I read it anyway...
PettswoodFiona
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:24 pm
Location: Petts Wood, Bromley, Kent

Re: CAT score

Post by PettswoodFiona »

Well DD got 145 on her INCAS, I don't know if that is a result of standardisation perhaps, both DDs school and an admissions officer at another independent we have applied for confirmed 145 was the max, this is cut and pasted from the end of her school report:

Girls in Years 1-6 have been assessed in English and Maths using a system called InCAS (Interactive Computer Assessment System).
It is a diagnostic, computer-adaptive program that provides teaching staff with information that highlights the girls’ strengths and areas for development. It provides age-related and standardised scores and diagnostic information to inform teacher planning and target setting.
The reading, general mathematics and mental arithmetic scores have been standardised; the national average standardised score for all three tests is 100, with a standard deviation of 15. This means that about 68% of the scores nationally will be within 15 points of the average of 100, or between 85 and 115, and about 96% will have a standardised score within two standard deviations (30) points of the average, or between 70 and 130. Hence only about 2% nationally will have a score below 70 and 2% above 130. Scores above 130 are considered exceptional. Standardised scores frequently go up or down from one year to the next, and statistically, a change of around 8 points or so is considered completely insignificant. Digital online tests provide a ‘snapshot’ of a student’s performance and any particularly significant change in standardised score may be discussed in conjunction with the modular marks and age-equivalent scores, with your daughter’s teacher. The average band for your daughter’s year group is given as a point of reference.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: CAT score

Post by Guest55 »

PettswoodFiona - that is not the test we are talking about.

This is the CAT test:

http://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/products ... th-edition" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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