Understanding OLSAT Scores: A Guide for Parents

Understanding your child's OLSAT score report can help you determine their cognitive abilities compared to their peers. Here are the key components of an OLSAT score:

The raw score is simply the number of questions your child answered correctly. For instance, if your child answered 45 out of 60 questions correctly, their raw score would be 45. While helpful, the raw score alone does not tell you much about how your child performed relative to other test-takers.

The School Ability Index (SAI) is a standardized score that compares your child’s performance to others in the same age group. The SAI has an average score of 100, with a typical range between 50 and 150. There is a standard deviation of 16. Higher scores indicate higher cognitive ability.

The percentile rank indicates the percentage of students in your child’s age group who scored lower. For example, if your child is in the 85th percentile, it means they performed better than 85% of their peers. This measure helps provide context about where your child stands relative to others.

The stanine score is another way to categorize your child’s performance on a scale from 1 to 9. A score of 5 is considered average, while scores of 7 to 9 indicate above-average abilities.

The OLSAT-8 uses Age Percentile Rank (APR) scores to determine gifted program eligibility, which compares a student's performance to other students of the same age nationwide. To qualify for LAUSD's High Achievement Ability Category of gifted programs, students need to achieve specific threshold scores.

A student can qualify by scoring 95 or above in any of three areas: Total Age-Based Score, Nonverbal Age-Based Score, or Verbal Age-Based Score. Additionally, students from certain socioeconomic backgrounds (those with meal codes 1, 2, or 5, or from CEP schools) can qualify with a slightly lower Total Age-Based Score of 90-94.

Notably, students who achieve an exceptional score of 99 APR in any category (Total, Verbal, or Nonverbal) are automatically referred for additional intellectual ability testing. It's important to understand that percentile rank scores are different from percent correct scores - a percentile rank of 75, for example, means the student performed as well as or better than 75% of students their age in the national sample.

Once a student qualifies as gifted through OLSAT-8 testing, this designation remains with them throughout their enrollment in LAUSD, opening doors to specialized programming and differentiated instruction tailored to their academic needs.

A good OLSAT score depends largely on the requirements of your child’s school or gifted program. Many gifted programs require an SAI of 130 or above, which typically places a student in the 97th percentile or higher. However, eligibility requirements may vary, and some schools consider additional factors like teacher recommendations or other assessments.

OLSAT scores are often a significant part of the application process for gifted programs. The higher the score, the better the chances of being admitted to an advanced program that provides enhanced learning opportunities. It’s also important to understand how the percentile rank and SAI relate to one another, as these scores collectively help educators identify whether a child would benefit from a specialized curriculum.

Tips for Improving Your Child’s OLSAT Score 

• Practice Regularly: Practicing with OLSAT sample questions can help your child become familiar with the test format and types of questions they will face. Regular practice can help reduce test anxiety and improve performance. 

• Understand Test Sections: The OLSAT contains both verbal and nonverbal sections, so ensure your child practices different types of reasoning questions to build confidence in both areas. 

• Encourage Problem-Solving Skills: Activities like puzzles, logic games, and reading comprehension exercises can help boost the skills assessed by the OLSAT. 

TestPrep-Online OLSAT test prep packs are great for students preparing for standardised tests. Here are some reasons to use their services:

• Practice materials: TestPrep-Online offers practice tests that are similar to the real exam. These include full-length tests, detailed answer explanations, and additional sample questions. This helps students get familiar with the test structure and content.
• Easy-to-use online interface. The platform is easy for kids to use. Students can choose between timed and step-by-step practice.
• Track your progress and get detailed feedback. After practice tests, students get reports on how they did on each question. This feedback helps students know what to study.
• Video tutorials and study guides. Many premium packs include video tutorials and study guides. This extra support helps students understand and remember the material.
• Students can take practice exams multiple times, which helps them improve their scores. This is important for building confidence on test day.

You can expect to receive your child's OLSAT scores approximately two months after they take the test. you can expect to receive the comprehensive score report detailing your child's performance about 8 weeks after the test date. 

In LAUSD the test results will be mailed directly to each school, not to individual homes. Parents should monitor communications from their child's school during this timeframe and can proactively contact either their child's teacher or the school's GATE coordinator if they have questions about receiving the results.