Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) Preparation Guide

Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) Preparation Guide

OLSAT Sample and Practice, April, 2009, by CT Staff

The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) is commonly utilized as part of the entrance process for students identified as potentially gifted and talented. The OLSAT® (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) is published by Pearson NNC (previously Harcourt Assessment Services).

The test, administered to students in kindergarten though high school, measures abstract thinking and reasoning abilities. It is a group-administered, multiple-choice exam.

Reasoning is synonymous with learning and problem-solving. OLSAT’s measurement of the five reasoning areas helps provide a balanced view of the child’s potential for academic success.

Here’s a look at each section of the test and some sample item types:

• Verbal Comprehension measures skills such as following directions (up to grade 3), antonyms, sentence completion, and sentence arrangement (grade 3 and above).


• Verbal Reasoning measures arithmetic reasoning (K-2), verbal analogies, verbal classifications grade 3 and up), and inference (grade 4 and up).


• Pictorial Reasoning (grades K-2) measures pictorial classifications, pictorial analogies, and picture sequences.


• Figural Reasoning measures figural classifications (up to grade 3), figural analogies, and figural sequences.


• Quantitative Reasoning (grade 3 and up) measures number series, numeric inferences, and number matrices.
  

Test Preparation Grade Bundles and Suggested Test Preparation Plan for OLSAT

For grades K-1, we recommend working with the materials in the bundles over at least one month, but we also recognize parents often receive a testing date with less than 30-days’ notice.

If you are really pressed for time, and you see the student has mastery in a section, you may skip ahead. You may also bookmark and return to activities that are more challenging.

One way to measure the mastery is to use the first few items in each activity as a pre-test. If you see that your child answers quickly and correctly, you may want to consider moving on. If they struggle, go through the activities as best you can, but bookmark them and consider going back over them.

Using the pre-test technique will give you a good idea of where the child’s strengths and weaknesses are across the skills and abilities the material covers.

The bundles offer a lot of material, but if you make working with the books part of the daily routine, you’ll be surprised how fast things will move. Remember, the youngest students have shorter attention spans, so 15 minutes a session is fine.

It is also important to point out that all the titles have value well beyond the testing window. Each title will help enhance your child’s ability to reason and analyze, skills that are essential for success in many arenas.

OLSAT Test Prep Bundle for Kindergarten Number of Activities Six Week Program: Daily # One Month Program: Daily # Two Week Program: Daily # Mind Benders Beginning Book 1 44 1 2 4 Can You Find Me? K-1 80 2 3 6 Mathematical Reasoning Level A 235 6 8 17 Math Analogies Beginning 152 4 6 11 Building Thinking Skills® Primary 435 11 15 31 Totals   24 34 69

OLSAT Test Prep Bundle for Grade 1 Number of Activities Six Week Program: Daily # One Month Program: Daily # Two Week Program: Daily # Mind Benders Beginning Book 2 43 1 2 4 Can You Find Me? K-1 80 3 3 6 Mathematical Reasoning Level B 264 6 9 19 Math Analogies Beginning 152 4 6 11 Building Thinking Skills® Primary 435 11 15 31 Totals   25 35 71

OLSAT Test Prep Bundle for Grade 2 Number of Activities Six Week Program: Daily # One Month Program: Daily # Two Week Program: Daily # Mind Benders Beginning Book 2 43 1 2 3 Mathematical Reasoning Level C 284 7 9 20 Math Analogies Book 1 48 1 2 3 Building Thinking Skills Level 1 1,072 25 36 76 Totals   34 49 102

OLSAT Test Prep Bundle for Grade 3 Number of Activities Six Week Program: Daily # One Month Program: Daily # Two Week Program: Daily # Mind Benders® A1 15 1 1 2 Word Roots Beginning 72 2 3 5 Mathematical Reasoning™ Level D 349 8 12 25 Math Analogies Book 1 48 1 2 3 Think Analogies A1 48 1 2 3 Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 1,072 25 36 76 Totals   38 56 114

OLSAT Test Prep Bundle for Grade 4 Number of Activities Six Week Program: Daily # One Month Program: Daily # Two Week Program: Daily # Mind Benders® A2 & Mind Benders® A3 30 1 1 2 Word Roots A1 72 2 3 5 Math Analogies Book 2 48 1 2 3 Mathematical Reasoning™ Level E 283 7 9 20 Think Analogies A1 48 1 2 3 Building Thinking Skills® Level 2 1374 33 46 98 Reading Detective® Beginning 52 1 2 4 Totals   46 65 135

OLSAT Test Prep Bundle for Grades 5-6 Number of Activities Six Week Program: Daily # One Month Program: Daily # Two Week Program: Daily # Mind Benders® A3 & Mind Benders® A4 30 1 1 2 Word Roots A2 72 2 3 5 Math Analogies Book 2 48 1 2 3 Mathematical Reasoning™ Book 2 &Instruction/Answer Guide 283 7 9 20 Think Analogies A1 48 1 2 3 Building Thinking Skills® Level 2 1374 33 46 98 Reading Detective® A1 50 1 2 4 Totals   46 65 135

OLSAT Test Prep Bundle for Grades 7-8 Number of Activities Six Week Program: Daily # One Month Program: Daily # Two Week Program: Daily # Mind Benders® B1 & Mind Benders® B2 28 1 1 2 Word Roots B1 & Word Roots B2 144 3 5 10 Mathematical Reasoning™ Book 2 &Instruction/Answer Guide 283 7 9 20 Think Analogies B1 49 1 2 3 Building Thinking Skills® Level 3 Figural 259 6 9 18 Building Thinking Skills® Level 3 Verbal 350 8 12 25 Reading Detective® B1 50 1 2 4 Totals   27 40 82

OLSAT Test Prep Bundle for Grades 9-12 Number of Activities Six Week Program: Daily # One Month Program: Daily # Two Week Program: Daily # Mind Benders® B1 & Mind Benders® B2 28 1 1 2 Word Roots B1 & Word Roots B2 144 3 5 10 Algebra Word Problems Book 1 490 12 18 36 Think Analogies B1 49 1 2 3 Building Thinking Skills® Level 3 Figural 259 6 9 18 Building Thinking Skills® Level 3 Verbal 350 8 12 25 Totals   26 38 78

The contents of these bundles are not endorsed by Riverside Publishing or Houghton Mifflin.