OLSAT Test

OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability) Test

As most of the gifted and talented tests, the OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability) test is a multiple-choice test.  The targeted age is K through 12 grade (5-17 years old). The questions are broken down into verbal and non-verbal types (See table below).   The verbal questions are broken into verbal reasoning and verbal comprehension sections. The non-verbal consists of quantitative reasoning questions, pictorial reasoning, and figural reasoning sections.  The OLSAT test can be administered as a standalone test or it can be combined with NNAT test depending on the school district.  Some schools may choose to test students with only verbal sections or non-verbal section.

Test Components

 

	Grade      K	Grade      1	Grade      2	Grade      3	Grade    4-5	Grade    6-8	Grade    9-12
Test Levels:	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
Verbal
Verbal Comprehension
Following Directions	+	+	+
Antonyms				+	+	+	+
Sentence Completion				+	+	+	+
Sentence Arrangement				+	+	+	+
Verbal Reasoning
Aural Reasoning	+	+	+
Arithmetic Reasoning	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
Logical Selection				+	+	+	+
Word/Letter Matrix				+	+	+	+
Verbal Analogies				+	+	+	+
Verbal Classification				+	+	+	+
Inference					+	+	+
Nonverbal
Pictorial Reasoning
Picture Classification	+	+	+
Picture Analogies	+	+	+
Picture Series	+
Figural Reasoning
Figural Classification	+	+	+	+
Figural Analogies	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
Pattern Matrix	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
Figural Series	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
Quantitative Reasoning
Number Series				+	+	+	+
Numeric Inference				+	+	+	+
Number Matrix				+	+	+	+

 

 

The Verbal Section

The Verbal section consists of Verbal Comprehension and Verbal Reasoning questions.  The Verbal Comprehension questions are made up of four types of questions: Following Directions, Antonyms, Sentence Completion, and Sentence Arrangement.  This section is used to evaluate a child’s ability to observe and comprehend relationships between words, to build sentences, and to understand different definitions of words based on context.  There are seven types of Verbal Reasoning questions: Aural Reasoning, Arithmetic Reasoning, Logical Selection, Word/Letter Matrix, Verbal Analogies, Verbal Classification, and Inference.  This section assesses a child’s ability to determine relationships between words, to observe similarities and differences, and to apply conclusions in different scenarios.

The Nonverbal Section

The Nonverbal section consists of three sections: Pictorial Reasoning, Figural Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning.  In the Pictorial Reasoning section, there are three types of questions: Picture Classification, Picture Analogies, and Picture Series.  This section evaluates a child’s ability to reason using different images and illustrations, to find similarities and differences, and to comprehend and continue progressions.

The Figural Reasoning Section

The Figural Reasoning category is made up of four question types: Figural Classification, Figural Analogies, Pattern Matrix, and Figural Series.  This section is used to assess a child’s ability to utilize geometric shapes and figures in order to determine relationships, comprehend and continue progressions, and compare and contrast different figures.  There are three different types of questions on the Quantitative Reasoning section: Number Series, Numeric Inference, and Number Matrix.  This section assesses a child’s ability to determine relationships with numbers as well as figure out and utilize computational rules.

OLSAT test time limits and number of questions depends on the level of the test (See table below).

Level	Verbal	Nonverbal	Total	Time Limit
A (Pre-K)	16	24	40	77 min.
A (K)	30	30	60	77 min.
B	30	30	60	77 min.
C	30	30	60	72 min.
D	32	32	64	50 min.
E	36	36	72	60 min.
F	36	36	72	60 min.
G	36	36	72	60 min.