About the OLSAT
The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT), published by Pearson NNC, is a multiple choice test commonly used in the U.S. to identify gifted children. Schools often use the OLSAT as a tool for admission into schools and programs for gifted and talented children or to measure scholastic achievement across all ages. Learn more about gifted testing in your city or school district.
The OLSAT is comprised of both verbal and nonverbal questions, measuring a student's ability to cope with school learning tasks. In all, there are 21 different question types on the OLSAT. On the test, students will need to:
- Follow directions
- Detect likenesses and differences
- Recall words and numbers
- Classify items
- Establish sequences
- Solve arithmetic problems
- Complete analogies
The OLSAT is used specifically to measure abilities related to success in school, testing critical thinking and reasoning skills. The OLSAT is intended to test memory, speed of thought and ability to see relationships and patterns. Arthur Sinton Otis, Ph.D and publishing executive and editor, Roger Thomas Lennon, Ph.D designed the OLSAT based off of two theories: Vernon’s hierarchical theory of intelligence and Guilford’s structure of intelligence. Hierarchical theories of intelligence describe intelligence as composed of different levels arranged by hierarchies or domains. The OLSAT was designed to measure a student’s verbal-academic domain, rather than other more practical and mechanical domains. Guilford’s structure of intellect is also reflected in the OLSAT. Questions on the OLSAT were selected to reflect the intellectual operations of cognition, convergent thinking and evaluation, as discussed in Guilford’s model of intelligence.
OLSAT Levels
The OLSAT test is administered at seven levels, depending on the student's age: OLSAT Level A, OLSAT Level B, OLSAT Level C, OLSAT Level D, OLSAT Level E, OLSAT Level F, and OLSAT Level G. Our website currently offers practice packs for each of the A-F levels. The table below shows what grades each level corresponds with:
| Level | Grade |
|---|---|
| A | Pre-K and K |
| B | 1st Grade |
| C | 2nd Grade |
| D | 3rd Grade |
| E | 4th-5th Grade |
| F | 6th-8th Grade |
| G | 9th-12th Grade |
The student will have between 60-80 minutes to complete a 40-70 question test, depending on the OLSAT test level. The test is administered to younger children in a one-on-one setting, while older children take the test in a group setting. For more details on the specific test your child is about to take, click on his or her level.
The OLSAT Test is notoriously difficult (even for adults) and in order to gain admission into elite programs or exclusive schools for gifted and talented children, students need to achieve high OLSAT scores.
How to Prepare for the OLSAT
It is important that you prepare your child by first introducing him/her to the OLSAT, and familiarizing him/her with the format and content of the test. Ensuring that your child puts in the time to practice for the OLSAT is a very important factor in your child's success. However, figuring out exactly what and how to study for the OLSAT can be difficult, and with competition for spots in gifted programs at an all-time high, it is extremely important to be well-prepared for test day. At TestPrep-Online, we provide age-specific, tailor-made study packs with realistic practice tests, practice questions and study guides to ensure that your child is prepared for the OLSAT.
Remember that questions of the types seen on the OLSAT test are not practiced at school. Therefore, your child will probably not be familiar with them. For this reason, it is highly recommended to practice beforehand, as familiarity with the question types and obtaining tools for different types is very helpful and will reflect your child's abilities more accurately. Therefore, make sure your child solves all the questions on the practice pack we offer.
Our practice packs include step-by-step explanations for all the questions on the pack. It is highly recommended to read the explanations. Encourage your child to try each question several times before giving up, but read the explanation nonetheless, even if he or she answered the question correctly. The explanation provides extra details and tools that might be useful for future, more difficult questions of the same type, so reading it is a good study habit.
No matter how old your child is, remember positive feedback always works better than negative feedback. Praise your child whenever he or she works correctly and follows the study plan you built together.
OLSAT Video Academy
The video below provides an inside look at the OLSAT Video Academy, which is a series of 11 video tutorials which explain in detail how to approach and solve each OLSAT test question type. The Video Academy is included in the OLSAT Levels A, B and C Premium packs.