So your 2nd grader is getting screened for GATE, and you want to know what's on the test. What even is OLSAT-8 anyway?
Before we get into it: the real OLSAT is a secure, copyrighted test. Nobody legit publishes the actual questions and if a site claims to sell you "real" GATE questions, that's a red flag. LAUSD itself says don't bother drilling test prep workbooks.
What we CAN do is show you the kinds of questions on it, so the format isn't a mystery on test day. The samples below are original examples we built to match the official OLSAT-8 question types. They're not real test items — they're just to give you and your kid a feel for the thing.
(Want the full picture on GATE itself? Magnet points, percentiles, how to request testing? That's all in our GATE 101 guide.)
want the full set? it's free
We put together a free GATE Practice Pack with the whole thing:
10 verbal questions (the kind a teacher reads aloud)
10 nonverbal picture questions (no reading required)
Full answer key with a quick "why" for each one
Plain-English prep tips that actually help (no flashcards, no tears)
It's a clean printable PDF you can do with your kid in 10 minutes at the kitchen table.
first, what the OLSAT-8 even is
It's the test LAUSD uses to screen 2nd graders for gifted identification, usually in spring. It's group administered (whole class, during the school day), and the teacher reads directions out loud. Per LAUSD, it measures reasoning - not stuff kids memorize. Think: spotting patterns, finding what doesn't belong, following directions, simple analogies.
Second graders take Level C: 60 questions total, split evenly between verbal and nonverbal, about 72 minutes. The questions fall into a handful of types. Here's what each looks like.
verbal questions (teacher reads these aloud)
Following directions
Your kid listens and picks the right answer. Example:
Look at the shapes: a circle, a square, a triangle, a star. Mark the shape that is NOT a circle and comes right before the star.
→ Answer: the triangle.
Verbal analogies
Finding the relationship between word pairs.
Bird is to nest as bee is to ?
(a) honey (b) flower (c) hive (d) wing
→ Answer: (c) hive. A bird lives in a nest; a bee lives in a hive.
Verbal classification
Spotting the odd one out.
Which word does NOT belong? apple, banana, carrot, grape
→ Answer: carrot. The rest are fruits.
Arithmetic reasoning
A word problem, read aloud.
Maya has 7 stickers. She gives 3 to her brother and then finds 2 more. How many does she have now?
→ Answer: 6.
nonverbal questions (no reading required)
These are all pictures and shapes, which is great for kids who aren't strong readers yet.
want the full set? it's free
We put together a free GATE Practice Pack with the whole thing:
10 verbal questions (the kind a teacher reads aloud)
10 nonverbal picture questions (no reading required)
Full answer key with a quick "why" for each one
Plain-English prep tips that actually help (no flashcards, no tears)
It's a clean printable PDF you can do with your kid in 10 minutes at the kitchen table.
how to "prep" without overdoing it
The official LAUSD line, which we agree with: don't drill. Over-coaching can actually backfire, and the test is designed to measure natural reasoning. The most useful things you can do are low-key:
Make sure they're rested and fed that morning. The biggest lever.
Let them know some questions are meant to be tricky, and it's fine to not know every answer.
Play pattern + logic games for fun - Set, Rush Hour, simple sudoku, "what doesn't belong" at the grocery store.
Show them the format once (like the samples above) so the question style isn't brand new.
That's the whole playbook. No $200 workbook required.
The OLSAT isn't something you can cram for, and that's kind of the point.
Knowing the format takes the scary out of it - for your kid AND for you. Glance at the samples together, keep it light, and let the rest go.
For the bigger GATE picture - what the scores mean, how it connects to magnet schools, and whether to test at all - head to our full GATE 101 guide.
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