The Difference Between the CAT4 and the UKiset

The CAT4 and UKiset are both standardized tests administered for admission to various boarding, private, and independent schools in the United Kingdom.

	​CAT4	​UKiset
​Duration	57-112 minutes (including breaks) depending on the level	2-2.5 hours
Number of Sections	4-8 depending on the level	5 including subsections
Non-verbal Reasoning	Yes	Yes
Verbal Reasoning	Yes	Yes
Quantitative Reasoning	Yes	Yes
English	Yes	Yes
Spatial Reasoning	Yes	No
Essay	No	Yes
Levels	Pre-A, A-G, X, Y	Adaptive
Digital or Paper	Available in either format	Has both components

The sections and subsections on the UKiset are as follows:

1. Reasoning: to determine the student's thinking process

   1. Vocabulary

   2. Non-verbal Reasoning

   3. Mathematical Reasoning

2. Reading and Listening: to determine receptive language skills

3. Essay Writing: to determine expressive language skills

The CAT4 is designed to assesses the ability to reason with and manipulate different types of material. The CAT4 batteries assess:

• reasoning with words;

• reasoning with numbers;

• reasoning with shapes and designs;

• thinking with and mentally manipulating precise shapes.

The benchmarks to determine which level is applicable to the student are as follows: