CAT4 and Kings' School Dubai admissions

Kings' Education runs three schools in Dubai: Kings' School Dubai, Kings' School Al Barsha and Kings' School Nad Al Sheba. This guide is about Kings' School Dubai, which its website describes as a primary school for FS1 to Year 6 (ages 3 to 11). We chose it because its own assessment page is the clearest of the three about CAT4.

The admissions policy we quote is a group-wide Kings' Education document titled 2025-26 (it states its last review as September 2024), so it describes all three schools. It says Year 6 students at Kings' School Dubai have priority at the group's secondary schools, Kings' School Nad Al Sheba and Kings' School Al Barsha.

The Kings' School Dubai assessment page says that before a place can be offered, the applicant visits the school to be assessed, and that each applicant must “pass the Schools' assessment process”. For Years 3 to 6, it describes a “computer based Cognitive Ability Test (CAT)”, with each online test appropriate to the child's age and taking approximately two hours.

The admissions policy gives the fuller picture for Year 3 upwards:

• An age-appropriate CAT4 online assessment, which the policy describes as curriculum non-specific, taking approximately two hours.
• Further assessments in Maths and English for children transferring from another curriculum.
• A 30-minute writing task.
• A short meeting with an Assistant Headteacher, described as a conversation about the child's favourite things or interests.
• A review of reports from the current school, sometimes followed by a phone call or reference form to that school.

CAT4 is not used for the youngest applicants. FS1 and FS2 have play-based observational assessments, which the assessment page says look at communication, interaction and the ability to follow instructions. In Years 1 and 2, children complete teacher-led tasks; the policy lists Mathematics questions, sharing a reading book, a short writing task and phonics.

The policy says all assessments are conducted in English and that admissions assessments are for placement only. If a Year 3 or older applicant is unsuccessful, the policy says the child will be reassessed after 12 months. For Foundation Stage, it describes a reassessment after 4 to 6 months.

The How to Apply page says Kings' Education welcomes applications throughout the year, but availability is limited and applications are secured on a first come, first served basis. After an online enquiry, an enrolment specialist contacts you within two working days. You then upload documents to the parent portal (the policy asks for the last two years' school reports) and pay a registration fee, after which you may be offered an assessment, depending on availability. Successful applicants receive an offer letter valid for ten days. If no place is available, the child goes on a waiting list.

The policy caps each primary waiting list at 40 for FS1 and 48 for FS2 to Year 6. Applications can roll over for one more academic year before families must re-apply. Priority runs in this order: Strategic Certificate holders, siblings, staff children, then others. The Admissions Availability page says the school is generally in high demand, that waiting lists for some age groups may close during the year, and that families should call the admissions team to check a year group. For overseas applicants, the policy says the assessment can take place at the child's current school (with its consent) or at the nearest British Embassy.

Two hours on screen is a long time for a seven- to ten-year-old, so the most useful preparation is familiarity: knowing what the four CAT4 question types look like, reading instructions carefully and keeping a steady pace. GL Assessment, which publishes CAT4, advises against extensive practice. The 30-minute writing task rewards regular practice in writing a short, well-organised piece, and the meeting with an Assistant Headteacher is a conversation about interests, so a child who can talk about what they enjoy is well prepared. Because an unsuccessful Year 3+ applicant waits 12 months to be reassessed, a calm, well-rested first attempt matters more than last-minute cramming.