The OLSAT in LAUSD: Gifted Test Prep & Important Information

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) uses the OLSAT to assess 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students for their gifted and talented program. Find important test information, and help your child ace the test with our online OLSAT courses. 

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Exclusive Offer: Get 10% off all OLSAT courses by using the code LAUSD10 through October 10, 2023.

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Who Takes the OLSAT in LAUSD?

LAUSD uses the OLSAT to identify students for their gifted and talented program. The test is administered to students in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade. Exact dates vary by school. 

 

  • All 2nd grade students take the OLSAT Level C on March 6th, 7th, 20th, and 21st, 2024. 
  • All 3rd grade students take the OLSAT Level D in the first two weeks of October.  
  • 4th grade students who were not assessed in 2nd or 3rd grade may take the OLSAT Level E in the first two weeks of October. 
 

Start preparing your child for the test with our online OLSAT courses today. 

OLSAT Test Prep

OLSAT 2nd Grade

Full Online Course
$39
$ 24
  • 2 Full-Length Practice Tests (120 Questions)
  • 9 Quizzes (65 Questions)
  • 4 Detailed Lessons
  • Thorough explanations for every question
  • Audio instructions for all Verbal questions
  • Parent Guide with study schedules & tips
  • Instant online access via desktop, smartphone, or tablet
  • 1-year license
Add to Cart

OLSAT 2nd Grade

Last-Minute Online Course
$ 14
  • 1 Full-Length Practice Test (60 Questions)
  • Thorough explanations for every question
  • Audio instructions for all Verbal questions
  • Instant online access via desktop, smartphone, or tablet
  • 30-day license
Add to Cart

OLSAT 3rd Grade

Online Preparation
$19
$ 14
  • 1 Full-Length Practice Test (64 Questions)
  • Thorough explanations for every question
  • Instant online access via desktop, smartphone, or tablet
Add to Cart

OLSAT 4th Grade

Online Preparation
$19
$ 14
  • 1 Full-Length Practice Test (72 Questions)
  • Thorough explanations for every question
  • Instant online access via desktop, smartphone, or tablet
Add to Cart

How Does LAUSD Use the OLSAT?

LAUSD administers the OLSAT districtwide to all students in 2nd and 3rd grade, and to applicable 4th grade students. Some 4th graders are not tested, including those who have already taken the OLSAT. Contact your child’s school to see if they will be taking the test.


Quick facts about LAUSD’s use of the OLSAT for its gifted and talented program:  


  • LAUSD uses the OLSAT as a screening tool due to its effectiveness at identifying students from underrepresented groups. 
  • Second grade students may have directions read to them in their primary language. Regardless of the language of administration, questions may only be read once.  
  • Students may not retake the OLSAT. There is a makeup date available for students who miss their testing date.
  • Students who score an Age Percentile Rank of 95 or higher on the Total, Verbal, or Nonverbal scales, or who score between 90 and 94 on the Total scale and meet the federally defined poverty level, are identified as gifted in the High Achievement Ability category. Students who score a 99 or above are automatically referred in the Intellectual Ability category. 
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What is the OLSAT?

The OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) is a standardized multiple choice test frequently used to assess students for gifted and talented programs. First published in 1979, it has gone through several revisions over the years and is currently in its eigth version. This is why you may hear it referred to as the OLSAT 8. 


The OLSAT’s unique format and question types can make it a difficult and stressful experience, especially for very young children. Preparing for the test and familiarizing them with the specific question types can go a long way toward helping your child succeed on the test and get into the gifted program.  

Learn More About the OLSAT

Elm Academy's OLSAT Preparation

Elm Academy offers practice resources for the OLSAT which include a realistic full-length practice test, detailed lessons and quizzes for each question type, and a study guide for parents that includes recommended study schedules and tips. Elm Academy’s courses offer the structure and detail to help your child prepare for the OLSAT and perform to the best of their abilities. Our courses are entirely online, and can be accessed immediately upon purchase via desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

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Realistic Tests

All of our courses include realistic, full-length practice tests to simulate a real test-taking experience.

Detailed Lessons

Topic-specific lessons and quizzes help your child learn key concepts that are likely to show up on the real test.

Structured Courses

Lessons, study schedules, and study guides simplify the preparation process and take out the guesswork for parents.

Instant Access

All of our courses are entirely online and can be accessed from any device in the comfort of your home.

Test-Specific

Don’t waste time with extra, unrelated materials. Our courses focus only on the test your child is about to take.

Helpful Explanations

Upon completing a test or quiz, you will be able to view the correct answers and explanations for each question.

Daniela B
Daniela B
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Great experience! My son who is 10 y.o. and gifted in math, enjoyed practicing all tests (verbal, quantitative, and non verbal). He had fun going through the lessons and quizzes (especially the long quizzes at the end of each category) over one weekend prior to taking the real CogAT tests at his school the very next week. He was well prepared and very excited to take the real tests. He was the only one who actually finished the real CogAT nonverbal test (the hardest, in my opinion) in his testing group at school. I loved how the lessons were structured and easy to follow. I highly recommend this program. Being prepared makes a big difference even for highly gifted children as my son.
Elizabeth Gleinser
Elizabeth Gleinser
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As a tutor, I have used this course as a resource to prepare students. I would highly recommend, one of the best resources I’ve seen for this type of test. The curriculum is well-designed, clear strategies and a good amount of practice problems. I would recommend this to other tutors to supplement resources as well as to parents working with their children.
Nathaniel
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I have used several books and online courses to prepare my child for the CogAT and this one is hands down the best. The lessons included on how to answer the questions are very thoughtful and helpful. I would recommend this course to any parent looking to prepare their child for the CogAT.
Jacob B
Jacob B
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This course was very helpful for my son. Lots of practice questions. I liked that there were quizzes for all the question styles.
Natalie Mudoka
Natalie Mudoka
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The best course out there for OLSAT. It has the correct amount of difficulty to challenge a child’s thought process and diverse questions to hone different reasoning skills. I had 8 days to prepare my child for GATE testing and this last minute prep was more than sufficient to get her to the finish line. I highly recommend it for all children irrespective of whether they are testing for a GATE program or not.
Matthew Bribitzer-Stull
Matthew Bribitzer-Stull
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My daughter did this two days before taking the test. She was much more comfortable in the testing environment, knowing what kinds of questions to expect and scored in the 97th percentile overall. I would recommend this product to other parents hoping to prepare their kids for the CogAT.
Rachel Costello
Rachel Costello
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This course was great preparation for my son, who ended up doing extremely well on his exam. I appreciate that he was able to understand what to expect before the test and I believe the practice helped build his confidence. We were able to identify potential trouble spots for him and work through them together at home in a low-stress environment. We liked the fact that we could access the lessons and quizzes at our leisure and that we could repeat sections as needed. My son enjoyed the course and was excited to receive his score after each quiz. According to him, he was very glad he was able to use this course and thought that the practice lessons and quizzes were very representative of the exam he was given at school. Thank you for providing this resource! Highly recommend!
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Frequently Asked Questions

Our courses are entirely online, and there is no course instructor. There are instructions and guides included in the course to help you navigate your way through it with your child.

 

Lessons include text, image, and audio based materials. Tests and quizzes are timed and interactive. Each section of the course can be accessed as many times as you like. This format allows you to work with your child whenever and wherever you want.

As our courses are entirely online, you will be able to access them immediately after purchase. As soon as the purchase is complete, you can access your account by clicking on “My Account” in the top menu. You will also receive an email with your login information should you need to log in again at a later time or from another device. All course content can be accessed at any time through your account.

This all depends on your pace. We recommend spacing out your study sessions and preparing over a longer period of time, especially with younger children. However, we also understand that sometimes you don’t have the luxury of being able to prepare that far in advance. Our courses include recommended study schedules for you, whether you’re preparing a month in advance or the day before.

Whether you have questions about a specific quiz question or need help logging in to your account, you can contact us at any time at support@elmacademyprep.com  

We accept all major credit cards and use Stripe to process our credit card payments. You also have the option to pay with PayPal. Elm Academy does not store or collect your payment details. That information is processed directly by Stripe and PayPal. You can read more about payment security under the Payments section of our Privacy Policy. 

Just one. There are no recurring charges or membership fees on our website. Simply purchase the course you need with a one-time payment. You won’t be charged again after that.

While we believe in the quality products we provide, we understand that there is always the possibility that you won’t be satisfied with your purchase. If you request a refund, we would be happy to help on a case-by-case basis. You can read more about our refund policy here.

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The OLSAT and other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. They are not affiliated with Elm Academy or the website elmacademyprep.com.