Short, guided lessons teach the thinking behind every CAT4 question type, from turns and mirrors to number rules. Then your child practises on the same kind of screen they'll see on test day.
Available now: Level C lessons (about ages 10 to 11) and the full Level D practice test. Level D lessons are coming next. 7-day free trial, no payment to start.See what's included
qualificant.co/learner/academy
4All four batteriesVerbal, quantitative, non-verbal, spatial
8Every question typeEach one has its own lessons
5Steps per lessonIdea, watch, try, practise, show
0Scores shown to childrenEncouragement, never rankings
Try it with your child
Two puzzles. Two minutes. No account.
Start with a Foundations warm-up, then a real CAT4 question type. This is exactly how lessons feel inside the Academy.
Runs in your browser. Nothing you tap is linked to you.
Foundations · Mirror & flip
Have a go first
Tap a button and watch what swaps.
Nothing has swapped yet.
Now you: which picture is the mirror of the L?
Non-verbal · Figure Matrices
Which picture completes the grid?
Look along each row, then down each column.
Nicely done. That's how the Academy works.
The full path has 8 CAT4 question types, each taught step by step, with Quali alongside. Save your child's progress and they'll start right where they left off.
CAT4 isn't something you revise for. But it is something you can understand.
There's no syllabus. Children meet unfamiliar puzzles, against a clock, on a screen. The Academy takes the surprise out of all three, without promising a score.
Unfamiliar puzzles
The ideas behind every question type
Foundations lessons teach the words puzzles are built from: turn, mirror, fill, sequence. After that, a CAT4 grid stops looking like a code.
A new format
Practice on a test-style screen
Children answer the same way they will on the day: tap an option, move on, keep a steady pace. The format feels normal by the time it counts.
Nerves
Calm feedback, never a red cross
Wrong answers get a kind explanation and another look. Children see what they've mastered, not a mark. Confidence comes from understanding why.
How a lesson works
Five short steps, from "what is this?" to "I've got it"
Every skill follows the same rhythm, so your child always knows what comes next. Help fades step by step until they can do it alone.
STEP 1 · BIG IDEA
One rule, in plain words
Quali explains the idea and the 3-step check to use on every puzzle.
STEP 2 · WATCH & PLAY
See it move
Animations and hands-on activities show the rule happening.
STEP 3 · TRY TOGETHER
Guided, then less help
Prompts walk through the first puzzle, then step back.
Spatial · Figure AnalysisPractise 3/8
How will the paper look when it is unfolded?
›
A
B✓ Right answer
CYour answer
D
Let's look againThe punch goes through both layers. Unfold it and there's a hole on each side of the fold, at the same height.
STEP 4 · PRACTISE
Real question types
Every answer gets an explanation, right or wrong. Here: one fold, one punch.
Spatial · Figure AnalysisShow what you know
How will the paper look when it is unfolded?
›
A
B
CYour pick
D
Check my answer
STEP 5 · SHOW YOU KNOW
On their own
A fresh question with no hints. A short check marks the skill as mastered; spaced reviews make it stick.
Practise · Number Series
Quantitative · Number SeriesPractise 4/8
Which number comes next?
361224?
A27
B30Your answerYours
C36
D42
E48✓ Right answer✓ Right
Let's look againLook at how each number changes: 3, 6, 12, 24. Each one is double the one before, so next comes 24 × 2 = 48.Show me howNext
Feedback that teaches
Mistakes are how we spot rules
When your child picks the wrong answer, the puzzle stays on screen and Quali explains what to look at. No red, no buzzer, no lost points.
A"Your answer" is outlined in calm slate, so a miss never feels like a telling-off.
✓"Right answer" is outlined in teal with a tick, always with words too.
QQuali explains the rule, then a "Show me how" replay if they want it.
Meet Quali, your child's puzzle buddy
Quali is folded from paper, which is fitting, because folding is one of the puzzles. Quali greets your child by name, explains each idea in one or two short sentences, and cheers when a skill clicks.
▶Children can tap Hear Quali to have tips read aloud in a calm British voice. Captions are always on screen, and the voice never plays on its own.
A guide, not a distraction
Quali shows up to help, then gets out of the way
Quali never appears while your child is choosing an answer, and never inside a timed test. When it's time to think, the puzzle has the screen to itself.
Checksa 3-step routine
Foldspaper puzzles
Turnsshapes, one quarter at a time
Encouragesafter a tricky one
Everything CAT4 covers
All four batteries. All eight question types.
CAT4 looks at how children think with words, numbers, shapes and space. The Academy has a lesson path for each question type, colour-coded so children always know where they are.
Verbal
Word links
Verbal Classification
Verbal Analogies
Quantitative
Number rules
Number Series
Number Analogies
Non-verbal
Shapes and patterns
Figure Classification
Figure Matrices
Spatial
Folding and finding
Figure Analysis (paper folding)
Figure Recognition
Starts with Foundations. Six short warm-up lessons (turns, fills, mirrors, moves, sameness and steps) give your child the vocabulary every CAT4 puzzle is built from.
Which level?
CAT4 levels, in plain words
CAT4 comes in levels by age, from Level X for six-year-olds to Level G for older teenagers. Your child's school will tell you which level and when. Here's how the levels around ages 9 to 13 usually line up.
CAT4 level
Usually taken in
In the Academy
Level B about age 9 to 10
Year 5 · Grade 4
Planned
Level C about age 10 to 11
Year 6 · Grade 5
Lessons ready now
Level D about age 11 to 12
Year 7 · Grade 6, often at the start of secondary school
Lessons coming next Practice test ready now
Level E about age 12 to 13
Year 8 · Grade 7
Planned
Where and when children take CAT4
GL Assessment describes CAT4 as the most widely used reasoning test in the UK and Ireland, and international schools around the world use it too. It isn't a pass or fail exam. Schools use it to understand how a child thinks and learns best.
Joining a new schoolStart of secondaryKey year groupsSetting and support
Every school sets its own timing, so ask yours which level your child will sit and when.
Sources: GL Assessment CAT4 product information and level guide. Ages and year groups are typical, not official.
For parents
You see the progress. They feel the encouragement.
Ten focused minutes beats an hour of worksheets. The Academy picks the next lesson for your child and keeps you in the picture.
1Today's mission, ready every dayNo planning for you. Your child opens the app and the next lesson is waiting.
2Mastery, skill by skillSee which question types are mastered and which need another look.
3A Quick Reminder when they forget a wordTap a card to see "mirror" or "rotate" move, without leaving the lesson.
4Calm by designNo leaderboards, no streak guilt, no scores shown to children.
Quick Reminder
When they're ready
Full CAT4-style practice tests
Lessons build understanding. Practice tests build stamina. When your child is ready, they sit a full timed simulation across all four batteries, set out the way the real test is.
8question types, in three parts
168questions in our Level D test
72minutes of timed practice
Real test conditions. Each question type has its own timer, there's no pause, and the next part opens when the last one finishes.
A calm, familiar screen. Tap an answer, move between questions, review before you submit.
A review afterwards. Your child can look back over the questions; detailed results go to you.
Quali steps aside. No helper, hints or animations while the clock is running.
72 minutes is the timed test time, not the whole sitting: on the day, instructions and practice examples add a little more. Our practice material is original and indicative, not official CAT4 questions.
Full exam simulation · CAT4 Level D
FULL EXAM SIMULATION
CAT4 Level D
Duration: 72 minsQuestions: 168
Part 1READY
Figure Classification24 questions · 10 mins
Figure Matrices24 questions · 10 mins
Start Part 1
Part 2LOCKED
Verbal Classification24 questions · 8 mins
Verbal Analogies24 questions · 8 mins
Number Analogies18 questions · 10 mins
Part 3LOCKED
Number Series18 questions · 8 mins
Figure Analysis18 questions · 9 mins
Figure Recognition18 questions · 9 mins
CAT4 exam · Figure Classification
FIGURE CLASSIFICATION · QUESTION 1 OF 24
Which figure is the odd one out?
ABCDE
MODULE 1 OF 8Figure Classification
9:25
PROGRESS
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One plan covers it all. Every CAT4 plan includes the full Academy and the practice tests.
The puzzles on this page collect nothing about your child. No name, no age, no account.
Parent first
Only a parent can create an account. A child profile is added with your recorded consent.
Privacy laws respected
We design for UK and EU GDPR expectations for children's data and follow local data protection law where families use us.
Independent
Not affiliated with or endorsed by GL Assessment. Practice is indicative, not an official result.
CAT4 is a trademark of GL Assessment. Qualificant is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by GL Assessment. Practice materials are original and indicative; they are not official CAT4 questions and do not produce official results.
Questions parents ask
FAQ
Is it OK to practise for CAT4?
GL Assessment, which makes CAT4, advises against coaching for the test. The Academy doesn't coach answers or teach tricks for a score. It explains what each puzzle type is asking and lets your child get used to the on-screen format, so test day is familiar rather than a surprise.
Will it raise my child's CAT4 score?
We don't promise scores. CAT4 measures reasoning, and no course can guarantee a result. What we offer is understanding, familiarity and calm, which helps children show what they can really do.
Which CAT4 level is right for my child?
Level C is usually taken around Year 6 (Grade 5), when children are about 10 to 11. Level D is usually taken around Year 7 (Grade 6). The Academy lessons are ready for Level C now. Level D lessons are coming next, and the Level D practice test is available now.
When do children take CAT4?
Schools decide their own timing. CAT4 is often taken when a child joins a new school, at the start of secondary school (Year 7 or Grade 6), or as a regular check in key year groups. Ask your school which level and when.
Are there full CAT4 practice tests?
Yes. When your child is ready, timed practice tests cover all eight question types in three parts, on a test-style screen, with no pausing. Our Level D practice test has 168 questions over 72 minutes of timed practice. A review comes afterwards.
How much time does it take?
A lesson takes about eight minutes. Three or four lessons a week is plenty. Today's mission always shows the next one, so there's nothing to plan.
Will my child see scores or rankings?
No. Children see encouragement, their next lesson and which skills they have mastered. Detailed progress is for parents only.
Do I need an account to try it?
No. The puzzles on this page run in your browser with no account and no personal details. Start a free trial only if you want to save progress and unlock the full path.
Is Qualificant affiliated with GL Assessment?
No. Qualificant is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by GL Assessment. CAT4 is a trademark of GL Assessment.
Give them a calm head start
Try two puzzles now. If your child enjoys it, start a free trial and carry on with today's mission.
Let's look againThe punch goes through both layers. Unfold it and there's a hole on each side of the fold, at the same height.
Checksa 3-step routine
Foldspaper puzzles
Turnsshapes, one quarter at a time
Encouragesafter a tricky one
