IDAT: the stages, the sections, and how to prepare

IDAT is an online test that some schools book for their students. Its Concise version is organised in stages by school year: Stage 2 is for Year 3, Year 4 or the beginning of Year 5; Stage 3 for Year 5, Year 6 or the beginning of Year 7; Stage 4 for Year 7, Year 8 or the beginning of Year 9; and Stage 5 for Year 9, Year 10 or the beginning of Year 11. Stage 1 covers Years 1–2 and Stage 6 Years 11–12. The test is computer-graded and proctored, and results go to the school within two business days.

IDAT's Concise handbook for test takers says IDAT Concise Total takes 90 minutes. It covers English (reading and writing), English (listening and speaking, including a short avatar-conducted interview), Character, Mathematics and Logic, with Critical Thinking added from Stage 3. Mathematics and Character are multiple choice, English includes writing, and an on-screen calculator appears automatically for questions that need one. There is an optional 5-minute break after English. IDAT does not publish how many questions each section has, how long each section runs, or its scoring scale, so the counts and clocks in any practice paper, including ours, are an estimate.

IDAT is broad. The Stage 4 Mathematics list, for example, runs from the four operations through ordering integers, decimals and fractions to algebra, problem solving, measurement and geometry; Logic is IQ-style testing of patterns, space and problem solving; and Critical Thinking covers assumptions, deduction, interpretation, inference and evaluating arguments. English at Stage 4 includes reading for information and summary, editing, sentence structure, less common vocabulary and spelling. Because it is sat online, comfort with reading on screen and typing also helps.

Prepare to your child's stage, using IDAT's published topic list as the checklist. Short, regular sessions across reading, editing, vocabulary, spelling, mathematics, logic and critical thinking work better than cramming, followed by a full timed practice paper or two so the length of the sitting and the switch between sections feel normal. Our practice does not test or mark the Character or listening-and-speaking sections (the day plan suggests a short out-loud speaking rehearsal), and no practice paper can predict an IDAT result.