SCAT Test | Johns Hopkins SCAT Test Overview

What is a SCAT Test?

The SCAT (School and College Ability Test) is a standardized test used by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) to identify 2nd – 12th graders for their gifted program. The SCAT is an “above grade level” test and measures math and verbal reasoning abilities.

The SCAT is a timed, two-part test that contains math and verbal sections in a multiple-choice format. Since 1985, the Center for Talented Youth (CTY) has identified talented students in elementary grades using the SCAT. In 1996, CTY computerized the SCAT and made it available at Prometric test centers.

Watch this in-depth presentation about the SCAT test!

How should I prepare my child for the SCAT?

Because SCAT is an above grade level test, we recommend that you start preparing with resources that are one to two grade levels below your child’s current grade level. This will help your child build confidence in their learning abilities and encourage them to continue practicing.

Once your child is able to successfully complete test prep at their current grade level, you will want to move onto the grade level above their current one. Because the SCAT tests above the child’s current grade level, you should try and work your child up to test prep for 2 grade levels above their current one. That way they will be ready for any question that comes their way!

Here are some things to expect for your child’s grade level:

• Children in 2^nd – 3^rd grade take the Elementary Level, which has questions created at the 3^rd – 6^th grade level of achievement
• Children in 4^th – 5^th grade take the Intermediate Level, which has questions created at the 6^th – 9^th grade level of achievement
• Children in grade 6 and above take the Advanced Level, which has questions created at the 9^th – 12^th grade level of achievement.

After the test, parents will be given a comparison of how their child’s scores compare to other children in their grade level, along with how their scores compare with students from higher grades for which the questions were originally designed. Above grade level testing identifies students who have the greatest need for advanced and fast-paced coursework. This will help in determining if your child is prepared and qualifed for a CTY program.

What are the Sections of the SCAT?

The two sections of the SCAT test are Verbal and Quantitative. The verbal section tests verbal reasoning in completing analogies, while the quantitative section tests mathematics ability to complete questions. All questions in both sections are multiple choice.

Breakdown for the SCAT Test

The SCAT has a verbal and quantitative section, each with 55 questions.  On the test, 50 questions from each section are graded and 5 are experimental items that do not count towards the final score. Students have 22 minutes to complete each section. They are given a 10-minute break between sections. There is no penalty for wrong answers so it is okay to guess. Be sure your child knows how to eliminate answers that are clearly wrong before making his or her best guess.

Prepare your child to tackle both the verbal and quantitative sections of the SCAT with ease. TestingMom.com can help! We have hundreds of questions, organized by grade level, to help your child build the confidence and familiarity to ace the SCAT and qualify for CTY programs.

Plus, we offer parent resources to help you navigate the testing process, access to 30+ games from top educational publishers, a Student Success Team that is standing by to help with your questions, and more!

Want to try us out? Sign up for a free account today and get 100 practice questions.

Verbal

The verbal section measures your child’s understanding of the meaning of words and verbal reasoning ability. Verbal questions are multiple-choice analogies, which require a student to choose the best pair of words to complete an analogy. It may appear that more than one answer fits the analogy, but the correct answer is the one that best completes the analogy. To do well on this section, your child will need strong vocabulary, verbal reasoning, and knowledge/information abilities.

Quantitative

The quantitative section measures your child’s understanding of foundational number operations. The quantitative questions are multiple-choice mathematical comparisons, which require a student to compare two mathematical quantities and determine which is greater. Problems are intended to measure mathematical reasoning ability, so they do not require computation. To do well on this section, your child will need to have a strong understanding of mathematical reasoning, math facts, calculations and number operations.

Is the SCAT test timed?

Yes, the SCAT is a timed test given to children in grades 2-12. Children will have 22 minutes per section to complete the test.

If my child is in the 2nd grade, should I have them practice 4th grade materials?

Our test prep is already set at the advanced level. This allows you to pick your child’s current grade level when practicing test questions.

Skill Assessment

The SCAT has two sections, verbal and quantitative. Each section contains 55 questions, including five unidentified experimental items that do not count toward the student’s score.

Verbal

• Vocabulary – This sub-section measures a student’s understanding of word meanings and their ability to recognize relationships between words. Students are presented with a target word and multiple-choice options. They must choose the word that is most closely related to the target word in meaning.
• Verbal Reasoning – This sub-section assesses a student’s ability to comprehend and analyze information presented in sentences or short passages. Students must read the given text and answer questions based on their understanding, drawing logical conclusions and making inferences.
• Analogies – In this sub-section, students are required to identify relationships between pairs of words and apply that understanding to complete analogous pairs. By doing so, this sub-section evaluates a student’s critical thinking, pattern recognition, and problem-solving abilities.

Math

• Mathematical Reasoning – This sub-section evaluates a student’s ability to analyze and solve problems using their understanding of mathematical concepts. Students must apply logical reasoning and critical thinking skills to identify patterns, relationships, and rules in mathematical situations.
• Mathematical Comparison – In this sub-section, students are presented with sets of numbers or mathematical expressions and are required to compare them. This sub-section assesses a student’s understanding of number properties, the order of operations, and their ability to identify the relative values of given expressions.
• Math Facts and Calculations – This sub-section tests a student’s fluency in basic arithmetic operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Students must apply their knowledge of math facts to solve problems quickly and accurately.
• Number Operations – This sub-section evaluates a student’s understanding of various number operations, including fractions, decimals, and percentages. Students must apply their knowledge of these concepts to solve problems, convert between different forms, and perform operations with mixed numbers.

The SCAT measures specific abilities in verbal and quantitative areas and provides information essential for making general decisions concerning level and pace of instruction. Because its focus is on aptitude, the SCAT should not be used in isolation to make decisions about specific educational objectives.

Since 1985, the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth has identified talented students in elementary grades using the SCAT. In May 1996, CTY purchased all rights to the SCAT from Educational Testing Service (ETS) and entered into an agreement with Prometric to computerize the SCAT and make the test available at computer test centers. Prometric says, “CTY identifies and develops the academic talents of the most promising young people of the next generation. The founder of Facebook and the cofounder of Google are CTY alumni—proof that self-described “CTYers” grow up to lead their generation and shape the course of history.”

To learn more about the Johns Hopkins CTY, visit http://cty.jhu.edu

Want to help your child build the confidence and familiarity they need to score higher on the SCAT? Join TestingMom.com! In addition to hundreds of practice questions, we also have lessons for parents to help you understand the best way to help your child prepare for this important test.

SCAT Test and CTY in the News

• Canada: 8-year-old Canadian among top scorers on the SCAT test – March 2023
• Ireland: Student in Ireland gets recognized by Centre for Talented Youth Ireland’s (CTYI) 2023 Talent Search Awards – June 2023
• India: Ei Partners With The Prestigious Johns Hopkins Center For Talented Youth – May 2023

We’ll get you started with 100 free practice questions. Just sign up for a free account below to try us out!

Looking for more resources to help your child approach the SCAT with confidence? TestingMom.com can help with:

• Hundreds of SCAT verbal and quantitative practice questions, organized by grade level, to help your child build confidence and familiarity for Test Day.
• A customizable program, based on your child’s grade level and upcoming tests, so you can target your child’s prep for maximum improvement.
• Interactive practice with 30+ games from top educational publishers to strengthen your child’s overall skills in math, language arts, science, social studies and more.
• A Student Success Team to help you if you need a little advice or if you get stuck.
• Over 100,000 practice questions for the most popular tests for Pre-K to 8th Grade, including gifted and talented, private school admissions, state tests and more—all for one low price.
• Parent resources to help you easily navigate your child’s testing process.

Want to try us out? Sign up for a free account today and get 100 free practice questions.

Tell us about your experiences

24 Responses

vedanttiwary2014@gmail.com

The questions are good but sometimes it irritates me while finding the site because there are so many of them and at least 97% of the sites are about how good testing mom is so its almost impossible to find the correct site to practice questions i do not know how I ended up on this site
Regards The child Aryaman

sharad_sachdev@hotmail.com

Do you guys have sample SCAT tests?

TestingMom.com

Hi Nathan,

Did you try visiting 100 Free Questions? You may have to log in to our site or create an account to view them.

SK

Do you provide sample SCAT tests? if so, how many?

TestingMom.com

Hi SK –

With a paid membership, you have full access to our site, including our SCAT materials. We provide 4 practice tests for each level of the SCAT, Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced. There are two verbal practice tests of 55 questions each and two math practice tests of 55 questions each.

All the best,

Marcus

pawanpn@yahoo.com

I want to first look at 100 questions.

Christy

Hello,
I am currently a member of Testing Moms and wondered if you offer any prep classes or tutoring for the SCAT. If so, can you please provide the costs and dates/times for these classes. Thanks for your help.
Sincerely,
Christy Beach

TestingMom.com

Hey Christy, email us as camps@testingmom.com and we can give you all the info!

Prashanth

Can you please let know if there is any online training provided by Testing mom for the SCAT exam for my 3rd grader?

TestingMom.com

Hi Prashanth,

We do offer online tutoring for the SCAT exam. If you will email us at help@testingmom.com, we can provide you more information.

All the best,

Marcus

s.thiru.raju@gmail.com

hi

dittikagupta@gmail.com

Hi! I am looking for sample SCAT tests for grades 2-3. How many do you have on your website? Are those automatically graded? Are those available as membership? What if I only would like one month membership?
Dittika

Rachel Jamison

This is very informative and helpful

Belle

Hi,

I am wondering if the practice questions and practice tests are also available in printable version. Given the COVID situation, kids are spending too long time on screens. I would like to print the practice questions on paper for them to drill.

Also, in real test situation, is the SCAT test delivered by paper or computer? Thanks!

Belle

TestingMom.com

Hi Belle –

Thank you for reaching out to us!

For every test we support, we do provide printable practice materials. This is no exception to our SCAT practice materials.

The SCAT itself is typically administered electronically.

All the best,

Marcus

Meghna

Love the site very useful helped me in cogat

TestingMom.com

Wonderful! Great to hear we were able to help with the CogAT test.

Aayush

Hello TestingMom,

I am taking the scat test and I am in sixth grade so meaning I will be taking the advanced level. But I am trying to figure out which math and English I will be doing?

Thanks,
Aayush

pianissimo3333@gmail.com

Hello,
Do you know where I can find an exhaustive and accurate list of the math skills required for the advanced SCAT ? (e.g: know how to solve a quadratic equation, know how to compute the norm of a vector…)

Thank you.

TestingMom.com

Hello,

Please reach out to our Parent Success Team at help@testingmom.com or by calling (877) 609-6203. They will be more than happy to assist you!

Aanchal

How can I apply for this exam

TestingMom.com

Hello,

Please reach out to our Parent Success Team at 877-609-6203 or help@testingmom.com. They will help you learn more about the Johns Hopkins SCAT Test and how to find additional practice on our website.

Tammy

Interest in test

TestingMom.com

Please sign-up for a membership to Testing Mom and you’ll get instant access to our incredible library of the SCAT test. The SCAT test is usually administered every June so you plenty of time to prepare!

See if TestingMom.com supports your child’s test by your school district. If you don't see your child's school district listed, check with us! We have practice for other tests as well.