Take the stress out of the CAT4 test
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Everything your child needs to know for their CAT4 test.





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What is the CAT4 used for?
Admission to selective schools
Streaming students into sets
Indicator for national tests and exams
Exam Prep
Start 11+ preparation for grammar and private school exams. Mock tests not included.
Exam Prep Plus
Complete 11+ preparation for grammar and private school exams, with unlimited mock tests.
Exam Prep
Start preparing for 11+ grammar and private school exams.
Exam Prep Plus
Boost preparation for 11+ grammar and private school exams.
Looking for advice?
We're here to support your child's exam prep journey. Want us to build a learning and revision plan, or know what topics are included on your child's exams? Get in touch!

Free CAT4 resources
CAT4: How to prepare
Top grammar schools in the UK
11+ verbal reasoning guide
Non-verbal reasoning guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Private tutoring in the UK can be very expensive. Many tutors charge over £60 an hour, and the cost can quickly add up.
Atom gives you another option. For a much lower price, your child gets access to a complete online learning platform. They can learn at their own pace, practise with questions like the real CAT4 exam, and get instant marking and feedback.
Your child also receives a personalised CAT4 study plan, so you know exactly what to focus on each week. It’s an affordable, flexible and stress-free alternative to private tutoring.
The CAT4 is a cognitive abilities test created by GL assessment. It is designed to help teachers understand how a child thinks and their academic abilities. It's used for entrance exams such as the 11 plus.
Learn what the CAT4 test involves here.
Our CAT4 practice is designed to be very close to the real test — including the question types, timings and scoring. We want exam day to feel familiar, not stressful.
By practising with Atom’s CAT4 tests, your child will know what to expect and feel more confident when it matters.
Regular practice on Atom can help improve your child’s CAT4 score. It builds familiarity with the test, reduces nerves, and strengthens the key reasoning skills the CAT4 assesses.
Many families tell us that with steady, guided practice, their children feel more confident and perform more accurately on the day.
It depends on how close your child is to their exam, but as a guide, we suggest around 2 hours a week. Short sessions work best — about 20-30 minutes at a time, spread across the week.
Atom is flexible, so your child can learn whenever and wherever works for your family.
Atom Home gives you unlimited CAT4 practice tests for levels A-D with instant feedback. Exam Prep Plus subscribers get:
- Online mock tests: automatically-timed and marked for you.
- Downloadable paper tests and answer sheets: print, test, and photo your child's answers to see their results.
No — Atom is designed for children to use independently. It’s simple to navigate, and the helpsheets and videos guide your child as they learn new skills and grow in confidence. You can still stay involved by checking their progress and scores anytime.
Atom isn’t just fun for children – it’s smart, too. While your child explores new learning worlds, our algorithm is working in the background. It adjusts the level of questions to suit how your child learns and how fast they’re progressing. This means they stay challenged, but not overwhelmed.
To help your child understand each topic, there are lots of interactive resources, including video tutorials and simple helpsheets. They can also join Atom’s Live Lessons to learn with a teacher in a virtual classroom, or choose from over 500 hours of on-demand lessons in the Lesson Library whenever it suits them.
With Atom Home, you can help your child prepare for the CAT4 exam. No other platform brings together smart adaptive learning, teacher-written content and expert guidance all in one place. And you’re never on your own — our friendly team is here to help by LiveChat, phone or email.
You can also join our parent webinars for honest, helpful tips on exam prep and school admissions.
The CAT4 test is used for admissions and streaming for selective schools. It's mainly used by grammar schools that are assessing students for entry into Year 7 through the 11 plus.
The CAT4 test has 10 available levels, each aimed at different age groups. The content in each level is appropriate for that age group.
The most commonly used levels are A–G. If your child is taking the CAT4 as an 11 plus exam, they will likely take Level C or Level D.
The CAT4 is marked by computers. It calculates your child's total score and then converts this into a Standardised Age Score (SAS).
This is so your child’s exact age is taken into account, so younger children are not at a disadvantage. The SAS is the main score schools look at. A score of 100 means a child is exactly average for their age.
Find out more in our guide to the CAT4.