The SCAT Test (School and College Ability Test) is the primary exam used by Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) for admissions into their program. Specifically, the test helps to identify 2nd-12th grade students for admissions into their gifted program. The SCAT is designed to measure math and verbal reasoning abilities. Depending on the grade level of the student, individuals will either take the Elementary Level, Intermediate Level, or the Advanced Level. Children in the sixth through eighth grade take the Advanced Level, which has questions that are designed at the ninth through twelfth grade level of achievement. This is because the SCAT traditionally tests above the student’s current grade level. Below are several SCAT sample questions that are intended for the Advanced Level. Each practice question will reflect a specific section that your child will come across.
Test Structure
The SCAT is divided into two sections – Verbal and Quantitative. Each section consists of 55 questions, out of which 5 are experimental and not scored. These two sections test the reasoning skills of the student rather than specific knowledge in certain subjects.
- Verbal Section: This section measures understanding of the meaning of words and verbal reasoning ability. The format is a verbal analogy which requires selecting the answer choice that best completes the analogy.
- Quantitative Section: This section measures mathematical reasoning ability. It uses mathematical comparisons where a relationship between two quantities is given, and the student needs to determine a similar relationship from four given options.
Each section of the test lasts approximately 22 minutes. There is a 10-minute break in between the two sections. The entire testing process, including administrative tasks, takes about 1 hour.
1.) Quantitative Section
Directions: Each of the following questions has two parts. Look at the part in Column A. Then look at the part in column B. Decide if one part is greater then the other or if the parts are equal. Then, choose one of the four answers below and write it into the 4th column:
A- If the part in Column A is greater
B- If the part in Column b is greater
C- If the two parts are equal
D- Not enough information to decide
2.) Verbal Section
Directions: Look at the two words on top. They belong together in a certain way. Now look at the answer choices below. Choose the best pair of words in the answer choices that go together the same way the two words on top go together.
Answer Key
Quantitative Section
1.) A > 18
2.) -15 < -3
Verbal Section
1.) D- Individual parts of whole
2.) A-Antonym