CAT4 CBSE Edition: What Parents of CBSE Students Need to Know

What is the CAT4 CBSE edition?

The CAT4 CBSE edition is a version of the Cognitive Abilities Test, Fourth Edition (CAT4) for schools that follow India's Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. It is published by GL Education, the name GL Assessment uses outside the UK, which launched it in February 2016 for CBSE schools in India and the Middle East. In short: it is the same CAT4 reasoning test, but your child's scores are compared with other CBSE students of exactly the same age, and the report can add indicators for the CBSE Class X and Class XII board exams.

Like every CAT4 test, the CBSE edition measures how a child thinks rather than what they have learned. There is no syllabus, no chapter to revise and no pass mark. What changes is the yardstick. Standard CAT4 scores are benchmarked against GL's main standardisation sample, which GL puts at 25,000 students and re-checks each year against around 250,000 results. CBSE-edition scores are benchmarked against more than 12,000 students who took CAT4 and follow the CBSE curriculum (GL's launch figure in 2016 was over 12,800).

CBSE edition vs standard CAT4

Sources: GL Education — CAT4 (CBSE edition), GL launch announcement (22 February 2016), GL Education — CAT4 and GL's international level guidance. GL's support pages describe paper CAT4 as UK-only, so expect a digital test outside the UK.

The big difference: the questions your child answers are the same kind as in any CAT4 test. What changes is who your child is compared with. That is why a CBSE-edition score and a British-school CAT4 score are not a like-for-like comparison, even when the number is the same.

How do CBSE schools use CAT4?

Most CBSE families meet CAT4 in the classroom, not at an admissions office. In Dubai and Sharjah, regulators expect private schools, CBSE schools included, to test set grades each year with a cognitive ability test. CBSE itself does not require CAT4, so in India it appears only where a private school chooses to use it. In both places, schools use the results in three main ways:

1. Benchmarking for the regulator. GL's guidance on KHDA's External Benchmark Assessments Requirements says every CBSE private school in Dubai should use a cognitive ability test and a reading test. GL recommends CAT4 for the first and its New Group Reading Test (NGRT) for the second. KHDA expects CAT4 in Grades 3, 5, 7 and 9, and Sharjah's regulator, SPEA, sets the same grades.
2. Planning teaching and support. CAT4 shows how each child learns best: whether they reason more confidently with words, numbers or shapes. Teachers use it to plan lessons, to find children who need more challenge (see our gifted and talented guide) and to spot those who may need learning support.
3. Setting targets and tracking progress. Comparing CAT4 with classroom and exam results shows whether a child is working at, above or below their potential. The CBSE edition's Class X and XII indicators give schools a realistic starting point for board-exam targets.

CAT4 testing windows for CBSE schools in the UAE

Because the CBSE academic year starts in April, GL gives CBSE schools an earlier testing window than British and international schools, whose year starts in late August. So a CBSE school can test at any point from April onwards; NIMS Dubai, for example, held its 2022 sitting for new students in October.

Sources: GL Education support guidance — Testing in Dubai (CBSE schools), Testing in Dubai (2025–26), Testing in Sharjah and Testing in Abu Dhabi. Windows and grades change each year, and some schools test extra grades; your school's CAT4 letter has the final dates.

Which CBSE schools use CAT4?

KHDA expects every CBSE private school in Dubai to use a cognitive ability test, and CAT4 is the one GL recommends, so many Dubai CBSE schools test with it. We list only schools we have checked against the school's own published pages or GL Education's material, marked Confirmed. Four verified schools are more useful to you than forty guesses.

Confirmed — checked against published school or GL information

CAT4 in CBSE schools in India

CAT4 in India is far less common than in the Gulf, because CBSE does not require it and schools choose it for themselves. GL's published Indian case study is Ashoka Universal School in Nashik, an ICSE school that also offers IGCSE (so not CBSE), which tests every grade with CAT4 and sends parent reports home. We have not yet found a CBSE school in India that publishes its CAT4 use, so we list none rather than guess. If your child's CBSE school in India uses CAT4, tell us and we will check it and add it.

Indian case study: GL Education — Ashoka Universal School, Nashik. Schools change their assessment plans, so always confirm with your school which edition and level your child will sit.

CBSE class to CAT4 level: which test does my child take?

CAT4 levels follow age, and GL's own level table has a column for Indian grades. CBSE classes run one number behind UK year groups (Class 6 lines up with UK Year 7, for example), so use the table below rather than a UK year-group chart.

Source: GL Education — choosing a test type and level (international), Indian grade column; tested grades from GL's UAE testing guidance for KHDA and SPEA. CAT4 levels have overlapping age norms, and Level Y is a UK-only paper level that CBSE schools do not use. If in doubt, your child's age decides the level.

Quick read: CAT4 CBSE Level A is the Class 3 test, Level C is Class 5, Level E is Class 7, and Level F covers Classes 8 and 9. Those are the four levels Dubai and Sharjah CBSE schools are asked to test. Not sure which level fits your child's age? See the full CAT4 Levels Guide.

What does CAT4 measure? The four batteries

The CBSE edition uses the same four reasoning batteries as every CAT4 test. At Levels A to G each battery has two question types, eight in all, and their time limits add up to 72 minutes. GL runs them in three parts of about 30 to 41 minutes each, including instructions and practice examples. For ages 6 to 8 (Levels X and Pre-A), GL uses two parts of about 30 minutes. GL notes that three of the four batteries do not rely on English, which matters in CBSE classrooms, where many children speak another language at home, such as Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil or Urdu.

Timings: GL Assessment — what happens on the day and GL Education — CAT4.

For the full format and sample questions, see our CAT4 test guide.

How to read a CAT4 CBSE edition score report

A CBSE-edition report uses the same scores as any CAT4 report. The difference is the comparison group: every score tells you how your child did against CBSE students of the same age, not against GL's main sample.

Source: GL Education — CAT4 quick data guide. Our CAT4 Results Guide explains each score in more detail.

This illustrative pattern, with strong numbers and shapes and a lower Verbal score, is common in multilingual CBSE classrooms. GL's admissions guidance describes a Verbal score well below the other three as quite typical for students learning English as an additional language, and Amity School Dubai used the same pattern across the school to launch a literacy programme. It usually points to English vocabulary support, not low ability.

What do the Class X and Class XII indicators mean?

A CBSE-edition report can include indicators of your child's likely outcomes in the CBSE board exams at Class X and Class XII. GL lists English Communicative, Hindi, Mathematics and Science among the subjects, and the indicators are based on GL's data from CBSE students who took CAT4. Four things to keep in mind:

• They are probabilities, not predictions. CAT4 indicators show the outcome a student is most likely to reach, based on students with similar CAT4 scores, and a higher outcome that is within reach with extra effort.
• They are a starting point for targets. GL describes them as a way to set realistic but challenging target grades and to benchmark future progress.
• They don't cap your child. Good teaching and steady effort can beat an indicator. Schools use them to decide who needs more support or stretch, not to fix a result in advance.
• Ask how your school shares them. GL's public pages don't explain how CBSE indicators are shown in reports, so ask whether they appear in your parent report and how the school uses them.

How CAT4 compares with other tests in CBSE schools

CBSE students in the Gulf can sit several external tests in one year, and parents understandably mix them up. The short answer: CAT4 is the only one that measures reasoning. The others measure what your child has learned or how well they read. (Comparing British-school tests instead? Our CAT4 in the UAE guide covers MAP Growth, GL Progress Tests and InCAS.)

At a glance

The big difference: ASSET, NGRT and the board exams all depend on what your child has been taught. CAT4 does not, which is why schools put it next to the others: it shows whether a child's results match their reasoning potential.

CAT4 vs ASSET

ASSET, from Educational Initiatives (Ei), is a skills-based benchmark used by many Indian-curriculum schools. It checks whether children really understand the concepts they have been taught, in English, Maths and Science from Class 3 to Class 10. CAT4 has no syllabus at all. A school that uses both, such as GEMS Our Own Indian School, sees achievement (ASSET) next to reasoning ability (CAT4).

CAT4 vs NGRT

The New Group Reading Test (NGRT) is GL's reading assessment. For Dubai's CBSE schools, GL recommends NGRT three times a year alongside CAT4. A lower CAT4 Verbal score together with a lower NGRT score is a strong sign that reading support could help.

CAT4 vs CBSE board exams

The Class X and Class XII board exams test the syllabus, and they decide marks and next steps. CAT4 tests reasoning and decides nothing on its own. The CBSE edition links the two through its Class X and XII indicators, which schools use to set targets years before the boards.

Moving between CBSE and British or IB schools

Many Gulf families move between CBSE and British or IB schools. Here is how CAT4 travels with your child.

Common scenarios

• 🇮🇳 From India to a Gulf CBSE school. Your child has probably never taken CAT4. Expect the school's own entrance test first. Some schools then ask for CAT4 before your child starts, as NIMS Dubai does; others test in their next round.
• 🇦🇪 From a Dubai CBSE school to a British school. Plan for a standard CAT4 at the UK level (Class 6 → Year 7 → Level D) and check application windows early, because many British schools test between November and March. Spatial Ability is often the least familiar battery, so that is where a little format practice helps most. See our CAT4 in the UAE guide.
• 🇬🇧 From the UK to a Gulf CBSE school. Your child's UK CAT4 report is useful background, but the CBSE school will test in its own window and compare your child with CBSE students.
• 🔁 Returning to India. CAT4 is much less common in CBSE schools in India. Keep the report for your records, and share it if the new school runs a learning-support or gifted programme.

Can CBSE students prepare for CAT4?

Start with GL's position, because it is clear: GL strongly advises against any kind of practice before a CAT4 test, because it can make the scores less reliable. Its parent guidance compares it to memorising the chart before an eye test. Every CAT4 section already opens with practice examples, which are untimed and can be repeated.

Our independent view is that knowing the format is different from coaching. A child who has never seen a paper-folding question or a number series can lose minutes just working out what is being asked. A short, calm introduction to the eight question types removes that surprise, so the score reflects reasoning rather than confusion. For CBSE students, four things matter most:

• Spatial Ability is the gap. Paper folding and hidden-shape questions are new to many children, so seeing a few examples is worth more than hours of drills. Our Spatial Ability guide walks through both question types.
• English reading feeds the Verbal battery. Daily reading in English builds the word knowledge that Verbal Classification and Verbal Analogies draw on, and it helps in every subject anyway.
• On-screen timing is new. CBSE exams are written on paper, with time to go back over answers. CAT4 is taken on screen and each section is timed, so one practice run on a computer or tablet helps your child pace themselves.
• Don't cram. One or two short sessions a week for a few weeks is plenty. A calm, rested child shows their reasoning best.

Questions to ask your CBSE school about CAT4

These eight questions will tell you what to expect from your child's school.

1. Which edition will my child sit: the CBSE edition or the standard international version?
2. Which classes sit CAT4 this year, and when is the testing window?
3. Which CAT4 level will my child take?
4. Will we receive the parent report, and when?
5. How does the school use the results: for teaching groups, gifted programmes or learning support?
6. Does the report include Class X or Class XII indicators, and how are they used to set targets?
7. Is there a fee for CAT4, and how do we pay it?
8. If my child moves to a British or IB school, can you share the CAT4 report with the new school?

Real parent scenarios

Common questions from CBSE families in India and the Gulf, with short answers.

CAT4 practice for each CBSE class

Choose the CAT4 level that matches your child's CBSE class. Each page has free sample questions, downloadable PDFs and preparation tips.

Not sure which level? The class-to-level table above shows the match by age, or see the full CAT4 Levels Guide.

Practice by battery

You can also prepare one reasoning area at a time. Each guide includes free sample questions and tips.

Next steps

If your child is due to sit CAT4 at a CBSE school, here is where to start.

1. Confirm the level. Use the class-to-level table above, or see the CAT4 Levels Guide.
2. Look at the question types. Download a free CAT4 practice PDF for your child's level, or take a free online practice test.
3. Understand the report. Read the CAT4 Results Guide so you know what each score means when the report arrives.
4. Go deeper. For structured, level-matched practice tests across all four batteries, visit Pretest Plus.

CAT4 is a registered trademark of GL Assessment. CBSE is India's Central Board of Secondary Education. ASSET is an assessment of Educational Initiatives; NGRT is an assessment of GL Assessment. This page is an independent resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by GL Assessment, GL Education, CBSE, KHDA, SPEA, ADEK or any school or organisation named above.

Sources

• GL Education — CAT4 (CBSE edition) product page
• GL Education — launch of the CBSE edition (22 February 2016)
• GL Education — CAT4 product page
• GL Education support — choosing a test type and level (international)
• GL Assessment support — what happens on the day (test timings)
• GL Education support — CAT4 quick data guide
• GL Education — CAT4 guide for admissions teams (PDF)
• GL Education support — information for parents
• GL Education support — testing in Dubai, CBSE schools
• GL Education support — testing in Dubai (2025–26)
• GL Education support — testing in Sharjah
• GL Education support — testing in Abu Dhabi
• GL Education case study — Amity School Dubai
• GL Education case study — Ashoka Universal School, Nashik
• New Indian Model School Dubai — admission process 2026–27
• Educational Initiatives — ASSET student report sample (PDF)

Last reviewed November 2026. School details are reviewed every six months and updated periodically. If you spot an error, or your child's CBSE school uses CAT4 and is not listed, email us.