CAT tests in Y7. What do they consist of?

[ampere]

How do they vary from SATS? I am merely curious as I have no idea! What do they test that is different? What format do they take?

I promise I'm asking cos I don't know, not that I'm out to try and snare a CATS tutor!!

you are not meant to know

There is quite a good explanation here

They look like my 11+ exam!

I think they are meant to be non-swottable, My attitude is the same as when I heard an entrance exam DD1 (Yr 6) was taking was computer based and supposedly non-coachable, namely YIPPEE! - no point worrying or indeed doing anything.

(This possibly says something about my lazy bag approach to mothering, but with all the pressure from school for them to work for Sats etc I think I can be forgiven).

Our primary is b-i-ig on SATS but the highly desired secondary then CATS the DCS at the end of their first half term. I have no problem with it!

And in fact I think you can 'swot' for CATS in as far as we did loads of practice 11+ papers in order to learn how to spot patterns etc!

But will all the kids at the 'highly desired secondary' have done 11 plus practice? Then they will presumably all do well in the Cats and it won't tell you anything. I mean, here the highly desired (state) secondaries are grammars. If DD goes to a grammar (she passed) then if they do Cats they will presumably come out in the same rank order as their 11 plus scores (which I know the grammar schools do get as a friend of mine teaches in one). So what's the point? Might as well stream them on the basis of the 11 plus score. I thought Cats were different.

DD did CAT tests very soon after entering year 7 without many of us having prior knowledge of them so therefore no swotting. I didn't know when they were sitting them.

Found the data very interesting as they are used as predictors for GCSE results. DD had a significant lower score on VR (English) which could have indicated dyslexia, something I had had a suspicion about. Nothing was done about it though and she has just had a final result for English Language GCSE which was far higher than the probable predicted result via the CAT. So it is possible to fall into the least probable grade albeit unusual.

The school didn't retest at year 9 AFAIK.

I find the CAT annoying
one of my dcs school constantly refer back to them and if a student is performing 'in line' with their CAT score then no need to try any harder

Our school do set targets in line with the scores. Agree it can be annoying especially as the kids say 'I'm doing OK as I was predicted a C and that is what I'm working at'.

agree! dd would have '2's in the effort column and A in the attainment and i would argue that with more effort she should get A*...

bellisimo- bit of a misunderstanding: I did the 11+ complete with LOTS of practice in about 1525; we're now in a comprehensive area!

AFAIK the primary doesn't even look at CATS- probably because once they blitz the SATS they feel their work is done...

And I certainly won't be doing any work towards them! I was merely pointing out that, using the examples in the link given earlier in answer to my OP (thanks janinlondon), they struck me as being very much like the 11+ I did and which could, to a certain extent be 'swotted for' if only via familiarity and 'tricks of the trade', like looking for more obscure patterns in number sequences.