When is the YRDSB gifted test?

Every year in late November to early December, for every Grade 3 student. That is about six weeks after TDSB gives its CCAT-7.

What score does YRDSB need?

YRDSB doesn’t publish the CCAT cut-off. The published requirement is for stage two: a WISC-V General Ability Index at or above the 98th percentile.

Does YRDSB accept a private assessment?

Yes, if it was done by a psychologist or psychological associate registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario, when the child was at a Grade 3 age or at least 8, and includes an IQ measure, a full academic assessment and a review of how the child is doing at school. Parents sign a consent form so Psychological Services can review it, and the same 98th percentile applies.

We just moved to York Region. Can my child be screened?

Yes. A student who joins after Grade 3 can be considered through an In-School Team meeting, and families new to the board can submit a private assessment once their child is registered at the home school.

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YRDSB gifted screening

York Region District School Board · from the board’s own documents · checked 25 October 2026

York Region (YRDSB) screens every Grade 3 student for gifted with the CCAT, a group reasoning test, every year in late November to early December. Students who meet the CCAT criterion take an individual WISC-V screening with YRDSB Psychological Services, and a General Ability Index at or above the 98th percentile goes to an IPRC, which decides identification and placement.

At a glance

Grade: Grade 3, every student
Test: CCAT (Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test), a group test
When: Every year, late November to early December
CCAT cut-off: Not published by YRDSB
To be identified: WISC-V General Ability Index at or above the 98th percentile, then an IPRC
Placements: Regular class (Indirect Support) or a full-time gifted program (Partially Integrated)

Step by step

1
Stage one: the CCAT · Late November to early December
Every Grade 3 student takes the Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test, a group test of reasoning with words, numbers and pictures.
2
Stage two: an individual screening
Students who meet the CCAT criterion take a standardized cognitive screening, the WISC-V, with a member of YRDSB Psychological Services.
3
The IPRC
A General Ability Index at or above the 98th percentile goes to an Identification, Placement and Review Committee. It looks at the screening score, school achievement and other information, then decides identification and recommends a placement.

Where it leads

A regular class, called Indirect Support.
A full-time gifted program, called Partially Integrated.
Students who join YRDSB after Grade 3 can be screened later: a teacher raises it at an In-School Team meeting, which can ask Psychological Services for an assessment.

Can you practise for it?

YRDSB’s procedure doesn’t say anything about preparing. Its neighbour TDSB asks families not to practise the test itself, and the kind of thing boards suggest at home — word and number games, puzzles, and asking your child to explain how they got an answer — is a safe way to build the same reasoning.

Cub Climb is a set of original reasoning puzzles with words, numbers and pictures, from kindergarten to grade 5: a child finds the answer, then names the rule. It is not a copy of any test and makes no promise about results.

Questions YRDSB parents ask

When is the YRDSB gifted test?
Every year in late November to early December, for every Grade 3 student. That is about six weeks after TDSB gives its CCAT-7.
What score does YRDSB need?
YRDSB doesn’t publish the CCAT cut-off. The published requirement is for stage two: a WISC-V General Ability Index at or above the 98th percentile.
Does YRDSB accept a private assessment?
Yes, if it was done by a psychologist or psychological associate registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario, when the child was at a Grade 3 age or at least 8, and includes an IQ measure, a full academic assessment and a review of how the child is doing at school. Parents sign a consent form so Psychological Services can review it, and the same 98th percentile applies.
We just moved to York Region. Can my child be screened?
Yes. A student who joins after Grade 3 can be considered through an In-School Team meeting, and families new to the board can submit a private assessment once their child is registered at the home school.

Build the reasoning, not the test

Short, original puzzles with words, numbers and shapes. Your child answers, then names the rule.

Android: coming soon

Or print free reasoning worksheets, kindergarten to grade 5.

Sources

YRDSB, Gifted Screening Procedure — www2.yrdsb.ca

CCAT-7 is a trademark of Nelson Education. Cub Climb is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any test publisher or to the York Region District School Board. Boards change their process from year to year; check what your own school sends home for this year’s dates.