What does CAT4 familiarisation mean in the final weeks?
Familiarisation means seeing the CAT4 screen, question types and timing once or twice, not drilling for a score. GL Assessment, which publishes CAT4, strongly advises against practice and endorses no practice materials, so any familiarisation is a family’s own choice. Keep it short, calm and finished a few days before the sitting.
Families searching for CAT4 help in the final weeks meet two messages: the test’s publisher says not to practise, and plenty of sites sell practice. This guide says what each side actually says, what the test already gives a child, and what we mean by familiarisation. Our position is stated plainly near the end.
What does GL Assessment say?
GL Assessment publishes CAT4. On its CAT4 page (read on 20 October 2026) it says it strongly advises against any kind of practice ahead of a CAT4 test and does not recommend or endorse any CAT4 practice materials. It adds that each section has built-in practice examples that familiarise students with the style and format of the questions, which are not timed and can be repeated.
| Detail | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Practice before the test (GL, read 20 October 2026) | Strongly advises against any kind of practice; endorses no practice materials |
| Built-in examples (GL, read 20 October 2026) | Each section opens with practice examples; they are not timed and can be repeated |
| Time per test (GL’s teacher guidance, read 18 October 2026) | Eight to ten minutes per test, with about five minutes per test for instructions and practice |
| The whole sitting (Jumeirah College policy, read 17 October 2026) | 1.5 to 2 hours; short timed tests; every question is multiple choice |
| Jumeirah College main assessment day (same policy) | Saturday 14 November 2026; Phase 2 applications close at 8am on Friday 30 October 2026 |
Which schools does this matter to?
Jumeirah College tests every Year 7 applicant with CAT4. Several other Dubai schools use it on a rolling basis with no fixed date, and the child’s date is whenever the school books it. Dubai College sets its own assessment, but says it is very similar to online programmes such as CAT4 and GL Progress tests, and it considers CAT4 or other standardised results as supporting evidence (source: its Year 7 frequently asked questions, read on 20 October 2026).
What does familiarisation mean in the final weeks?
Everything in this section is our view, not GL’s and not any school’s.
- Seeing the screen once: how a question and its five answer options are laid out, and how an on-screen timer feels.
- One or two short sittings, no longer than 20 minutes each, of a single type of test, with the untimed examples first.
- Finishing at least three days before the sitting, with nothing at all the day before.
- No scores kept on the fridge. A familiarisation sitting is not a measure, and we say so.
What should a family leave out?
- Full two-hour practice sittings. Rest is worth more.
- New material in the final week.
- Any promise from anyone that practice raises a result. GL, whose test it is, says it does not endorse practice, and we make no such claim.
What does Mockplan do?
We sell CAT4 only as familiarisation with the on-screen format. We use GL’s name only to say what the practice is for, and we quote its advice wherever we describe the test. A family is free to take GL’s advice and not practise at all. For those who choose to, there is a free start, then one payment of $99 for every set, each test timed on its own, and nothing here is affiliated with GL Assessment or any school.
Read the CAT4 page, with every fact sourced, or CAT4 explained for parents.
Questions parents ask
- What does familiarisation mean?
- Our view: letting a child see what the test looks like on screen, how questions are laid out and how the timing feels, so that the format is not a surprise. It is not coaching and it does not claim to change a score.
- Does GL Assessment recommend practising for CAT4?
- No. GL says it strongly advises against any kind of practice ahead of a CAT4 test and does not recommend or endorse any CAT4 practice materials.
- What familiarisation is built into the test?
- Each test section opens with practice examples that familiarise the student with the style and format of the questions. GL says they are not timed and can be repeated, and Jumeirah College says they are neither timed nor marked.
- How long is each CAT4 test?
- GL’s guide says each test takes eight to ten minutes, with about five minutes per test for instructions and practice. Jumeirah College says the whole sitting takes 1.5 to 2 hours.
- When is Jumeirah College’s CAT4 sitting?
- Saturday 14 November 2026 for most applicants, with applications closing at 8am on Friday 30 October 2026, according to the school’s 2027-28 policy as the Schools record read it on 17 October 2026.
- Does Dubai College use CAT4?
- Its assessment is its own. The school says its assessment is very similar to online programmes such as CAT4 and GL Progress tests, and it also considers CAT4 or other standardised results as supporting evidence.
- How much familiarisation is sensible in the last three weeks?
- Our view: one or two short sittings of a single test type, no longer than 20 minutes each, finished at least three days before the sitting, and nothing at all the day before.
- What does Mockplan offer for CAT4?
- Familiarisation with the on-screen format only. We make no claim that practice raises a score, and we quote GL’s advice wherever we describe the test. There is a free start, then one payment of $99 for every set.
Sources
Facts last checked on 17 October 2026. Everything else on this page is our own view.
- GL Assessment: CAT4(opens in a new tab)read 20 October 2026
- GL: CAT4 Teacher Guidance (PDF)(opens in a new tab)read 18 October 2026
- Jumeirah College: admission and registration policy 2027-28 (PDF)(opens in a new tab)read 17 October 2026
- Dubai College: Year 7 frequently asked questions(opens in a new tab)read 20 October 2026
Read next
Mockplan is independent practice. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any school or test publisher named on this page, and the names are used only to say what the practice is for.