Year 6 is a crucial stage in your child’s education journey, and one of the challenges they may face is the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) assessment while getting admission to the school. The CAT assessment evaluates your child’s cognitive abilities, including verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning skills.
For many children and parents, this test feels like a very difficult one, but if you are a parent to a year-6 child, you don’t have to worry. With the right preparation and support, you can help your child excel and approach the CAT assessment with confidence.
Below in this article, we will outline some of the most invaluable tips and strategies to prepare your child for the Year 6 CAT assessment. Read on to find useful insights.
When your child knows what to expect in the exam paper, they can approach the assessment with a calm and focused mindset. This way, getting them familiarized with the test format will foster confidence in them. You can obtain sample CAT4 Level C practice tests and allow your child to practice with them.
This will help them become familiar with the structure of the test, the types of questions they will encounter, and the time constraints they need to work within. However, it is recommended to encourage your child to go through the sample papers at their own pace.
By doing so, they will become comfortable with the format and learn to manage their time effectively during the assessment. Also, emphasize the importance of reading instructions carefully and understanding the requirements of each question.
Time management is a crucial skill that will not only benefit your child during the assessment but also in various aspects of their academic journey in the future. If you don’t know, the CAT assessment often has strict time limits for each section or set of questions.
By practicing time management, your child can learn to allocate their time wisely and ensure they have enough time to answer all the questions within the given timeframe. As mentioned above, you can tell your child to practice working on sample papers or past CAT assessments with a stopwatch or timer.
This will help them become aware of how much time they should allocate to each question or section. Remind them to pace themselves, avoiding spending too much time on one question and risking not completing the entire assessment. This will help them perform better in exams when the time comes.
Verbal reasoning plays a significant role in the CAT4 assessment, as it evaluates your child’s ability to understand and interpret written information effectively. You can help your child strengthen their verbal reasoning skills by encouraging them to read extensively.
This can include both fiction and non-fiction books. This habit will not only enhance their vocabulary but also exposes them to different writing styles. This will eventually help them become more comfortable with diverse texts, and they will be able to understand and interpret the written information more effectively.
To make the process more effective, engage in discussions with them about what they have read and encourage them to express their opinions and thoughts. Additionally, comprehension exercises can also improve their verbal skills and sharpen their ability to comprehend and analyze written passages.
Numerical reasoning is a fundamental component of the CAT4 assessment. This part of the examination evaluates their ability to work with numbers, solve mathematical problems, and apply logical reasoning. You can simply enhance your child’s numerical reasoning skills by encouraging them to practice math.
They can also participate in activities including the use of mathematics, such as solving math problems, working on puzzles, and playing math-related games. This will help them develop a solid foundation in mathematical concepts and improve their problem-solving abilities.
Out of all mathematical concepts, arithmetic skills like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are more important for the CAT4 test. If you want them to get distinction in the test and perform even better, it’s best to introduce them to more complex concepts such as fractions, decimals, percentages, and ratios, which can also appear in CAT assessments.
The study environment is one of the most significant factors when your child is getting prepared for the CAT4 exams. This can significantly impact their focus, motivation, and overall performance. So, make sure to designate a quiet and well-lit area specifically for studying.
Remove distractions such as electronic devices or excessive noise to help your child concentrate and engage fully in their study sessions. You can dedicate a whole room to your house for study purposes where you install noise cancellation windows and doors.
Also, ensure they have access to the necessary materials, such as textbooks, notebooks, and sample papers, to facilitate their learning. Encourage your child to study on a daily basis and create a consistent routine that can help them develop good study habits.
The CAT assessment assesses your child’s ability to think logically, evaluate information, and make informed decisions based on the scenarios presented on the paper. Moreover, it will help them in their personal lives too.
You can encourage critical thinking by engaging your child in thought-provoking discussions on various topics. Encourage them to express their opinions, provide reasons to support their views, and listen to others’ perspectives.
This practice will enhance their ability to analyze information and consider multiple viewpoints to finally make solid and well-informed arguments.
Your year-6 child can’t monitor their own progress, and they don’t know what’s best for them. That’s why you will have to be there to monitor their progress and offer constructive feedback. This allows you to identify areas where your child excels and areas that require improvement.
Make sure to review their practice tests and assignments on a daily basis and pay attention to their strengths and weaknesses. When you start celebrating their achievements and acknowledging their hard work, they will be most likely to put in more effort.