Does TDSB allow CCAT-7 test prep?
No — TDSB’s policy says there should be no advance preparation for its cognitive screening, in stronger terms than most parents expect. Here’s the policy in the board’s own words, and what it recommends instead. Last updated 19 September 2026.
What the policy actually says
TDSB’s public parent page states: “No advance preparation or practice is permitted” and “any evidence of prior exposure, preparation, or practice will render the results invalid.”
The board’s 2026-27 Special Education Plan amendments put it more fully: “Cognitive or intellectual tests measure the ability to problem solve with novel tasks. There should be no advance preparation, practice, or prior exposure to these types of tests. Efforts to practice these tests in advance will invalidate the results. If it is determined that the student may have practiced or prepared for the test, or has been previously exposed to similar items, testing will stop and results will not be shared or considered.”
How broad that is
Notice the reach of “or has been previously exposed to similar items” — that’s wider than a warning against the real test form; it covers items that are similar in kind. That breadth is exactly why we don’t describe anything we make as CCAT-7 test prep, practice tests, or a way to raise a score.
What TDSB tells parents to do instead
- Verbal
- Word games like Boggle and Scrabble, crosswords, word searches, and talking about what you see on a trip.
- Quantitative
- Games like Yahtzee, Monopoly and Uno, and cooking together with measuring.
- Non-verbal
- Spot-the-difference and concentration games, jigsaw puzzles, and using maps to plan a trip.
- At home, any subject
- Asking a child to explain how they got an answer, and to justify why it’s correct.
Where Cub Climb fits
That list is close to what Cub Climb already does: puzzles in the same three shapes TDSB names above — words, numbers and pictures — where finding the answer is half the point and naming the rule behind it is the other half. That’s the same thing the board’s own list asks a parent to do at the kitchen table. Every puzzle here is original; we’ve never seen a real CCAT-7 form.
A 2025 meta-analysis of test-preparation research found that programs built around broad reasoning skills produced larger effects than drilling on test-like items — a reason to build reasoning rather than memorise a format, independent of any board’s policy.
What we don't do or promise
- No predicted or practice scores.
- No claim of TDSB affiliation or endorsement.
- Nothing that touches the teacher-rated Gifted Rating Scale stage — that one is entirely the teacher’s judgment.
- No promise of a placement.
Sources
- TDSB, Universal Screening (public parent page) — tdsb.on.ca
- TDSB, Amendments to the 2026-2027 Special Education Plan (PDF) — tdsb.on.ca
- TDSB Ward 13, Universal Screening and Gifted Programming, Ward Forum deck (PDF) — jamesli.net
- Hao, Baird, El Masri & Double (2025), The Impact of Test Preparation on Performance of Large-Scale Educational Tests: A Meta-analysis, Review of Educational Research — journals.sagepub.com
CCAT-7 is a trademark of its publisher, Nelson Education. Cub Climb is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Nelson Education, TDSB, or any school board. This page explains a published policy; it isn’t legal advice.