CAT4 Level G (Year 11+) Practice Test 2026: Free PDF, Sample Questions & Tips
Clear guide for Year 11+ families with a free CAT4 Level G practice PDF, sample questions, and simple preparation tips.
- Free CAT4 Level G practice PDF with sample questions and clear guidance
- Understand the Level G format, timing, and all four CAT4 batteries
- Learn how to prepare more calmly for one of the most demanding CAT4 levels
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Verbal Reasoning Sample Question
What is the CAT4 Level G Assessment?
CAT4 Level G Test is also called the Year 11+ Test.
GL Assessments provide the assessment.
It is a cognitive test with 4 categories.
It also acts as a school admission test.
Level G is for students in Year 11 and above between the ages of 14-17.
The assessment takes 72 minutes to complete.
It is the most advanced CAT4 Level.
The good news is you can practice and get better at the test.
What to Expect in the CAT4 Level G Test
CAT4 Level G Test Structure and Timing
- Part 120 min
- Part 226 min
- Part 326 min
Part 1
Non-Verbal battery
- 10:00
Figure Classification
- 10:00
Figure Matrices
Part 2
Verbal + Quantitative
- 8:00
Verbal Classification
- 8:00
Verbal Analogies
- 10:00
Number Analogies
Part 3
Quantitative + Spatial
- 8:00
Number Series
- 9:00
Figure Analysis
- 9:00
Figure Recognition
Pick the Best Prep for CAT4 Level G
Editor's Success Tips
1.Make a Simple Study Plan
- ✔Set aside time for each subject.
- ✔Focus on the hardest topics first.
- ✔Take short breaks to stay fresh.
2.Use the "Study & Rest" Method
- ✔Study for 25-30 minutes → Take a 5-minute break.
- ✔Repeat 4 times, then take a 15-minute break.
- ✔This keeps your brain sharp and prevents burnout.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
1.Take Full Practice Tests
- ✔Pretend it's the real test—use a timer and sit in a quiet space.
- ✔Go over your mistakes and learn from them.
2.Focus on Your Weak Areas
- ✔Spend extra time on topics you find hard.
- ✔Use practice questions to test yourself.
3.Review What You Learn Often
- ✔Don't cram—spread out your study sessions.
- ✔Use flashcards or quick notes to help remember key points.
Why It Works: The more you practice, the more confident you'll feel.
Test Day Tip: Try a mock test with a timer before the real exam. This will help you get comfortable with the time limits!
The Best CAT4 Level G Practice Tests
- Get a full online preparation course.
- Use our Free CAT4 Level G Practice Test PDF.
- You can also use our free CAT4 Practice test.
- Another option is our Free CAT4 Sample Test.
- Use a dedicated Video Course.
CAT4 Level G Free Practice Test
Quantitative Reasoning Sample Question
Verbal Reasoning Sample Question
Verbal Reasoning Sample Question
Verbal Reasoning · Verbal Classification
These three words are connected. Choose the option that shares the same connection.
guiltshamecontrition
Verbal Reasoning · Verbal Classification
Every option here carries some shade of negative feeling — so "it sounds negative" rules out nothing. Only one word shares the precise idea that binds guilt, shame, and contrition: being sorry for a wrong you have done. Pin that exact idea down first, and the near-misses give themselves away.
What to notice first
Guilt, shame, and contrition are not just unpleasant feelings — they are specifically the feelings that follow having done something wrong. Each one points inward, at your own conduct, and carries a sense of fault. So the answer cannot simply be another gloomy emotion. It has to belong to that same narrow family: a painful feeling of being sorry for a wrong you have committed. Hold that definition in mind before you read a single option — it is the filter that separates the answer from the distractors.
Check 1
Name the exact link, not the mood
The shared idea is not "negative emotion." It is distress at your own wrongdoing — conscience is involved in all three words.
Check 2
Demand precision, not similarity
A word can feel negative and still be wrong. It must carry the same fault-and-conscience meaning, not just a downcast tone.
Check 3
Sort past-wrong from everything else
Test each option: is it sorrow for a wrong already done, or is it future worry, a character trait, or social discomfort?
Core rule
Choose the word that means sorrow for a wrong you have done — the exact idea shared by guilt, shame, and contrition. A generally negative word is not enough.
Model the pattern
Step 1 — Write a one-line definition that fits all three
Read guilt, shame, and contrition as a set and put their shared meaning into a single sentence: feeling sorry or pained for having done wrong. If your sentence fits all three at once, that sentence is your rule.
Step 2 — Stress-test the definition
Could any of the three words work without the idea of wrongdoing? They cannot — strip out the fault and none of them is left standing. Because the rule is tight, it will reject loose, "close enough" matches cleanly.
Step 3 — Run each option through the rule
Take the options one at a time and ask whether each fits as exactly as the three originals. If two seem to fit, keep the one that holds on to the fault-and-conscience meaning and drop the broader one — the broad word is the planted trap.
Option check
Eliminate
Too broad — the planted trap. Regret is sorrow over any unwanted outcome: a missed train, a bad bet, a holiday cut short by rain. It need not involve a moral fault or even your own conduct. It keeps the "feeling sorry" part but loses the wrongdoing-and-conscience part that defines this group. That breadth is exactly why it fails — and why it is the one option designed to tempt you.
Correct
Exact match. Remorse is deep, biting regret for a wrong you have done. It carries both the sorrow and the sense of fault, so it sits naturally beside guilt, shame, and contrition. It is the only option that means the same precise thing as all three stem words.
Eliminate
Wrong focus. Anxiety is worry or dread about what might happen — it looks forward, at uncertainty, not back at a wrong already committed. No fault, no conscience. It belongs to a different category of feeling entirely.
Eliminate
Wrong kind of word. Humility is a settled character trait — modesty, a low estimate of your own importance. It is a quality you carry, not a pang you feel about a specific wrong. It is a different class of word, not an emotion of self-reproach.
Eliminate
Wrong domain. Embarrassment is social self-consciousness — the flush of awkwardness when others notice us. You can feel it with no wrongdoing at all: a slip of the tongue, a misplaced compliment. It is about appearances, not conscience.
Use this checklist next time
- Write a one-line definition that fits all three stem words exactly — that definition is your rule.
- Treat "generally negative" or "similar mood" as a warning sign, not a match.
- When two options both seem to fit, choose the narrower, more precise one — the broad word is almost always the trap.
Reflection
Four of the five options carry a negative feeling, so "sounds negative" eliminates nothing. The question is built to reward precision: only by fixing the exact shared meaning first can you tell remorse from regret — and that single distinction is the whole difficulty here.
Bridge forward
When stem words are near-synonyms, the test almost always plants one option that is broader than the group (here, regret) and one that is the exact fit (here, remorse). Define the group tightly first, and the broad decoy reveals itself.
Conclusion
Option B, remorse, is correct. Guilt, shame, and contrition all mean sorrow for a wrong you have done, and remorse is the only option that carries that exact meaning. Regret is close but too broad; anxiety, humility, and embarrassment each belong to a different category of feeling.
Non-Verbal Reasoning Sample Questions
Non-Verbal Reasoning · Figure Matrices
Figure Matrices · Level G
The trap in a matrix question is to scan the five options hoping one "looks right." Don't. This grid runs on a rule you can apply yourself: in every row, the first two boxes are each turned 90° clockwise and then layered into the third. Work that rule on the second row, build the missing box yourself, and you will know the answer before you read a single option.
What to notice first
Don't go hunting for a vague "missing shape." This matrix is governed by a single row rule. In each row, the figure in the first box and the figure in the second box are each rotated 90° clockwise, and the two rotated results are then layered together in the third box. Row 1 lays the rule out and Row 3 confirms it — so the missing box (second row, third position) must be built from the second-row left box and the second-row middle box using exactly that rotate-then-layer rule, and nothing else.
Check 1
Confirm the rule's direction
Row 1 demonstrates the method and Row 3 repeats it. The rule runs across rows, not down columns — so Row 2 must obey it too.
Check 2
Rotate, don't just count
Three vertical lines become three horizontal lines; two horizontal lines become two vertical lines. The same number of lines is not enough — their style and position must survive the turn.
Check 3
Layer in the right order
The answer must hold every line in its correct rotated place — broken, bold, and thin each land somewhere specific. Position is graded just as strictly as count.
Core rule
Across each row, Box 1 and Box 2 are each rotated 90° clockwise, then layered together to form Box 3.
Model the pattern
Step 1 — Read the source boxes
Look only at the second row. Box 1 holds three vertical lines: broken on the left, bold in the middle, thin solid on the right. Box 2 holds two horizontal lines. These are your raw materials — ignore the rest of the grid for now.
Step 2 — Rotate Box 1
Turn Box 1 90° clockwise. The three vertical lines fall into three horizontal lines: the broken line moves to the top, the bold line stays in the middle, and the thin solid line drops to the bottom.
Step 3 — Rotate Box 2, then build and match
Turn Box 2 90° clockwise — its two horizontal lines stand up into two verticals, broken on the left and thin solid on the right. Now layer the two rotated boxes into one figure: three horizontals (broken, bold, thin, top to bottom) crossed by two verticals (broken left, thin right). Build that full picture in your mind before you look down — only one option matches it.
Option check
Eliminate
Horizontals out of order. The two vertical lines are placed correctly, but the broken horizontal sits at the bottom. After the rotation it belongs at the top.
Eliminate
Verticals reversed. The three horizontal lines are right, but the verticals are the wrong way round — the broken line should be on the left and the thin solid line on the right.
Eliminate
Solid lines swapped. The verticals fit, but the bold and thin horizontals have traded places. The bold line belongs in the middle, the thin solid line at the bottom.
Eliminate
Bold line misplaced. The verticals are correct, but the bold horizontal has jumped to the top. It must stay in the middle, exactly where it sat before the rotation.
Correct
Exact match. The only option with all five lines in their correct rotated positions: a broken horizontal on top, a bold horizontal in the middle, a thin solid horizontal at the bottom, crossed by a broken vertical on the left and a thin solid vertical on the right.
Use this checklist next time
- Decide first whether the rule runs across rows or down columns — then commit to that direction.
- Apply the transformation to each source box carefully before you glance at any option.
- Check line style and line position together: after a rotation, both have to be right.
Reflection
This question is only hard if you guess. Rebuild the missing box step by step and it turns into a simple matching exercise — and notice that the order of the lines is graded just as strictly as the rotation itself.
Bridge forward
Every figure-matrix question rewards the same discipline: find the direction of the rule, apply the transformation precisely, then test your constructed answer against all five options rather than picking the one that merely looks close.
Conclusion
Option E is correct. The missing box is built by rotating the first two boxes of the second row 90° clockwise and layering them in the right order — three horizontal lines (broken, bold, thin, top to bottom) crossed by two vertical lines (broken left, thin solid right). E is the only option that reproduces that layout exactly.
Non-Verbal Reasoning · Figure Classification
Figure Classification · Level G
This is a relationship question, not a shape-naming one. The outer shape is a decoy — it changes in every figure on purpose. What stays fixed is the shading: two neighbouring quarters coloured grey and black, and an inner circle whose shaded quarter matches the colour of the quarter diagonally across from it. Find the option that keeps all of that, and ignore what shape it happens to wear.
What to notice first
Don't name the shapes — they are a deliberate distraction. Across the three given figures the outer shape keeps changing (overlapping circles, a divided circle, a hexagon), but three things never change. First, the outer shape is always split into four equal quarters. Second, two neighbouring quarters are shaded — one grey, one black, always side by side. Third, the inner circle holds a single shaded quarter, and its colour matches the colour of the outer quarter diagonally opposite it. That third relationship — the diagonal colour match — is the real test, and it is where most distractors are built to fail.
Check 1
Four equal quarters
Whatever the outer shape, it must be divided into four equal parts. No four-part split, no match.
Check 2
Adjacent grey and black
The two coloured quarters must be neighbours, sharing an edge. Grey and black placed diagonally breaks the rule.
Check 3
Diagonal inner match
The inner circle's one shaded quarter must match the colour of the outer quarter diagonally across the centre — not an adjacent one.
Core rule
Outer shape split into four equal quarters; two adjacent quarters grey and black; the inner circle's shaded quarter matches the colour of the outer quarter diagonally opposite it. The shape is a decoy — the diagonal colour match is the deciding test.
Model the pattern
Step 1 — Drop the shape
Ignore what the outer shape is called. Confirm only that it is divided into four equal quarters, then work from colour and position alone for the rest of the question.
Step 2 — Locate the coloured pair
Find the grey quarter and the black quarter. They must be neighbours, sharing an edge. If they sit diagonally across from each other, the option is already out — no need to check the inner circle.
Step 3 — Run the deciding test
Read the colour of the inner circle's shaded quarter, then look at the outer quarter diagonally opposite it. The two colours must be the same. Only the option that survives all three checks is the answer.
Option check
Correct
All three conditions hold. The outer shape is split into four equal quarters, the grey and black quarters are adjacent, and the inner circle's shaded quarter matches the colour of the outer quarter diagonally opposite it. Nothing in the rule is broken.
Eliminate
Diagonal match fails. The outer grey and black are correctly adjacent, but the inner circle breaks the deciding test: its shaded quarter is grey while the outer quarter diagonally opposite it is black. Right outer colours, wrong inner match.
Eliminate
Colours not adjacent. The grey and black quarters sit diagonally across from each other rather than side by side. The adjacency condition fails before the inner circle even comes into play.
Eliminate
Diagonal match fails. The four-part split and the adjacent grey/black are fine, but the inner circle's shaded quarter does not match the colour of the outer quarter diagonally opposite it — the same key relationship B gets wrong, broken a second way.
Eliminate
Structure broken. This is not four equal quarters at all — it is a cross with the colours placed diagonally. It fails the very first condition, so it cannot follow the rule the three given figures share.
Use this checklist next time
- Is the outer shape divided into four equal quarters?
- Are the grey and black quarters neighbours, sharing an edge — not diagonal?
- Does the inner circle's shaded quarter match the colour of the quarter diagonally opposite it?
Reflection
Four of the five options look plausible because the shape and the colours are all present. What separates them is one relationship — the diagonal inner match — applied precisely. Strong candidates test that relationship rather than trusting a general resemblance.
Bridge forward
When the outer shape changes from figure to figure, treat it as noise. The rule lives in what stays constant — here, adjacency and the diagonal colour match. Find the invariant first, then test every option against it.
Conclusion
Option A is correct. It is the only option that keeps all three conditions: four equal quarters, adjacent grey and black, and an inner shaded quarter matching the colour of the quarter diagonally opposite it. B and D break the diagonal inner match, C places the colours diagonally instead of adjacent, and E abandons the four-quarter structure altogether.
Spatial Ability · Figure Analysis
Figure Analysis · Level G
Don't judge this by how the finished square looks overall — that is how the distractors catch you. Work it the safe way: start from the narrow strip, open one fold at a time, and reflect the symbols across each fold line. The catch is that not every symbol survives the mirror the same way, and that difference is the whole question.
What to notice first
Don't read the answer off the overall look of the final square. Start at the narrow strip and open the paper one fold at a time — each unfold places a mirror copy of the symbols across the fold line. Here is the key insight: a mirror leaves symmetrical symbols unchanged but reverses asymmetrical ones. Circles are symmetrical, so they look identical in every copy. The triangles are symmetrical across the fold line too, so they also stay the same. The curved shapes are not symmetrical, so each reflection flips their direction. That means the finished square must show steady, uniform rows of circles and triangles, but curved rows whose direction alternates from one copy to the next.
Check 1
Read the strip
The narrow strip is the only part shown after folding. Top to bottom it gives the five rows the full square must contain: circle, triangle, curved, curved, circle.
Check 2
Unfold by reflection
Each unfold is a mirror copy across the fold line, so the strip's rows repeat sideways across the square, copy after copy.
Check 3
Track what flips
Circles and triangles are mirror-symmetric, so they never change. The curved shapes reverse with every reflection — so the two curved rows must alternate direction, and that is what you check.
Core rule
When the paper unfolds, symmetrical symbols (circles, triangles) keep the same appearance in every copy, while asymmetrical symbols (the curved shapes) appear as mirror flips across each fold line.
Model the pattern
Step 1 — Start from the strip
Begin with the folded strip — it is the only thing shown after the folds, and it lists the five symbol rows the answer must contain. Do not start from the options.
Step 2 — Open one fold at a time
Unfold the paper one step at a time. Each new section is a mirror copy of what was already there, so the same five rows repeat across the square.
Step 3 — Check each row's behaviour
The circle rows and the triangle row must stay identical in every copy; the two curved rows must switch direction each time a mirror copy appears. The option that gets every row right is the answer.
Option check
Eliminate
Curved flip pattern wrong. The circle and triangle rows repeat correctly, but the curved shapes do not reverse in the right pattern as the copies mirror across the fold lines.
Eliminate
Not a clean unfold. The reflected row structure is broken — one or more symbols sit in positions that no single mirror reflection from the strip could produce.
Eliminate
Curved shapes don't alternate. The curved rows mostly keep the same direction throughout, but a true unfold reverses them with every reflection. Same-direction curves are the giveaway.
Correct
Every row behaves. The only option that holds the circle and triangle rows uniform across all copies while flipping the curved shapes' direction exactly as each mirror reflection requires.
Eliminate
Sequence just off. The closest distractor — the curved rows do flip, but not in the exact order the unfolding produces, so at least one curved shape ends up facing the wrong way.
Use this checklist next time
- Start from the final folded strip, not from the answer options.
- Unfold one fold at a time and treat each new section as a mirror copy.
- Separate the symmetrical symbols from the asymmetrical ones and track only which ones flip.
Reflection
The question looks busy, but the work is narrow: once you know circles and triangles are mirror-proof and only the curved shapes flip, you are checking just two rows, not the whole square.
Bridge forward
Every symbol paper-folding question rewards the same routine: rebuild from the folded strip, reflect across each fold line, and watch the asymmetrical shapes — they are always where the answer is decided.
Conclusion
Option D is correct. Unfolding the strip across each fold line keeps the circle and triangle rows identical in every copy while reversing the curved shapes with each reflection — and D is the only option that reproduces both behaviours. A, C, and E mishandle the curved flips, and B breaks the reflected structure entirely.
Get full access to 1,000+ CAT4 Level G practice questions with advanced explanations, mock tests, and higher-level strategies.
Get Full PracticeWhat Do CAT4 Level G Scores Mean for Year 11 and Above?
CAT4 Level G results are reported using three standardised score types, developed by GL Assessment to measure reasoning ability consistently across the national cohort. Each one gives schools and students a different angle on how a Year 11 or older student's cognitive abilities compare with pupils of the same age nationally. CAT4 Level G is the most advanced level of the Cognitive Abilities Test — used at the stage when GCSE outcomes are being finalised, sixth form applications are active, and A-level pathway decisions carry long-term academic consequences.
Standard Age Score (SAS)
The main score used to measure a student's performance against other students of exactly the same age. SAS scores run from 60 to 140, with 100 set as the national average. A score above 100 means the student performed better than the typical student of that age; below 100 means below average. On CAT4 Level G, the SAS is age-standardised for Year 11 and above, providing schools and sixth forms with a robust cognitive baseline at the most consequential transition point in secondary education.
National Percentile Rank (NPR)
Expresses a student's result as a position within the national population. An NPR of 75, for example, means the student scored higher than 75 out of every 100 same-age pupils nationally. NPR values range from 1 to 99. For CAT4 Level G results, the NPR gives students and parents a nationally benchmarked view of reasoning ability at the stage when sixth form admissions tutors and A-level subject teachers are making decisions about entry and predicted grades.
Stanine
A nine-point performance band that maps directly from the NPR. Stanines run from 1 (Very Low) to 9 (Very High) and group pupils into broad, easy-to-read bands. They help parents and teachers get a clear at-a-glance picture of where a student sits without needing to interpret a precise number. In CAT4 Level G reports, stanines provide sixth form leaders and university preparation programme coordinators with a consistent, comparable measure of reasoning potential that sits independently of GCSE grades.
Learn more about CAT4 scores and what they mean for Year 11 and above →
What is a Good CAT4 Score at Level G?
All CAT4 scores are centred on a national average of 100, standardised by GL Assessment across the full cohort. Knowing which band a CAT4 Level G score falls into helps students and parents understand their reasoning profile clearly and in context. On CAT4 Level G, most Year 11 and above students score between 85 and 115. At this stage, scores carry particular significance — a strong CAT4 Level G result is one of the most credible indicators of A-level readiness and longer-term academic potential available to schools and sixth forms.
Average (90–110)
Scores within this range are considered typical for a student's age. A score of exactly 100 is the national average; scores between 90 and 110 indicate reasoning ability that is broadly in line with same-age peers. For CAT4 Level G, this band reflects the majority of the national cohort and represents a solid reasoning foundation for mainstream A-level and vocational qualification pathways.
Above Average (111–119)
Scores in this range indicate reasoning ability above the national average for the student's age. Students scoring here are performing meaningfully better than most same-age peers, though not yet in the high-ability band. On CAT4 Level G, an above-average score supports entry to competitive sixth form programmes and indicates strong potential across demanding A-level subjects.
High Ability (120–129)
Scores in the 120–129 range point to strong reasoning skills and are often seen in students who engage quickly with complex concepts and demonstrate sustained academic confidence. On the CAT4 Level G assessment, a score in this band places a student in the top 10% nationally — a level associated with the highest A-level grade predictions and a competitive profile for university admissions.
Gifted and Talented (130+)
A score of 130 or above is typically classified as Gifted and Talented , reflecting exceptional reasoning ability compared with students of the same age across the country. On CAT4 Level G, a score of 130 or above places a student in the top 2% nationally — the level at which highly selective sixth forms, Oxbridge preparation programmes and competitive university courses become credible academic targets.
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- ✔Learn the type of questions of the test.
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Conclusion
Preparation and knowing what to expect on test day are critical/crucial for successThis guide gives you the details and tactics you need to succeed.
We learned that free PDFs and study guides can help pupils understand the test structure.
You can also use a dedicated prep course.
This assessment helps schools understand students’ learning potential and academic strengths, so take a deep breath and take it easy.
Get full access to 1,000+ CAT4 Level G practice questions with advanced explanations, mock tests, and higher-level strategies.
Get Full PracticeFrequently Asked Questions
What is CAT4 Level G?
CAT4 Level G is the Cognitive Abilities Test typically used in Years 11–12 (around ages 14–17+) to profile reasoning at upper secondary.
Who takes this level and when?
Most schools use it with whole Year 11 or Year 12 cohorts. Dates are set by the school, but cohorts are usually tested in the same term for fair comparison.
What does this level assess?
Four areas of reasoning: verbal, non-verbal, quantitative, and spatial, giving a balanced view of learning potential alongside exam results.
How is the test structured?
There are four short, timed tests delivered in two parts, with fixed timings appropriate for upper secondary pupils.
Is it paper or online?
Schools may run it on paper or digitally; your school will confirm the format and instructions in advance.
How are scores reported?
Results are shown as Standard Age Scores (mean 100), percentiles, and stanines (1–9), comparing performance with same-age peers.
What is a good score at this level?
Around 100 SAS is average for age. Higher SAS and stanines indicate stronger reasoning, but schools consider the full profile, not a single number.
How do schools use the results?
Teachers use the profile to tailor support and stretch, inform subject guidance, set targets, and plan interventions alongside GCSE/IGCSE data.
How can my child prepare?
Familiarity helps: review sample item types, keep practice short and positive, and ensure good rest and a calm routine on test day.