Online SCAT
Grades 2-12
Developed by CTY, the Online School and College Ability Test (SCAT) offers a quick, direct path to determining eligibility for CTY programs. Students can take the test from home, within one hour of registration. No software download is required.
CTY uses a three-level grading scale, designed by our experts in gifted education, to determine how your child's score compares to that of students in higher grades. This makes the SCAT a useful credential for your child’s primary school record.
Format
The SCAT is administered at one of three levels depending on grade:
- Students in grades 2–3 take the Elementary SCAT
- Students in grades 4–5 take the Intermediate SCAT
- And students in grades 6 and above take the Advanced SCAT
The test is split into two sections, verbal and quantitative, separated by an optional, student-directed 10-minute break.
The test is structured as follows:
- Practice Verbal (unscored): 5 minutes long containing 2 questions
- Verbal: 20 minutes long containing 50 questions
- Break: Student may take up to 10 minutes
- Practice Quantitative (unscored): 5 minutes long containing 2 questions
- Quantitative: 20 minutes long containing 50 questions
Verbal Section
The Verbal Section assesses verbal reasoning skills and understanding of meaning—plus five unidentified experimental questions that won’t count towards your score. These questions are multiple-choice analogies where you’ll choose the pair of words that best complete the presented comparison.
Quantitative Section
The Quantitative Section assesses mathematical reasoning skills—plus five unidentified experimental questions that won’t count towards your score. These questions often don’t require computation. Instead, these questions are multiple-choice comparisons where you’ll evaluate two quantities: whether one is greater, both are equal, or (for older students) if there’s enough information to determine an answer at all.
Scoring
All of our testing is done above grade level, meaning that prospective CTYers taking the SCAT will take a version of the test meant for older students. Likewise, test results will show how a child’s scores compare to those of older test-takers.
SCAT scores are scaled at different ranges depending on the test level:
| Verbal | Quantitative | |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary | 401-471 | 412-475 |
| Intermediate | 405-482 | 419-506 |
| Advanced | 410-494 | 424-514 |
Sample Questions
If you’d like a sense of what to expect on the SCAT, you can practice with these sample tests. We recommend printing out a copy of the appropriate test level and setting a five-minute time limit per sections. Actual test questions will vary in difficulty and cover many more topics.
Tips
- Don’t panic! Remember, this is a test designed for older students and you are not expected to know all the answers. If you feel stressed, take a moment to relax. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing.
- Try not to spend too much time on any one question. Read all of the choices, eliminate any that are obviously wrong, and carefully consider the rest.
- If you get stuck, don’t be afraid to guess—there’s no penalty for wrong answers on the SCAT. If you don’t have enough time to finish, use the last minute of each test section to fill in any remaining answers.
- If you have extra time, use the “previous” button to go back and check your answers. Trust your instincts, though—only change your answers if you are certain you got them wrong the first time.
Fees
U.S. students: $60 USD
International students: Cost varies by country