What is the CTBS ™ Test?

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - January 5th, 2015

The CTBS ™ Test, which stands for Canadian Test of Basic Skills™, is a competitive gifted and talented test given in Canada to students aiming to get into advanced programs. The test is anxiety-producing for Canadian parents since it can determine whether a child makes it into the program of their choice. The Canadian Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) is a standardized test that measures the basic academic skills of Canadian students from kindergarten through high school. It includes several subtests that evaluate different academic areas.

The test is given to kindergartners through 12th graders, and consists of a variety of subtests. Parents getting their child ready for the CTBS test should start preparing early, and should use as many materials to prep as they can. It’s best to use workbooks, online games, and other materials so that your child doesn’t get bored or antsy during preparations.

Subtests of the CTBS test:

Kindergarten to 3rd Grade

The exact subtests of the CTBS test that are given to a student depend on what grade the child is in. Specifically, students in kindergarten through 3rd grade take the following subtests:

• Reading – This subtest assesses a student’s ability to understand written texts. Students may be asked to read passages and answer questions about them, identify main ideas, find details, make inferences, and analyze the structure of the text.
• Vocabulary – The vocabulary subtest measures a student’s understanding of words and their meanings. It involves identifying synonyms, antonyms, and the correct usage of words in context. For younger students, this might involve matching words with corresponding pictures.
• Word analysis – This subtest focuses on a student’s phonics skills, such as recognizing sounds in words, identifying rhyming words, blending sounds into words, and dividing words into syllables. It also tests the ability to recognize common sight words.
• Language – This subtest examines a student’s understanding of grammar and sentence structure. It assesses skills like identifying parts of speech, using correct punctuation, and understanding sentence types.
• Listening – The listening subtest measures a student’s ability to understand and interpret spoken language. This could involve following spoken instructions, understanding a story read aloud, or answering questions about an oral passage.
• Sources of information – This subtest assesses a student’s ability to use and understand information from a variety of sources, like graphs, maps, diagrams, and charts. It evaluates the student’s skill to interpret, analyze, and infer information from these sources.
• Science – The science subtest measures a student’s understanding of basic scientific concepts. It covers topics like life science, physical science, earth and space science, and scientific inquiry skills.
• Math concepts – This subtest measures a student’s understanding of mathematical concepts appropriate to their grade level. It may include identifying shapes, understanding patterns, knowing number concepts, and understanding measurements.
• Math computations – This subtest assesses a student’s ability to perform basic math operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For younger students, this might involve counting, adding, and subtracting single-digit numbers.
• Math problems – The math problems subtest measures a student’s problem-solving skills. This involves using math concepts and computations to solve word problems and other mathematical challenges.

Each of these subtests in the CTBS provides valuable insights into a student’s academic skills and can help teachers and parents identify areas of strength and areas where additional support might be needed.

Sample question:

4th Grade to 8th Grade

Below are the descriptions for each subtest for students in the 4th to 8th grades:

• Reading Comprehension: This subtest measures a student’s ability to understand, interpret, and analyze written texts. Students are asked to read various types of passages and answer questions about them, including identifying main ideas, understanding the sequence of events, drawing conclusions, and making inferences.
• Vocabulary: The vocabulary subtest assesses a student’s understanding and usage of a broad range of words. Students might be asked to choose synonyms or antonyms, complete sentences using the appropriate word, or determine the meaning of words based on context.
• Punctuation: This subtest evaluates a student’s understanding of the rules of punctuation. Students may be asked to correctly punctuate sentences or identify errors in punctuation.
• Capitalization: This subtest tests a student’s understanding of the rules of capitalization. Tasks might involve capitalizing sentences correctly, identifying errors in capitalization, or knowing when and how to use capital letters appropriately.
• Spelling: This subtest measures a student’s ability to correctly spell words. This might involve identifying misspelled words or spelling words correctly in writing.
• Reference Materials: This subtest assesses a student’s ability to use reference materials like dictionaries, thesauruses, indexes, maps, and charts. Students might be asked to look up words, find information, or interpret data from these sources.
• Usage and Expression: This subtest evaluates a student’s grasp of grammatical rules and their ability to express ideas effectively. This might include identifying parts of speech, correcting grammatical errors, and improving sentence structure or clarity.
• Science: This subtest measures a student’s knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts, including life science, physical science, earth and space science, and the scientific method. Questions might involve recognizing scientific terms, understanding scientific principles, or interpreting scientific data.
• Maps and Diagrams: This subtest tests a student’s ability to interpret and use information from maps and diagrams. Tasks might involve reading a map, interpreting a graph, or drawing conclusions from a chart or diagram.
• Math Computation: This subtest evaluates a student’s skills in performing mathematical calculations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. More advanced topics might include fractions, decimals, or percentages.
• Math Concepts and Estimation: This subtest assesses a student’s understanding of mathematical concepts and their ability to make reasonable estimates. This might involve recognizing geometrical shapes, understanding number relationships, solving algebraic expressions, or making estimations in mathematical problems.
• Math Problem Solving and Data Interpretation: This subtest measures a student’s ability to solve mathematical problems and interpret data. Students might be asked to solve word problems, interpret data from charts or graphs, or use mathematical reasoning to solve problems.

It’s also important to decrease or eliminate any testing anxiety ahead of your child taking the CTBS test. If you are nervous about the test it will rub off on your child and negatively affect their score. The best cure for this is to be prepared. The more you know about the test and how to get ready for it, the better you’ll feel and the less potential there is for surprise.

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