OLSAT (Otis–Lennon School Ability Test) Exam Survival Guide

Audience: G&T screening (K–8) | Sections: Verbal & Nonverbal reasoning

Must-do topics

• Verbal: analogies, aural comprehension (younger levels), sentence completion, categories/classifications, following directions.
• Nonverbal (figural/spatial): picture/verbal analogies, pattern matrices, figural series, classification, sequencing.
• Quantitative reasoning: number series, arithmetic reasoning (upper levels).

Top traps

• Picking the first plausible answer instead of the best.
• Overthinking figural series (it’s usually rotation/flip/size/number).
• Losing track of categories vs attributes in classification items.
• Vocabulary gaps → weak on verbal analogies (prep core word banks!).

Quick checks

• Analogy: Cat : Kitten :: Dog : ? (Puppy)
• Pattern: ▲ ▶ ▲ ▶ ? (▲)
• Series: 2, 4, 8, 16, ? (32)
• Category odd-one-out: circle, triangle, square, blue (blue = color, not shape)

You will make

• Analogy flash deck (animal:young, tool:function, object:location).
• Pattern rule cards (rotate, reflect, repeat, grow, shrink, add).
• Number-series ladder (×2, +3, Fibonacci mini).
• “Attributes vs Categories” mat for sorting.

Last-48h checklist

• 10 figural matrix items (timed).
• 15 verbal analogies (mix of relationships).
• 5 number series with rule written.
• 1 timed 10-minute mini-section.
• Sleep + light review only on test eve.

Speed tactics

• Scan → rule → verify: name the rule aloud before choosing.
• If torn, eliminate answers that break the discovered rule.
• For verbal, replace blanks with your own word, then match.

Day-of plan

• 5-minute warm-up: 6 analogies + 4 patterns.
• Pace by booklet page; move on if >45–60s per item.