How is the CCAT Test Scored?

Results of the CCAT 7 (Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test) contain a composite score, combining verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal abilities. This score indicates the scope and strength of a student’s overall cognitive ability for learning.

A student’s score on the CCAT 7 is based only on how many questions are answered correctly. If a student answers questions incorrectly or skips a question entirely, it will not affect the score. The raw score is based on the total number of questions answered correctly out of 50.

Scores are a composite of all three of the CCAT 7 batteries. Each student receives a score report with three different scores.

Scoring the CCAT

The CCAT measures cognitive ability across three domains: Verbal, Nonverbal, and Quantitative reasoning. Each of these batteries has a standard score, percentile rank, and stanine associated with it.

• Standard Scores: This is the student’s actual score, adjusted for age and grade. They typically range from 40 to 160, with an average score being 100. The standard score is a direct reflection of how a student performed on the test.
• Percentile Ranks: These scores represent the percentage of students in the same grade or age group who scored lower than a particular student. A percentile rank of 60, for example, means that the student scored higher than 60% of his or her peers.
• Stanines: Stanines are standard scores divided into nine narrow ranges, with a low of 1 and a high of 9. These are meant to group students into broad ability bands. A stanine score of 1-3 is considered below average, 4-6 is average, and 7-9 is above average.

Score Ranges

• Verbal Battery (Standard Score 40-160): Measures a student’s vocabulary, sentence completion, and verbal analogy skills. This test aims to measure verbal reasoning and understanding, which are critical to reading comprehension and the ability to learn from verbal instructions.
  • 130-160: Very Superior
  • 120-129: Superior
  • 110-119: High Average
  • 90-109: Average
  • 80-89: Low Average
  • 70-79: Borderline
  • 40-69: Extremely Low
• Quantitative Battery (Standard Score 40-160): Assesses number series, equation building, and quantitative comparison abilities. This part of the test focuses on the child’s ability to reason and solve problems using mathematical concepts.
  • 130-160: Very Superior
  • 120-129: Superior
  • 110-119: High Average
  • 90-109: Average
  • 80-89: Low Average
  • 70-79: Borderline
  • 40-69: Extremely Low
• Nonverbal Battery (Standard Score 40-160): Evaluates geometric shapes, figure analysis, and matrices skills. This test measures reasoning and problem-solving abilities using geometric shapes and designs, and it is not reliant on language skills.
  • 130-160: Very Superior
  • 120-129: Superior
  • 110-119: High Average
  • 90-109: Average
  • 80-89: Low Average
  • 70-79: Borderline
  • 40-69: Extremely Low

Detailed Definitions for Each Score Range:

• Very Superior (130-160): This score range indicates that the student is performing at a significantly higher level than their peers. Students in this range may require additional enrichment or accelerated programs to meet their learning needs.
• Superior (120-129): Students scoring in this range are performing well above their peers. They may benefit from additional challenges in the classroom to keep them engaged and progressing.
• High Average (110-119): This score signifies a student is performing higher than the average of their peers. They typically perform well in school

Age Percentile Rank (APR)

Age Percentile Rank (APR) is an important part of the scoring process for assessments like the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT). It’s designed to provide a clear measure of a student’s abilities as compared to other students in the same age group across the country. To calculate the APR, a student’s raw score (the number of questions answered correctly) is first converted into a standard score. This standard score takes into account the difficulty of the questions and the student’s age. Afterward, it’s compared to a nationwide sample of students in the same age group who have taken the same test. The APR itself is a percentile ranking that ranges from 1 to 99. It shows the percentage of students who scored lower than the given student. For example, an APR of 70 means that the student scored higher than 70% of students in the same age group.

It’s crucial to note that the APR does not measure the percentage of test questions the student answered correctly. Instead, it reflects the student’s relative performance compared to their peers. In the context of the CCAT, the APR is computed for each of the three batteries (Verbal, Nonverbal, and Quantitative) and the overall test. This gives a comprehensive overview of a student’s cognitive abilities, showing their relative strengths and weaknesses across different reasoning domains.

Moreover, the APR provides valuable information for educators and parents about a student’s potential for academic achievement. It helps identify students who may need additional challenges, as well as those who might require extra support. However, it’s important to remember that the APR, like any other test score, is just one piece of the puzzle in understanding a student’s overall academic capabilities. Other factors like classroom performance, motivation and learning environment also play a significant role in a student’s academic success.

Example for the Age Percentile Rank (APR): If a student receives a score of  54, this score means that he or she performed as well or better than 54% of the students in the same age group, but worse than the remaining 46%.

*Students who receive scores that fall between the 25th and 74th percentile indicate average performance.

Grade Percentile Rank (GPR)

The Grade Percentile Rank (GPR) ranks a student within his or her grade. The Grade Percentile Rank (GPR) is a significant component of the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT) scoring system. The GPR, much like the Age Percentile Rank (APR), provides a measure of a student’s abilities in comparison to a large sample of other students. However, while the APR compares a student to other students of the same age, the GPR compares a student to others in the same grade level.

The calculation of the GPR starts with the raw score, which is the total number of questions the student answered correctly on the test. This raw score is then converted into a standard score, adjusting for the difficulty level of the questions and the student’s grade level. This standard score is then compared to a nationwide norm group of students in the same grade level who have also taken the test. The resulting percentile rank, the GPR, ranges from 1 to 99 and indicates the percentage of students in the same grade who scored lower than the given student. For instance, if a student has a GPR of 85, it means that they scored higher than 85% of their peers in the same grade level.

It’s important to clarify that the GPR doesn’t show the percentage of questions the student answered correctly on the test. Instead, it’s a comparison of how a student performed relative to other students in their grade level.

Stanine Score for CCAT

The Stanine (S) score relays a specific range of scores that have predetermined ranks-—9 being very high, 1 being very low, and 4–6 being average. Stanine scores are another integral part of the scoring process for the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test (CCAT). A stanine score is a method of scaling test scores on a nine-point standard scale with a mean of five and a standard deviation of two. The term “stanine” is derived from “STAndard NINE”.

To calculate stanines, a student’s raw score (the total number of questions the student answered correctly) is converted into a standard score based on the difficulty of the questions and the student’s grade level. This standard score is then converted into a stanine score.

The stanine scoring system is as follows:

1. Stanine 1: This is the lowest score and represents roughly the lowest 4% of scores.
2. Stanine 2: Represents the next 7% of scores.
3. Stanine 3: Represents the next 12% of scores.
4. Stanine 4: Represents the next 17% of scores.
5. Stanine 5: Represents the next 20% of scores (around the average).
6. Stanine 6: Represents the next 17% of scores.
7. Stanine 7: Represents the next 12% of scores.
8. Stanine 8: Represents the next 7% of scores.
9. Stanine 9: This is the highest score and represents roughly the top 4% of scores.

Within the CCAT, the stanine is calculated for each of the three batteries (Verbal, Nonverbal, and Quantitative) and the overall test. It provides a snapshot of a student’s performance compared to their peers on a nine-point scale.

Click HERE to see the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test Interpretation

The CCAT 7 is “norm-referenced,” so it ranks students, comparing the performance of each child to other same age/grade children (from a norm group) who took the same test under similar conditions.

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Tell us about your experiences

11 Responses

Rajesh

What happens next ? I have seen the results for my daughter and she has done really well? She is only in Grade 4 now, but I really want to know what next?

Lauren

What is the percentage for average and above?

Jake

Rajesh when your daughter is in Grade 5, she might be qualified for the Gifted and Talented program. If she is she will have to do another test along with whoever else qualified. (If anyone else did) If she qualifies, she gets to go to a different school to learn stuff that isn’t taught in a normal Grade 5 class.

Cindy

If I have the raw scores… is there somewhere I can calculate the percentile scores (APR)?

Thanks!
Canadian data?

Aparna

My son got a composite score 7 in 88th percentile.in grade 4 ccat.is there any chance of him getting in to gifted program.what to do next if we need to get him into the program?

TestingMom.com

Please reach out to your school district to learn more about appeals, re-testing, and options for your child. Each School District has unique guidelines on how to handle re-test or appeals for entry into their gifted program. We do wish you luck and apologize as we just are unable to track the rules for each school district.
All the best,
Team TestingMom

Chris

Hi,

What’s required to be accepted into the gifted learning program. Results of CCAT 7 for Composite (VQN) are:

Standard Age Score: 135
Age Stanine 9
Age percentile rank 99

Does this not qualify acceptance? The one thing the resulting documentation doesn’t do well is break down the numbers. Is a certain percentage required in each ability? If so it would be great if they identified that in the result documentation.

TestingMom.com

Chris,
These are very nice scores, but the cutoff can vary from School District to School District. I would recommend reaching out to your School, but based on our experience, these are qualifying scores for most Gifted Programs.
Thank you,
Perry

rasha_18@hotmail.com

Hi,
I don’t know what is considered gifted?!
My daughter got a Standard Age Score 123
Age Stanine 8, and Age Percentile 92.
Does anyone have experience in that?

TestingMom.com

Hi There,

The CCAT would be scored similarly to how the Cogat is scored. I would refer you to this link so you can get an idea of that those numbers mean. Please use the following link to go to our Cogat test page.

CogAT Scores: Understand Test Results

Sincerely,
Ryan

SB

Hi!
Curious to know if the gifted school will consider only the composite score or all 3 individually. My daughter qualifies in the very high range for verbal and quantitative, but for non verbal its above average. The composite score however is in the very high range too. Just curious on which score to focus on.

Thanks!

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