What Is the OLSAT Test? (2023)

• About the OLSAT
• OLSAT Format & Levels
• OLSAT 8 Question Types
• How Is the OLSAT Scored?
• Preparing for the OLSAT
• Why the OLSAT?

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. The OLSAT was designed to measure a student’s verbal-academic domain, rather than other more practical and mechanical domains.

OLSAT Format & 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. The table below shows what grades each level corresponds with:

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.

Test questions are arranged so that questions do not become more difficult as the test progresses. In other words, difficult items are sometimes followed by easy questions so that students are not discouraged when facing increasingly difficult questions.

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.

OLSAT 8 Question Types

Find out more about OLSAT verbal and nonverbal testing.

How Is the OLSAT Scored?

Students earn points for each question they answer correctly, but do not lose points for skipping or incorrectly answering a question. When the test is graded, a child is first given a raw score, which provides the number of questions answered correctly out of the total number of questions (e.g., 46/60).

Once the raw score is calculated, it is then converted to a School Ability Index (SAI) score. The SAI score is determined by comparing the raw scores of other children in the same age group. It is a normalized score, with an average of 100, a standard deviation of 16, and a maximum score of 150.

This SAI score is then used to find which percentile a student falls into. Students who score about two standard deviations above the mean (a score of 132) generally fall into the top 2-3%, or the 97th-98th percentile. 

Preparing for the OLSAT

The OLSAT is a difficult test, and with competition for gifted programs at an all-time high, it is important for your child to be prepared for test day. At TestPrep-Online, we offer grade-specific, child-friendly practice packs for your child, which include realistic practice tests, helpful study guides, and hundreds of additional sample questions. Get started by trying our free OLSAT practice tests.

Why the OLSAT?

There are several reasons why the OLSAT 8 is a popular tool used in the educational system to test giftedness in children. Firstly, the OLSAT has a reputation for being a reliable test. Studies show that a child’s score on the OLSAT will not change significantly over time. Secondly, the OLSAT is considered a valid test, as studies show that the OLSAT successfully measures the aspects of intelligence it seeks to measure. Practically speaking, the OLSAT 8 is a simple, economic way for schools to test many students. Lastly, the OLSAT 8 has been peer revised by a panel of minority-group educators to help minimize ethnic gender, cultural, or regional biases.

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