critical thinking test examples

What is the Critical Thinking Test?

Critical thinking practice test, take a free practice critical thinking test, practice critical thinking test.

Updated November 16, 2023

The Critical Thinking Test is a comprehensive evaluation designed to assess individuals' cognitive capacities and analytical prowess.

This formal examination, often referred to as the critical thinking assessment, is a benchmark for those aiming to demonstrate their proficiency in discernment and problem-solving.

In addition, this evaluative tool meticulously gauges a range of skills, including logical reasoning, analytical thinking, and the ability to evaluate and synthesize information.

This article will embark on an exploration of the Critical Thinking Test, elucidating its intricacies and elucidating its paramount importance. We will dissect the essential skills it measures and clarify its significance in gauging one's intellectual aptitude.

We will examine examples of critical thinking questions, illuminating the challenging scenarios that candidates encounter prompting them to navigate the complexities of thought with finesse.

Before going ahead to take the critical thinking test, let's delve into the realm of preparation. This segment serves as a crucible for honing the skills assessed in the actual examination, offering candidates a chance to refine their analytical blades before facing the real challenge. Here are some skills that will help you with the critical thinking assessment: Logical Reasoning: The practice test meticulously evaluates your ability to deduce conclusions from given information, assess the validity of arguments, and recognize patterns in logic. Analytical Thinking: Prepare to dissect complex scenarios, identify key components, and synthesize information to draw insightful conclusions—a fundamental aspect of the critical thinking assessment. Problem-Solving Proficiency: Navigate through intricate problems that mirror real-world challenges, honing your capacity to approach issues systematically and derive effective solutions. What to Expect: The Critical Thinking Practice Test is crafted to mirror the format and complexity of the actual examination. Expect a series of scenarios, each accompanied by a set of questions that demand thoughtful analysis and logical deduction. These scenarios span diverse fields, from business and science to everyday scenarios, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of your critical thinking skills. Examples of Critical Thinking Questions Scenario: In a business context, analyze the potential impacts of a proposed strategy on both short-term profitability and long-term sustainability. Question: What factors would you consider in determining the viability of the proposed strategy, and how might it affect the company's overall success? Scenario: Evaluate conflicting scientific studies on a pressing environmental issue.

Question: Identify the key methodologies and data points in each study. How would you reconcile the disparities to form an informed, unbiased conclusion?

Why Practice Matters

Engaging in the Critical Thinking Practice Test familiarizes you with the test format and cultivates a mindset geared towards agile and astute reasoning. This preparatory phase allows you to refine your cognitive toolkit, ensuring you approach the assessment with confidence and finesse.

We'll navigate through specific examples as we proceed, offering insights into effective strategies for tackling critical thinking questions. Prepare to embark on a journey of intellectual sharpening, where each practice question refines your analytical prowess for the challenges ahead.

This is a practice critical thinking test.

The test consists of three questions .

After you have answered all the questions, you will be shown the correct answers and given full explanations.

Make sure you read and fully understand each question before answering. Work quickly, but don't rush. You cannot afford to make mistakes on a real test .

If you get a question wrong, make sure you find out why and learn how to answer this type of question in the future.

Six friends are seated in a restaurant across a rectangular table. There are three chairs on each side. Adam and Dorky do not have anyone sitting to their right and Clyde and Benjamin do not have anyone sitting to their left. Adam and Benjamin are not sitting on the same side of the table.

If Ethan is not sitting next to Dorky, who is seated immediately to the left of Felix?

You might also be interested in these other PRT articles:

A Guide to the Watson Glaser Test: & Tips

Practice Tests
Predictive Index
Firefighter
Hogan Assessments
Leadership Assessment
GardaWorld Pre Board
Criticall Dispatcher
Ramsay Technician Course
Watson-Glaser
Cubiks Course
NEO Personality Inventory
Texas Success Initiative
TSA Prep Booster™ Course
TSA Practice Test
TSA Written Skills Assessment
TSA CBT X-Ray Object Recognition Test
SHL Assessment Prep Course
Practice Test & Answers
SHL Practice Tests
SHL Test Answers
SHL Inductive Reasoning Test
SHL Numerical Reasoning Test
SHL Verbal Reasoning Test
SHL Verify G+ Test
SHL Mechanical Comprehension Test
SHL Situational Judgment Test
SHL OPQ Personality Test
Predictive Index Test Behavioral & Cognitive Assessment Course
Predictive Index Cognitive Assessment Course
Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment Course
Predictive Index Practice Test
Predictive Index Results
Caliper Course
Caliper Test Prep With Real Practice Test
USPS Postal Exam
Postal Exam 474
Postal Exam 475
Postal Exam 476
Postal Exam 477
USPS Postal Exam Prep
Pass the 2024 Postal Exam With Practice Tests
Virtual Entry Assessment (VEA)
General Police Prep Course
Police Situational Judgement Test
Police Psychological Exam Course
EB Jacobs Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery
Massachusetts State Police Exam
Pennsylvania Police Exam
Philadelphia Police Exam
Nassau County Police Exam Course
Suffolk County Police Exam
CJBAT Study Guide
Correctional Officer Exam
DELPOE Police Exam
Texas LEVEL Test With Expert Guides
MTA Police Exam
New York State Police Exam Prep Course
PELLETB Course
School Safety Agent Course
Police Officer NYPD Exam
Police Fitness Prep Course
FBI Test Phase 1 (Special Agent Exam): Guide with Practice Test [2024]
Police Test Preparation Suite
Pass a Polygraph Test (Lie Detector): Expert Tips & Questions – 2024
Firefighter Aptitude and Character Test
Firefighter Psych Test
FCTC Firefighter Prep Course
NFSI Firefighter Prep Course
FireTeam Prep Course
FDNY Firefighter Prep Course
Firefighter Test
Master Course
Hogan Assessments Master Course
Personality Courses
Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)
Hogan Development Survey (HDS)
Hogan Motives, Values & Preferences Inventory (MVPI)
Busines Reasoning Course
Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory (HBRI)
Leadership Assessment Test
GardaWorld Pre Board Primer
Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test II (BMCT-II) Success Prep Course
Beat the 2024 BMCT With Industry Expert Guides & Realistic Practice Tests
911 Dispatcher Course
Criticall Dispatcher Course
Criticall Dispatcher Test
CCAT Course
Beat the 2024 Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test & Guide & Free CCAT Practice Test
Criteria Pre-employment Testing: Personality, Aptitude & Skill Tests
CRITERIA COGNITIVE APTITUDE TEST
Korn Ferry Course
Ace the 2024 Korn Ferry Assessment With Practice Test & Expert Guides
Ramsay Electrical Course
Ramsay Maintenance Course
Ramsay Mechanical Course
Ramsay Multicraft Course
Ramsay Electrical Practice Test
Ramsay Maintenance Practice Test
Ramsay Mechanical Practice Test
Ramsay Multicraft Practice Test
Ramsay Test Prep
SIFT Practice Test & Study Guide
Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Course
Watson Glaser Test 2024: Free Practice Tests, Format, and 5 Sections Overview
Take on the Watson Glaser and Secure your Future Career
Beat the Watson Glaser and Upgrade Your Career
Cubiks Test: Guide on all Test Types and Free Cubiks Practice Test
Cubiks PAPI Test: Focus Areas and Test Format (2024)
Cubiks Assessment Test to Start Working at KPMG
Texas Success Initiative Course
TSI Practice Test 2024: Math, Reading & Writing
TSI Reading Practice Test: 15 Q&A with Explanations
Pass our Free TSI Math Practice Test (2024 Update)
Take our Free TSI Writing Practice Test (2024)
How it Works

Critical Thinking Test: Sample Questions with Explanations (2024)

Employers value and seek candidates who demonstrate advanced critical thinking skills. They often administer critical thinking tests as part of their hiring process. Critical thinking tests can be very difficult for those who don’t prepare. A great way to start practicing is by taking our critical thinking free practice test.

What Does The Critical Thinking Test Include?

The Critical Thinking Test assesses your capacity to think critically and form logical conclusions when given written information. Critical thinking tests are generally used in job recruitment processes, in the legal sector. These tests measure the analytical critical thinking abilities of a candidate.

Why Is Critical Thinking Useful?

Critical thinking is put into action in various stages of decision-making and problem-solving tasks:

Identify the problem
Choose suitable information to find the solution
Identify the assumptions that are implied and written in the text
Form hypotheses and choose the most suitable and credible answers
Form well-founded conclusions and determine the soundness of inferences

What is Watson Glaser Test and what Critical Thinking Skills it Measures?

The most common type of critical thinking test is the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (W-GCTA). Typically used by legal and financial organizations, as well as management businesses, a Watson Glaser test is created to assess candidates’ critical thinking skills.

The test consists of 10 questions to be answered in 10 minutes approx (although there is no timer on the test itself). Our test is slightly harder than the real thing, to make it sufficiently challenging practice.

You need to get 70% correct to pass the test. Don’t forget to first check out the test techniques section further down this page beforehand.

Questions 25

Pass percentage 70%.

The test is broken down into five central areas:

Assumptions
Interpretation

Critical Thinking Course

1 BONUS Interview Prep Video Guide Buy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.

The Five Critical Thinking Skills Explained

1. recognition of assumption.

You’ll be presented with a statement. The statement is then followed by several proposed assumptions. When answering, you must work out if an assumption was made or if an assumption was not made in the statement. An assumption is a proclamation that an individual takes for granted. This section of the tests measures your ability to withhold from forming assumptions about things that are not necessarily correct.

1: Assumption Made
2: Assumption Not Made

Although the passage does state that Charlie’s fundraising team is doing its best so that the charity event can meet its goal, nowhere did it state that their team is leading the event.

2. Evaluation of Arguments

You will be presented with an argument. You will then be asked to decide whether the argument is strong or weak. An argument is considered strong if it directly connects to the statement provided, and is believed to be significant.

No, participation awards should not be given in every competition because studies have shown that this would cause the participants to put in less effort because they will get a prize no matter what the outcome is.

1: Strong Argument
2: Weak Argument

This is a strong argument as it provides evidence as to why participation awards should not be given in every competition

3. Deductions

In deduction questions, you will need to form conclusions based solely on the information provided in the question and not based on your knowledge. You will be given a small passage of information and you will need to evaluate a list of deductions made based on that passage. If the conclusion cannot be formed for the information provided, then the conclusion does not follow. The answer must be entirely founded on the statements made and not on conclusions drawn from your knowledge.

In a surprise party for Donna, Edna arrived after Felix and Gary did. Kelly arrived before Felix and Gary did.

1: Conclusion Follows
2: Conclusion Does not Follow

For questions like this, jot down the clues to help you out. Use initials as a quick reference.

K | F&G | E

Looking at the simple diagram, “K”, which stands for “Kelly,” arrived before Edna “E” did. The answer is A.

4. Interpretation

In these questions, you are given a passage of information followed by a list of possible conclusions. You will need to interpret the information in the paragraph and determine whether or not each conclusion follows, based solely on the information given.

A number of students were given the following advice:

“The use of powerful words is a technique, which makes you a better writer. Your choice of words is very important in molding the way people interaction with the article. You should use powerful words to spice up your article. Power words should be used liberally to enhance the flavor of what you write! ”

In the fourth sentence, it is stated, “Power words should be used liberally to enhance the flavor of what you write!”

Thus, if you were to write an essay, using powerful words can give more flavor to it.

5. Inferences

An inference is a conclusion made from observed or supposed facts and details. It is information that is not apparent in the information provided but rather is extracted from it. In this section, you will be provided with a passage of information about a specific scene or event. A list of possible inferences will then be given, and you will need to decide if they are ‘true’, ‘false’, ‘possibly true’, ‘possibly false’, or whether it is not possible to say based on the information provided.

With the advancement of technology, the need for more infrastructure has never been higher. According to the plan of the current U.S. Administration, it aims to put a $1 trillion investment on improving infrastructure, a portion of which will include priority projects and technologies that can strengthen its economic competitiveness such as transportation, 5G wireless communication technology, rural broadband technologies, advanced manufacturing technologies, and even artificial intelligence.

It stated that it expects to work with Congress to develop a comprehensive infrastructure package, which is expected to have a budget of $200 billion for certain priorities.

2: Probably True
3: Not Enough Information
4: Probably False

Although it was mentioned in the passage that the U.S. government is to allocate $200 billion on certain priorities, it did not specify if these certain priorities were for ‘transportation, 5G wireless communication technology, rural broadband technologies, advanced manufacturing technologies, and artificial intelligence’ or if the aforementioned priorities will have a different allocation.

What we can be sure of, however, is that at least a portion of the $1 trillion infrastructure budget will be used on the mentioned priorities regardless, meaning that there is a chance that $200 billion will be used on those aforementioned areas.

Improve Your Score with Prepterminal’s Critical Thinking Course

The Critical Thinking test is difficult, but not impossible to overcome with practice. At PrepTerminal our psychometric test experts have developed a critical thinking preparatory test to provide you with the material you need to practice for your critical thinking test. Prepare with us to increase your chance of successfully overcoming this hurdle in the recruitment process.

Prepterminal’s preparatory critical thinking course features a structured study course along with critical thinking practice tests to help you improve your exam score. Our course includes video and text-based information presented in a clear and easy-to-understand manner so you can follow along at your own pace with ease.

Created by: Matt

Psychometric tutor, prepterminal test expert, 414 students, 4.7 , 73 reviews.

41+ Critical Thinking Examples (Definition + Practices)

Critical thinking is an essential skill in our information-overloaded world, where figuring out what is fact and fiction has become increasingly challenging.

But why is critical thinking essential? Put, critical thinking empowers us to make better decisions, challenge and validate our beliefs and assumptions, and understand and interact with the world more effectively and meaningfully.

Critical thinking is like using your brain's "superpowers" to make smart choices. Whether it's picking the right insurance, deciding what to do in a job, or discussing topics in school, thinking deeply helps a lot. In the next parts, we'll share real-life examples of when this superpower comes in handy and give you some fun exercises to practice it.

Critical Thinking Process Outline

Critical thinking means thinking clearly and fairly without letting personal feelings get in the way. It's like being a detective, trying to solve a mystery by using clues and thinking hard about them.

It isn't always easy to think critically, as it can take a pretty smart person to see some of the questions that aren't being answered in a certain situation. But, we can train our brains to think more like puzzle solvers, which can help develop our critical thinking skills.

Here's what it looks like step by step:

Spotting the Problem: It's like discovering a puzzle to solve. You see that there's something you need to figure out or decide.

Collecting Clues: Now, you need to gather information. Maybe you read about it, watch a video, talk to people, or do some research. It's like getting all the pieces to solve your puzzle.

Breaking It Down: This is where you look at all your clues and try to see how they fit together. You're asking questions like: Why did this happen? What could happen next?

Checking Your Clues: You want to make sure your information is good. This means seeing if what you found out is true and if you can trust where it came from.

Making a Guess: After looking at all your clues, you think about what they mean and come up with an answer. This answer is like your best guess based on what you know.

Explaining Your Thoughts: Now, you tell others how you solved the puzzle. You explain how you thought about it and how you answered.

Checking Your Work: This is like looking back and seeing if you missed anything. Did you make any mistakes? Did you let any personal feelings get in the way? This step helps make sure your thinking is clear and fair.

And remember, you might sometimes need to go back and redo some steps if you discover something new. If you realize you missed an important clue, you might have to go back and collect more information.

Critical Thinking Methods

Just like doing push-ups or running helps our bodies get stronger, there are special exercises that help our brains think better. These brain workouts push us to think harder, look at things closely, and ask many questions.

It's not always about finding the "right" answer. Instead, it's about the journey of thinking and asking "why" or "how." Doing these exercises often helps us become better thinkers and makes us curious to know more about the world.

Now, let's look at some brain workouts to help us think better:

1. "What If" Scenarios

Imagine crazy things happening, like, "What if there was no internet for a month? What would we do?" These games help us think of new and different ideas.

Pick a hot topic. Argue one side of it and then try arguing the opposite. This makes us see different viewpoints and think deeply about a topic.

3. Analyze Visual Data

Check out charts or pictures with lots of numbers and info but no explanations. What story are they telling? This helps us get better at understanding information just by looking at it.

4. Mind Mapping

Write an idea in the center and then draw lines to related ideas. It's like making a map of your thoughts. This helps us see how everything is connected.

There's lots of mind-mapping software , but it's also nice to do this by hand.

5. Weekly Diary

Every week, write about what happened, the choices you made, and what you learned. Writing helps us think about our actions and how we can do better.

6. Evaluating Information Sources

Collect stories or articles about one topic from newspapers or blogs. Which ones are trustworthy? Which ones might be a little biased? This teaches us to be smart about where we get our info.

There are many resources to help you determine if information sources are factual or not.

7. Socratic Questioning

This way of thinking is called the Socrates Method, named after an old-time thinker from Greece. It's about asking lots of questions to understand a topic. You can do this by yourself or chat with a friend.

Start with a Big Question:

"What does 'success' mean?"

Dive Deeper with More Questions:

"Why do you think of success that way?" "Do TV shows, friends, or family make you think that?" "Does everyone think about success the same way?"

"Can someone be a winner even if they aren't rich or famous?" "Can someone feel like they didn't succeed, even if everyone else thinks they did?"

Look for Real-life Examples:

"Who is someone you think is successful? Why?" "Was there a time you felt like a winner? What happened?"

Think About Other People's Views:

"How might a person from another country think about success?" "Does the idea of success change as we grow up or as our life changes?"

Think About What It Means:

"How does your idea of success shape what you want in life?" "Are there problems with only wanting to be rich or famous?"

Look Back and Think:

"After talking about this, did your idea of success change? How?" "Did you learn something new about what success means?"

8. Six Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono came up with a cool way to solve problems by thinking in six different ways, like wearing different colored hats. You can do this independently, but it might be more effective in a group so everyone can have a different hat color. Each color has its way of thinking:

White Hat (Facts): Just the facts! Ask, "What do we know? What do we need to find out?"

Red Hat (Feelings): Talk about feelings. Ask, "How do I feel about this?"

Black Hat (Careful Thinking): Be cautious. Ask, "What could go wrong?"

Yellow Hat (Positive Thinking): Look on the bright side. Ask, "What's good about this?"

Green Hat (Creative Thinking): Think of new ideas. Ask, "What's another way to look at this?"

Blue Hat (Planning): Organize the talk. Ask, "What should we do next?"

When using this method with a group:

Explain all the hats.
Decide which hat to wear first.
Make sure everyone switches hats at the same time.
Finish with the Blue Hat to plan the next steps.

9. SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis is like a game plan for businesses to know where they stand and where they should go. "SWOT" stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

There are a lot of SWOT templates out there for how to do this visually, but you can also think it through. It doesn't just apply to businesses but can be a good way to decide if a project you're working on is working.

Strengths: What's working well? Ask, "What are we good at?"

Weaknesses: Where can we do better? Ask, "Where can we improve?"

Opportunities: What good things might come our way? Ask, "What chances can we grab?"

Threats: What challenges might we face? Ask, "What might make things tough for us?"

Steps to do a SWOT Analysis:

Goal: Decide what you want to find out.
Research: Learn about your business and the world around it.
Brainstorm: Get a group and think together. Talk about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Pick the Most Important Points: Some things might be more urgent or important than others.
Make a Plan: Decide what to do based on your SWOT list.
Check Again Later: Things change, so look at your SWOT again after a while to update it.

Now that you have a few tools for thinking critically, let’s get into some specific examples.

Everyday Examples

Life is a series of decisions. From the moment we wake up, we're faced with choices – some trivial, like choosing a breakfast cereal, and some more significant, like buying a home or confronting an ethical dilemma at work. While it might seem that these decisions are disparate, they all benefit from the application of critical thinking.

10. Deciding to buy something

Imagine you want a new phone. Don't just buy it because the ad looks cool. Think about what you need in a phone. Look up different phones and see what people say about them. Choose the one that's the best deal for what you want.

11. Deciding what is true

There's a lot of news everywhere. Don't believe everything right away. Think about why someone might be telling you this. Check if what you're reading or watching is true. Make up your mind after you've looked into it.

12. Deciding when you’re wrong

Sometimes, friends can have disagreements. Don't just get mad right away. Try to see where they're coming from. Talk about what's going on. Find a way to fix the problem that's fair for everyone.

13. Deciding what to eat

There's always a new diet or exercise that's popular. Don't just follow it because it's trendy. Find out if it's good for you. Ask someone who knows, like a doctor. Make choices that make you feel good and stay healthy.

14. Deciding what to do today

Everyone is busy with school, chores, and hobbies. Make a list of things you need to do. Decide which ones are most important. Plan your day so you can get things done and still have fun.

15. Making Tough Choices

Sometimes, it's hard to know what's right. Think about how each choice will affect you and others. Talk to people you trust about it. Choose what feels right in your heart and is fair to others.

16. Planning for the Future

Big decisions, like where to go to school, can be tricky. Think about what you want in the future. Look at the good and bad of each choice. Talk to people who know about it. Pick what feels best for your dreams and goals.

Job Examples

17. solving problems.

Workers brainstorm ways to fix a machine quickly without making things worse when a machine breaks at a factory.

18. Decision Making

A store manager decides which products to order more of based on what's selling best.

19. Setting Goals

A team leader helps their team decide what tasks are most important to finish this month and which can wait.

20. Evaluating Ideas

At a team meeting, everyone shares ideas for a new project. The group discusses each idea's pros and cons before picking one.

21. Handling Conflict

Two workers disagree on how to do a job. Instead of arguing, they talk calmly, listen to each other, and find a solution they both like.

22. Improving Processes

A cashier thinks of a faster way to ring up items so customers don't have to wait as long.

23. Asking Questions

Before starting a big task, an employee asks for clear instructions and checks if they have the necessary tools.

24. Checking Facts

Before presenting a report, someone double-checks all their information to make sure there are no mistakes.

25. Planning for the Future

A business owner thinks about what might happen in the next few years, like new competitors or changes in what customers want, and makes plans based on those thoughts.

26. Understanding Perspectives

A team is designing a new toy. They think about what kids and parents would both like instead of just what they think is fun.

School Examples

27. researching a topic.

For a history project, a student looks up different sources to understand an event from multiple viewpoints.

28. Debating an Issue

In a class discussion, students pick sides on a topic, like school uniforms, and share reasons to support their views.

29. Evaluating Sources

While writing an essay, a student checks if the information from a website is trustworthy or might be biased.

30. Problem Solving in Math

When stuck on a tricky math problem, a student tries different methods to find the answer instead of giving up.

31. Analyzing Literature

In English class, students discuss why a character in a book made certain choices and what those decisions reveal about them.

32. Testing a Hypothesis

For a science experiment, students guess what will happen and then conduct tests to see if they're right or wrong.

33. Giving Peer Feedback

After reading a classmate's essay, a student offers suggestions for improving it.

34. Questioning Assumptions

In a geography lesson, students consider why certain countries are called "developed" and what that label means.

35. Designing a Study

For a psychology project, students plan an experiment to understand how people's memories work and think of ways to ensure accurate results.

36. Interpreting Data

In a science class, students look at charts and graphs from a study, then discuss what the information tells them and if there are any patterns.

Critical Thinking Puzzles

Not all scenarios will have a single correct answer that can be figured out by thinking critically. Sometimes we have to think critically about ethical choices or moral behaviors.

Here are some mind games and scenarios you can solve using critical thinking. You can see the solution(s) at the end of the post.

37. The Farmer, Fox, Chicken, and Grain Problem

A farmer is at a riverbank with a fox, a chicken, and a grain bag. He needs to get all three items across the river. However, his boat can only carry himself and one of the three items at a time.

Here's the challenge:

If the fox is left alone with the chicken, the fox will eat the chicken.
If the chicken is left alone with the grain, the chicken will eat the grain.

How can the farmer get all three items across the river without any item being eaten?

38. The Rope, Jar, and Pebbles Problem

You are in a room with two long ropes hanging from the ceiling. Each rope is just out of arm's reach from the other, so you can't hold onto one rope and reach the other simultaneously.

Your task is to tie the two rope ends together, but you can't move the position where they hang from the ceiling.

You are given a jar full of pebbles. How do you complete the task?

39. The Two Guards Problem

Imagine there are two doors. One door leads to certain doom, and the other leads to freedom. You don't know which is which.

In front of each door stands a guard. One guard always tells the truth. The other guard always lies. You don't know which guard is which.

You can ask only one question to one of the guards. What question should you ask to find the door that leads to freedom?

40. The Hourglass Problem

You have two hourglasses. One measures 7 minutes when turned over, and the other measures 4 minutes. Using just these hourglasses, how can you time exactly 9 minutes?

41. The Lifeboat Dilemma

Imagine you're on a ship that's sinking. You get on a lifeboat, but it's already too full and might flip over.

Nearby in the water, five people are struggling: a scientist close to finding a cure for a sickness, an old couple who've been together for a long time, a mom with three kids waiting at home, and a tired teenager who helped save others but is now in danger.

You can only save one person without making the boat flip. Who would you choose?

42. The Tech Dilemma

You work at a tech company and help make a computer program to help small businesses. You're almost ready to share it with everyone, but you find out there might be a small chance it has a problem that could show users' private info.

If you decide to fix it, you must wait two more months before sharing it. But your bosses want you to share it now. What would you do?

43. The History Mystery

Dr. Amelia is a history expert. She's studying where a group of people traveled long ago. She reads old letters and documents to learn about it. But she finds some letters that tell a different story than what most people believe.

If she says this new story is true, it could change what people learn in school and what they think about history. What should she do?

The Role of Bias in Critical Thinking

Have you ever decided you don’t like someone before you even know them? Or maybe someone shared an idea with you that you immediately loved without even knowing all the details.

This experience is called bias, which occurs when you like or dislike something or someone without a good reason or knowing why. It can also take shape in certain reactions to situations, like a habit or instinct.

Bias comes from our own experiences, what friends or family tell us, or even things we are born believing. Sometimes, bias can help us stay safe, but other times it stops us from seeing the truth.

Not all bias is bad. Bias can be a mechanism for assessing our potential safety in a new situation. If we are biased to think that anything long, thin, and curled up is a snake, we might assume the rope is something to be afraid of before we know it is just a rope.

While bias might serve us in some situations (like jumping out of the way of an actual snake before we have time to process that we need to be jumping out of the way), it often harms our ability to think critically.

How Bias Gets in the Way of Good Thinking

Selective Perception: We only notice things that match our ideas and ignore the rest.

It's like only picking red candies from a mixed bowl because you think they taste the best, but they taste the same as every other candy in the bowl. It could also be when we see all the signs that our partner is cheating on us but choose to ignore them because we are happy the way we are (or at least, we think we are).

Agreeing with Yourself: This is called “ confirmation bias ” when we only listen to ideas that match our own and seek, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms what we already think we know or believe.

An example is when someone wants to know if it is safe to vaccinate their children but already believes that vaccines are not safe, so they only look for information supporting the idea that vaccines are bad.

Thinking We Know It All: Similar to confirmation bias, this is called “overconfidence bias.” Sometimes we think our ideas are the best and don't listen to others. This can stop us from learning.

Have you ever met someone who you consider a “know it”? Probably, they have a lot of overconfidence bias because while they may know many things accurately, they can’t know everything. Still, if they act like they do, they show overconfidence bias.

There's a weird kind of bias similar to this called the Dunning Kruger Effect, and that is when someone is bad at what they do, but they believe and act like they are the best .

Following the Crowd: This is formally called “groupthink”. It's hard to speak up with a different idea if everyone agrees. But this can lead to mistakes.

An example of this we’ve all likely seen is the cool clique in primary school. There is usually one person that is the head of the group, the “coolest kid in school”, and everyone listens to them and does what they want, even if they don’t think it’s a good idea.

How to Overcome Biases

Here are a few ways to learn to think better, free from our biases (or at least aware of them!).

Know Your Biases: Realize that everyone has biases. If we know about them, we can think better.

Listen to Different People: Talking to different kinds of people can give us new ideas.

Ask Why: Always ask yourself why you believe something. Is it true, or is it just a bias?

Understand Others: Try to think about how others feel. It helps you see things in new ways.

Keep Learning: Always be curious and open to new information.

In today's world, everything changes fast, and there's so much information everywhere. This makes critical thinking super important. It helps us distinguish between what's real and what's made up. It also helps us make good choices. But thinking this way can be tough sometimes because of biases. These are like sneaky thoughts that can trick us. The good news is we can learn to see them and think better.

There are cool tools and ways we've talked about, like the "Socratic Questioning" method and the "Six Thinking Hats." These tools help us get better at thinking. These thinking skills can also help us in school, work, and everyday life.

We’ve also looked at specific scenarios where critical thinking would be helpful, such as deciding what diet to follow and checking facts.

Thinking isn't just a skill—it's a special talent we improve over time. Working on it lets us see things more clearly and understand the world better. So, keep practicing and asking questions! It'll make you a smarter thinker and help you see the world differently.

Critical Thinking Puzzles (Solutions)

The farmer, fox, chicken, and grain problem.

The farmer first takes the chicken across the river and leaves it on the other side.
He returns to the original side and takes the fox across the river.
After leaving the fox on the other side, he returns the chicken to the starting side.
He leaves the chicken on the starting side and takes the grain bag across the river.
He leaves the grain with the fox on the other side and returns to get the chicken.
The farmer takes the chicken across, and now all three items -- the fox, the chicken, and the grain -- are safely on the other side of the river.

The Rope, Jar, and Pebbles Problem

Take one rope and tie the jar of pebbles to its end.
Swing the rope with the jar in a pendulum motion.
While the rope is swinging, grab the other rope and wait.
As the swinging rope comes back within reach due to its pendulum motion, grab it.
With both ropes within reach, untie the jar and tie the rope ends together.

The Two Guards Problem

The question is, "What would the other guard say is the door to doom?" Then choose the opposite door.

The Hourglass Problem

Start both hourglasses.
When the 4-minute hourglass runs out, turn it over.
When the 7-minute hourglass runs out, the 4-minute hourglass will have been running for 3 minutes. Turn the 7-minute hourglass over.
When the 4-minute hourglass runs out for the second time (a total of 8 minutes have passed), the 7-minute hourglass will run for 1 minute. Turn the 7-minute hourglass again for 1 minute to empty the hourglass (a total of 9 minutes passed).

The Boat and Weights Problem

Take the cat over first and leave it on the other side. Then, return and take the fish across next. When you get there, take the cat back with you. Leave the cat on the starting side and take the cat food across. Lastly, return to get the cat and bring it to the other side.

The Lifeboat Dilemma

There isn’t one correct answer to this problem. Here are some elements to consider:

Moral Principles: What values guide your decision? Is it the potential greater good for humanity (the scientist)? What is the value of long-standing love and commitment (the elderly couple)? What is the future of young children who depend on their mothers? Or the selfless bravery of the teenager?
Future Implications: Consider the future consequences of each choice. Saving the scientist might benefit millions in the future, but what moral message does it send about the value of individual lives?
Emotional vs. Logical Thinking: While it's essential to engage empathy, it's also crucial not to let emotions cloud judgment entirely. For instance, while the teenager's bravery is commendable, does it make him more deserving of a spot on the boat than the others?
Acknowledging Uncertainty: The scientist claims to be close to a significant breakthrough, but there's no certainty. How does this uncertainty factor into your decision?
Personal Bias: Recognize and challenge any personal biases, such as biases towards age, profession, or familial status.

The Tech Dilemma

Again, there isn’t one correct answer to this problem. Here are some elements to consider:

Evaluate the Risk: How severe is the potential vulnerability? Can it be easily exploited, or would it require significant expertise? Even if the circumstances are rare, what would be the consequences if the vulnerability were exploited?
Stakeholder Considerations: Different stakeholders will have different priorities. Upper management might prioritize financial projections, the marketing team might be concerned about the product's reputation, and customers might prioritize the security of their data. How do you balance these competing interests?
Short-Term vs. Long-Term Implications: While launching on time could meet immediate financial goals, consider the potential long-term damage to the company's reputation if the vulnerability is exploited. Would the short-term gains be worth the potential long-term costs?
Ethical Implications : Beyond the financial and reputational aspects, there's an ethical dimension to consider. Is it right to release a product with a known vulnerability, even if the chances of it being exploited are low?
Seek External Input: Consulting with cybersecurity experts outside your company might be beneficial. They could provide a more objective risk assessment and potential mitigation strategies.
Communication: How will you communicate the decision, whatever it may be, both internally to your team and upper management and externally to your customers and potential users?

The History Mystery

Dr. Amelia should take the following steps:

Verify the Letters: Before making any claims, she should check if the letters are actual and not fake. She can do this by seeing when and where they were written and if they match with other things from that time.
Get a Second Opinion: It's always good to have someone else look at what you've found. Dr. Amelia could show the letters to other history experts and see their thoughts.
Research More: Maybe there are more documents or letters out there that support this new story. Dr. Amelia should keep looking to see if she can find more evidence.
Share the Findings: If Dr. Amelia believes the letters are true after all her checks, she should tell others. This can be through books, talks, or articles.
Stay Open to Feedback: Some people might agree with Dr. Amelia, and others might not. She should listen to everyone and be ready to learn more or change her mind if new information arises.

Ultimately, Dr. Amelia's job is to find out the truth about history and share it. It's okay if this new truth differs from what people used to believe. History is about learning from the past, no matter the story.

Experimenter Bias (Definition + Examples)
Hasty Generalization Fallacy (31 Examples + Similar Names)
Ad Hoc Fallacy (29 Examples + Other Names)
Confirmation Bias (Examples + Definition)
Equivocation Fallacy (26 Examples + Description)

Reference this article:

About The Author

Free Personality Test

Free Memory Test

Free IQ Test

PracticalPie.com is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Youtube Facebook Instagram X/Twitter

Psychology Resources

Developmental

Personality

Relationships

Psychologists

Serial Killers

Psychology Tests

Personality Quiz

Memory Test

Depression test

Type A/B Personality Test

By continuing to use this website, you agree to the use of cookies. Find out more . Accept cookies

Critical Thinking test

By 123test team . Updated May 12, 2023

Customer reviews

This Critical Thinking test measures your ability to think critically and draw logical conclusions based on written information. Critical Thinking tests are often used in job assessments in the legal sector to assess a candidate's analytical critical thinking skills. A well known example of a critical thinking test is the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal .

Need more practice?

Score higher on your critical thinking test.

The test comprises of the following five sections with a total of 10 questions:

Analysing Arguments
Assumptions
Interpreting Information

Instructions Critical Thinking test

Each question presents one or more paragraphs of text and a question about the information in the text. It's your job to figure out which of the options is the correct answer.

Below is a statement that is followed by an argument. You should consider this argument to be true. It is then up to you to determine whether the argument is strong or weak. Do not let your personal opinion about the statement play a role in your evaluation of the argument.

Statement: It would be good if people would eat vegetarian more often. Argument: No, because dairy also requires animals to be kept that will have to be eaten again later.

Is this a strong or weak argument?

Strong argument Weak argument

Statement: Germany should no longer use the euro as its currency Argument: No, because that means that the 10 billion Deutschmark that the introduction of the euro has cost is money thrown away.

Overfishing is the phenomenon that too much fish is caught in a certain area, which leads to the disappearance of the fish species in that area. This trend can only be reversed by means of catch reduction measures. These must therefore be introduced and enforced.

Assumption: The disappearance of fish species in areas of the oceans is undesirable.

Is the assumption made from the text?

Assumption is made Assumption is not made

As a company, we strive for satisfied customers. That's why from now on we're going to keep track of how quickly our help desk employees pick up the phone. Our goal is for that phone to ring for a maximum of 20 seconds.

Assumption: The company has tools or ways to measure how quickly help desk employees pick up the phone.

All reptiles lay eggs
All reptiles are vertebrates
All snakes are reptiles
All vertebrates have brains
Some reptiles hatch their eggs themselves
Most reptiles have two lungs
Many snakes only have one lung
Cobras are poisonous snakes
All reptiles are animals

Conclusion: Some snakes hatch their eggs themselves.

Does the conclusion follow the statements?

Conclusion follows Conclusion does not follow

(Continue with the statements from question 5.)

Conclusion: Some animals that lay eggs only have one lung.

In the famous 1971 Stanford experiment, 24 normal, healthy male students were randomly assigned as 'guards' (12) or 'prisoners' (12). The guards were given a uniform and instructed to keep order, but not to use force. The prisoners were given prison uniforms. Soon after the start of the experiment, the guards made up all kinds of sentences for the prisoners. Insurgents were shot down with a fire extinguisher and public undressing or solitary confinement was also a punishment. The aggression of the guards became stronger as the experiment progressed. At one point, the abuses took place at night, because the guards thought that the researchers were not watching. It turned out that some guards also had fun treating the prisoners very cruelly. For example, prisoners got a bag over their heads and were chained to their ankles. Originally, the experiment would last 14 days. However, after six days the experiment was stopped.

The students who took part in the research did not expect to react the way they did in such a situation.

To what extent is this conclusion true, based on the given text?

True Probably true More information required Probably false False

(Continue with the text from 'Stanford experiment' in question 7.)

The results of the experiment support the claim that every young man (or at least some young men) is capable of turning into a sadist fairly quickly.

A flag is a tribute to the nation and should therefore not be hung outside at night. Hoisting the flag therefore happens at sunrise, bringing it down at sunset. Only when a country flag is illuminated by spotlights on both sides, it may remain hanging after sunset. There is a simple rule of thumb for the time of bringing down the flag. This is the moment when there is no longer any visible difference between the individual colors of the flag.
A flag may not touch the ground.
On the Dutch flag, unless entitled to do so, no decorations or other additions should be made. Also the use of a flag purely for decoration should be avoided. However, flag cloth may be used for decoration - for example in the form of drapes.
The orange pennant is only used on birthdays of members of the Royal House and on King's Day. The orange pennant should be as long or slightly longer than the diagonal of the flag.

Conclusion: One can assume that no Dutch flag will fly at government buildings at night, unless it is illuminated by spotlights on both sides.

Does the conclusion follow, based on the given text?

(Continue with the text from 'Dutch flag protocol' in question 9.)

Conclusion: If the protocol is followed, the orange pennant will always be longer than the horizontal bands/stripes of the flag.

Please answer the questions below. Not all questions are required but it will help us improve this test.

My educational level is

-- please select -- primary school high school college university PhD other

Spring Offer 2023

Seven comprehensive reports of career tests and iq tests with a whopping 70% discount..

Seven comprehensive reports of career tests and IQ tests with a whopping 70% discount:

DISC Personality test
Jung Personality test
Big Five Personality test
Work values test
Competency test
Classical IQ test
Culture fair intelligence test

Het Werkboek Loopbaanbegeleiding helpt je de resultaten bij elkaar te brengen en een actieplan te maken.

Zijn je baan en je loopbaan belangrijk voor je?

With this unique offer, you get access to almost all the comprehensive products for one very competitive price.

Normally $84.00, now for $24.95

You will receive 7 ticket codes after purchase that you can use to start the tests from your personal account. This allows you to take the tests at your own pace and order.

Welcome to our new site!

We've recently updated our website to enhance your experience. However, you may encounter occasional slowness or glitches as we fine-tune the changes. If you experience any issues, please reach out to our customer service team at [email protected] or contact us through Whatsapp to the number +1 914-368-6012 for assistance. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

JobTestPrep Team

Critical Thinking Test Practice ▷ Free Critical Reasoning Samples & Tips 2024

Start Preparing for Your Critical Thinking Test. This page features a brief introduction, followed by question examples with detailed explanations, and a free test sample.

Table of Contents :

✻ What is a Critical Thinking Test ?

✻ Sample Questions

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking, also known as critical reasoning, is the ability to assess a situation and consider/understand various perspectives, all while acknowledging, extracting and deciphering facts, opinions and assumptions. Critical thinking tests are a sub-type of aptitude exams or psychometric tests used in pre-employment assessment for jobs reacquiring advanced analytical and learning skills.

The Skills You Will Be Tested On

Critical thinking tests can have 5 major sections or sub-tests that assess and measure a variety of aspects.

1) Inference

In this section, you are asked to draw conclusions from observed or supposed facts. You are presented with a short text containing a set of facts you should consider as true.

Below the text is a statement that could be inferred from the text. You need to make a judgement on whether this statement is valid or not, based on what you have read.

Furthermore, you are asked to evaluate whether the statement is true, probably true, there is insufficient data to determine, probably false, or false.

For example: if a baby is crying and it is his feeding time, you may infer that the baby is hungry. However, the baby may be crying for other reasons—perhaps it is hot.

2) Recognising Assumptions

In this section, you are asked to recognise whether an assumption is justifiable or not.

Here you are given a statement followed by an assumption on that statement. You need to establish whether this assumption can be supported by the statement or not.

You are being tested on your ability to avoid taking things for granted that are not necessarily true. For example, you may say, "I’ll have the same job in three months," but you would be taking for granted the fact that your workplace won't make you redundant, or that you won’t decide to quit and explore various other possibilities.

You are asked to choose between the options of assumption made and assumption not made.

3) Deduction

This section tests your ability to weigh information and decide whether given conclusions are warranted.

You are presented with a statement of facts followed by a conclusion on what you have read. For example, you may be told, "Nobody in authority can avoid making uncomfortable decisions."

You must then decide whether a statement such as "All people must make uncomfortable decisions" is warranted from the first statement.

You need to assess whether the conclusion follows or the conclusion does not follow what is contained in the statement. You can read more about our deductive logical thinking test resources here.

4) Interpretation

This section measures your ability to understand the weighing of different arguments on a particular question or issue.

You are given a short paragraph to read, which you are expected to take as true. This paragraph is followed by a suggested conclusion, for which you must decide if it follows beyond a reasonable doubt.

You have the choice of conclusion follows and conclusion does not follow.

5) Evaluation of Arguments

In this section you are asked to evaluate the strength of an argument.

You are given a question followed by an argument. The argument is considered to be true, but you must decide whether it is a strong or weak argument, i.e. whether it is both important and directly related to the question.

Create Your Custom Assessment Prep Kit

Job-seeking can be a long and frustrating process that can take months, involving several pre-employment tests or interviews. To guide you through it we offer a Premium Membership:

❶ Join our Premium Membership plan at 50% Discount.

❷ Select 3 PrepPacks of your choice from 100+ Packs.

❸ Access your practice for 1/3/6 months.

Critical Thinking Question Examples

As there are various forms of critical thinking and critical reasoning, we've provided a number of critical thinking sample questions.

You can take our full Critical Thinking Sample Test to see more questions.

Argument Analysis Sample Question

Which of the following is true?

Most of the people surveyed, whether they own pets or do not own pets, displayed outstanding interpersonal capacities.
The adoption of a pet involves personal sacrifice and occasional inconvenience.
People with high degrees of empathy are more likely to adopt pets than people with low degrees of empathy.
Interpersonal capacities entail tuning in to all the little signals necessary to operate as a couple.
A person's degree of empathy is highly correlated with his or her capacity for personal sacrifice.

The correct answer is C

Answer explanation: In a question of this type, the rule is very simple: the main conclusion of an argument is found either in the first or the last sentence. If, however, the main conclusion appears in the middle of an argument, it will begin with a signal word such as thus, therefore, or so. Regardless of where the main conclusion appears, the rest of the passage will give the reasons why the conclusion is true or should be adopted. The main conclusion in this passage is the last sentence, signaled by the words, 'This indicates that people who are especially empathetic are more likely to adopt a pet than people who are less empathetic'.

Argument Practice Sample Question

A: No. Differential bonuses have been found to create a hostile working environment, which leads to a decrease in the quality and quantity of products .

This argument is:

The correct answer is A (Strong)

Schema of the statement: Differential cash bonuses (productivity↑) → workplace↑

Explanation: This argument targets both the action and the consequences of the action on the object of the statement. It states that the action (implementing differential cash bonuses) has a negative effect on the workplace (a decrease in the quality and quantity of products). Therefore, it is an important argument, one that is relevant for the workplace. Note that this argument does not specifically target differential cash bonuses. Still, they are considered a sub-group of the subject of the argument (differential bonuses).

Interpretations Sample Question

Proposed assumption: Vicki and Bill encountered a personal battle because they couldn’t come to terms with their disease.

A. Conclusion follows

B. Conclusion does not follow

The correct answer is B (Conclusion does not follow)

It is plausible that the reason people who suffer from sleep apnoea encounter a personal battle is because of an inability to come to terms with this disease. However, since the passage does not provide an actual reason, you cannot reach this conclusion without reasonable doubt.

The most common type of Critical Thinking Assessment is the Watson Glaser .

Difficult and time-pressured, the Watsong Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) takes a unique testing approach that breaks away from more traditional assessments. To see examples, check out our free Watson Glaser practice test .

Our expertly curated practice programme for the Watson Glaser will provide you with:

A full-length diagnostic simulation
Focused practice tests for the different test sections: inferences, assumptions, deductive reasoning, interpretations, and arguments.
3 additional full-length simulations
Interactive tutorials

Or learn more about the Watson Glaser Test.

Critical Thinking Tests FAQs

What critical reasoning test am I most likely to take?

Very Likely the Watson-Glaser test

Another popular critical thinking assessment, Watson-Glaser is a well-established psychometric test produced by Pearson Assessments.

The Watson-Glaser test is used for two main purposes: job selection/talent management and academic evaluations. The Watson-Glaser test can be administered online or in-person.

For Watson Glaser practice questions, click here !

What skills do critical reasoning test measure?

Critical Thinking can refer to various skills:

Defining the problem
Selecting the relevant information to solve the problem
Recognising assumptions that are both written and implied in the text
Creating hypotheses and selecting the most relevant and credible solutions
Reaching valid conclusions and judging the validity of inferences

Pearson TalentLens condenses critical thinking into three major areas:

R ecognise assumptions – the ability to notice and question assumptions, recognise information gaps or unfounded logic. Basically not taking anything for granted.
E valuate arguments – the ability to analyse information objectively without letting your emotions affect your opinion.
D raw conclusions – the ability to reach focused conclusions and inferences by considering diverse information, avoiding generalisations and disregarding information that is not available.

These are abilities that employers highly value in their employees, because they come into play in many stages of problem-solving and decision-making processes in the workplace, especially in business, management and law.

Why are critical thinking tests important to employers?

Critical thinking, or critical reasoning, is important to employers because they want to see that when dealing with an issue, you are able to make logical decisions without involving emotions.

Being able to look past emotions will help you to be open-minded, confident, and decisive—making your decisions more logical and sound.

What professions use critical thinking tests?

Below are some professions that use critical thinking tests and assessments during the hiring process as well as some positions that demand critical thinking and reasoning skills:

Preparation Packs for Critical Thinking & Critical Reasoning Assessmentsץ The Critical Thinking PrepPack™ provides you with the largest assembly of practice tests, study guides and tutorials. Our tests come complete with straightforward expert explanations and predictive score reports to let you know your skill level as well as your advancement. By using our materials you can significantly increase your potential within a few days and secure yourself better chances to get the job.

Don't Leave the Preparation to Your Competition

Continue Your Practice Now

Fill in the details of your test, and you will be redirected to the relevant page:

Critical Thinking Test: Online Preparation & Free Practice Questions – 2024

Information
Free Example Questions

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is a form of decision making and reasoning using data and observations. Someone who is a strong critical thinker can find quality solutions efficiently and can evaluate issues objectively.

What Is a Critical Thinking Test?

Critical thinking tests provide companies valuable insight into the leadership, reasoning, and overall capabilities of candidates. Because strong critical thinking skills are highly sought after, the critical thinking test can be applicable to any field and discipline across multiple levels of expertise from recent graduate to executive. However, it is commonly administered to those applying for criminal justice and business-related occupations.

Job seekers with upcoming critical thinking tests will be evaluated on more than their ability to rationalize, critical thinking tests also measure the following subsets:

Organizing & Planning
Strategizing
Decision Making
Problem Solving

The format of the critical thinking uses hypothetical scenarios to assess candidates. The scenarios are typically relevant to the field you are interested in to assess your knowledge of the role. There will also be general questions concerning more basic issues or problems that commonly occur in a workplace environment.

The critical thinking test is multiple-choice with thirty minutes to complete the assessment. Candidates will receive a notification stating whether or not they passed within a week of completion.

How Is the Critical Thinking Test Scored?

The critical reasoning test is scored based on your raw score and your percentile in comparison with your norm group. It’s important to note that these will not be the same number.

A norm group is a collection of scores from individuals in your field at your level of experience. The percentile score is used to alert employers if you exceed, meet or miss the benchmark for the average expectations of candidates. You will be rated on a scale of one to one hundred with fifty consisting of the mean and median scores.

A raw score is simply the number of correct answers. The critical thinking test comprises your raw score based on the performance in the following areas:

Recognizing Assumptions The candidate must be able to understand when a statement is made with no supporting evidence and how this can affect a decision. Further, candidates are asked to identify these discrepancies, whether they are stated explicitly or implicitly, and assess its relevance to the given scenario.
Evaluating Arguments Candidates must evaluate arguments without considering inferences or being subjective. Beyond that, candidates must assess the supporting evidence, the structure of the argument and the degree of its influence. It is very important to dismiss emotions for this portion of the critical thinking test.
Drawing Conclusions Drawing conclusions puts a large emphasis on reasoning. In this section, it’s important to assess all of the available evidence and data to form a plausible conclusion that accurately applies to all the given information. Employers also want to see candidates that will consider all possible solutions rather than making the evidence fit a desired narrative.

Employers will receive all of this information in a performance report construed by the assessment company. Employers will also be given insight into your overall potential, job knowledge, creativity and job performance per the report.

Where Will I Take a Critical Thinking Test?

Critical thinking tests are non-proctored online assessments that are typically sent via email after an initial screening. For some occupations, the company may ask that the candidate take the critical thinking test again on-site either before their final interview or during an assessment day. The most common test candidates are asked to take is the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) created by the popular assessment company, Pearson . This assessment company is on their third edition with new scoring and subsets described above. The WGCTA gained popularity because of its ability to assess a candidate’s potential alongside their aptitude. Another established assessment is the SHL Critical Reasoning Battery that contains sixty questions with a thirty-minute time limit. Both of the aforementioned critical thinking tests are multiple choice.

How to Prepare for the Critical Thinking Test?

The critical thinking test is difficult to study for because the test is designed to assess your bare knowledge and raw skills. In order to prepare successfully, it is important to focus on the areas of the test that you can equip yourself for. One aspect of the test that demands preparation is the time limit. Many candidates’ scores are negatively impacted because they skip or guess too many of the questions in an attempt to beat the clock. If you want to optimize your chances of achieving a good score, use online practice tests to acquaint yourself with the time constraint and the general theme of the questions. By utilizing the online practice tests, you can find the pace that works best for you. Another helpful way to prepare is running through sample questions. This way, you can warm-up your brain and gain an understanding of the expectations that both the test and the company have of you.

Free Sample Questions to Practice

Look over her past quizzes to see what she missed.
Set aside more time during the week to review the material for the quiz.
Get to class on early Wednesday and briefly look over the chapters.
Get a good night’s sleep.
Parents should find an alternative way to get their kids to school next week.
The premiums must be over-priced.
Collective bargaining is no longer a feasible solution.
Their employers are being unreasonable.
People in Hawaii dislike living on an island.
Colder climates induce more happiness than warmer climates.
The high scores on the Alaska survey were produced by people who enjoy snow.
People in Hawaii should move to Alaska.
Jenny’s credit card was declined at the mall.
Jenny’s bank keeps charging her $30 overdraft fees.
Jenny’s check bounced when she attempted to purchase a new TV.
Jenny spends more money than she makes.
Lori has thirty cans of soda in a refrigerator in her garage and another fourteen sitting on the counter. Lori does not have anymore cans of soda. Therefore, Lori has 44 cans of soda.
The accounting department loves math. My friend works in the accounting department. My friend loves math.
Everyone southbound on the freeway yesterday was late to work. Jackie was southbound on the freeway. Jackie was late to work.
Adrian lives in either Springfield, California, or Springfield, Illinois. If he lives in Illinois, then he is an American.

Aptitude Tests

Aptitude Tests Guide
Numerical Reasoning Test
Verbal Reasoning Test
Cognitive Ability Test
Critical Thinking Test
Logical Reasoning Test
Spatial Reasoning Test
Technical Aptitude Test
Inductive Reasoning Test
Analytical Reasoning Test
Deductive Reasoning Test
Mechanical Reasoning Test
Non-Verbal Reasoning Tests
Diagrammatic Reasoning Test
Concentration Assessment Test
Finance Reasoning Aptitude Test
Fault Finding (Fault Diagnosis) Test
Senior Management Aptitude Tests
Error Checking Tests
In-Basket Exercise

What Is Critical Thinking?

Who uses critical thinking tests and why, how to prepare for a critical thinking test in 2024, final thoughts, critical thinking tests (2024 guide).

Updated November 18, 2023

Critical thinking is the ability to scrutinize evidence using intellectual skills. Reflective skills are employed to reach clear, coherent and logical conclusions – rather than just accepting information as it is provided.

Critical thinking tests measure the candidate’s understanding of logical connections between ideas, the strength of an argument, alternate interpretations and the significance of a particular claim.

A major facet of critical thinking is the ability to separate facts from opinions and work against any subconscious bias.

In critical thinking tests, employers are looking for people who can think critically about information, showing they are open-minded, good problem-solvers and excellent decision-makers.

Critical thinking tests assess how well a candidate can analyze and reason when presented with specific information.

They are used as part of the application process in several industries, most commonly for professions where employees would need to use advanced judgment and analysis skills in decision-making.

For example:

Academic applications – In some instances, critical thinking tests are used to assess whether prospective students have the skills required to be successful in higher education.

Law – Critical thinking assessments are often used in the legal sector as part of the application process. In many law positions, facts are more important than opinion, subconscious bias or pre-existing ideas so an applicant needs to be skilled in critical thinking.

Finance – In financial institutions, decisions often need to be made based on facts rather than emotion or opinion. Judgments made in banking need to be skilled decisions based on logic and the strength of data and information – so to be successful, candidates need to demonstrate that they will not accept arguments and conclusions at face value.

Graduate roles – In some sectors, critical thinking tests are used in graduate recruitment because they are considered to be predictors of ability.

With several different tests available, suited to different industries, many top-level jobs are likely to include critical thinking assessments as part of the application process.

Critical Thinking Tests Explained

Critical thinking tests are usually presented in a similar format no matter who the publisher is. A paragraph of information and data is given, with a statement that is under scrutiny.

Multiple-choice answers are presented for each statement, and there may be more than one question about the same paragraph.

While each question is presented in the same way, different aspects of critical thinking are assessed throughout the test.

Assessing Assumptions

For this type of question, there may be something ‘taken for granted’ in the information provided – and it might not be explicitly stated.

The candidate needs to evaluate the scenario and conclude whether any assumptions are present. The statement below the scenario may or may not support the statement and the answer selection will be about whether the stated assumption is made or not made in the scenario.

Example Question for Assessing Assumptions

Practice Critical Thinking Test with JobTestPrep

The mainstream media presents information that is supported by the political party in power.

Assumption: The information that the mainstream media presents is always correct.

a) Assumption made b) Assumption not made

Determining Inferences

Following a paragraph of information containing evidence, you will be presented with an inference and need to assess whether the inference is absolutely true, possibly true, possibly false, absolutely false, or it is not possible to reach a decision.

An inference is a conclusion that can be reached based on logical reasoning from the information. Although all the evidence to support (or not support) the inference is included in the passage, it will not be obvious or explicitly stated, which makes the inference harder to conclude.

Example Question for Determining Inferences

It has been snowing all night and there is thick snow on the ground. Today’s weather is sunny and bright.

Inference: The snow will melt today.

a) Possibly true b) Absolutely true c) Possibly false d) Absolutely false e) Not possible to reach a decision

Making Deductions

For this type of question, the information presented will be a set of factual statements and the candidate will need to decide if the deduction applies or does not apply.

This logical thinking is a top-down exercise where all the information is provided and needs to be read in the order it is presented.

If statement A = B, does B = C? There should be no grey areas – it either does or does not follow.

Example Question for Making Deductions

All plants have leaves. All leaves are green.

Proposed deduction: All plants are green.

a) Deduction follows b) Deduction does not follow

If you need to prepare for a number of different employment tests and want to outsmart the competition, choose a Premium Membership from JobTestPrep . You will get access to three PrepPacks of your choice, from a database that covers all the major test providers and employers and tailored profession packs.

Get a Premium Package Now

Interpretation of Conclusions

Presented with information, the candidate needs to assess whether a given conclusion is correct based on the evidence provided.

For the purposes of the test, we need to believe that all the information provided in the paragraph is true, even if we have opinions about the correctness of the statement.

Example Question for Interpretation of Conclusions

When cooking a meal, one of the most important things to get right is the balance between major food groups. Satisfaction from a good meal comes from getting the most nutrition and can therefore be attributed to a wide variety of flavors, including vegetables, a good source of protein and carbohydrates. A balanced diet is about more than just everything in moderation and should be considered a scientific process with measuring of ingredients and efficient cooking methods.

Proposed conclusion: The best meals are those that are scientifically prepared.

a) Conclusion follows b) Conclusion does not follow

Evaluation of Arguments (Analysis of Arguments)

In this analysis section, the candidate is presented with a scenario and an argument that might be in favor of the scenario or against it.

The candidate needs to evaluate whether the argument itself is weak or strong. This needs to be based on the relevance to the scenario and whether it accurately addresses the question.

Example Question for Evaluation of Arguments

Should all drugs be made legal?

Proposed argument: No, all drugs are dangerous to everyone.

a) Argument is strong b) Argument is weak

Most Common Critical Thinking Tests in 2024

Watson glaser test.

Watson Glaser is the most commonly used test publisher for critical thinking assessments and is used by many industries.

When sitting a Watson Glaser test, your results will be compared against a sample group of over 1,500 test-takers who are considered representative of graduate-level candidates.

The test is usually 40 questions long, with 30 minutes to answer, but there is a longer version that asks 80 questions with a time limit of an hour.

Who Uses This Test?

The Watson Glaser Test is used in a wide variety of industries for different roles, especially in the legal and banking sectors. Some employers that use the Watson Glaser Test are:

Bank of England
Irwin Mitchell
Simmons & Simmons

What Is the RED model?

The Watson Glaser Test is based on something called the ‘RED model’. The questions in the test are based on:

Recognizing assumptions
Evaluating arguments
Drawing conclusions

The science behind the Watson Glaser Test shows that candidates who show strong critical thinking skills in these areas are more likely to perform well in roles where logical decisions and judgments have to be made.

Where to Take a Free Practice Test

Watson Glaser Tests have a specific layout and format. If you are going to be completing one of the assessments as part of your application, it’s best to practice questions that match the test format.

You can find Watson Glaser practice tests at JobTestPrep as well as a prep pack to give you all the tips, tricks and information you need to make the most of your practice time.

Take a Practice Watson Glaser Test

SHL Critical Reasoning Battery Test

The SHL Critical Reasoning Battery Test includes questions based on numerical, verbal and inductive reasoning. This test is usually used for managerial and supervisory roles, and can include mechanical comprehension if needed for the job role (usually in engineering or mechanical roles).

You can find out more on JobTestPrep’s SHL Critical Reasoning Battery pages .

Take a Practice SHL Test

The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) is an online adaptive test – using sophisticated algorithms to adjust the difficulty of the questions according to the answers already provided.

Questions include integrated, quantitative and verbal reasoning as well as an analytical writing assessment. The GMAT is widely used to predict performance in business or management programs in more than 1,700 universities and organizations.

Take a Practice GMAT

Preparation is key to success in any pre-employment assessment. While some people think critical reasoning is not a skill you can practice, there are some steps you can take to perform at your best.

Critical thinking tests are straightforward but not necessarily easy.

Step 1 . Consider Buying a Preparation Pack

If you can determine who the publisher is for the test you will take, it may be worthwhile investing in a prep pack from that particular publisher.

JobTestPrep offers prep packs for many major test publishers. These packs include realistic practice tests as well as study guides, tips and tricks to help you build your own question-solving strategies.

Step 2 . Use Practice Tests

Even if you decide not to purchase a prep pack, taking practice tests will help you focus on the areas where you need to improve to be successful.

It is important to find out the publisher of the test you will take because not all critical thinking tests are at the same level and they may not follow the same structure. Timings, answering methodologies and the number of questions will vary between publishers.

You can usually find out the test publisher before you take the assessment by asking the recruiter or searching online.

Step 3 . Practice Under Test Conditions

Critical thinking tests are timed. To give yourself the best chance of achieving a high score, you need to answer the questions quickly and efficiently.

Practicing under test conditions – including the time limit – will help you to understand how much time you need to spend on each question and will help you to develop efficient time management skills for the assessment.

Practicing under test conditions will also help you focus so you can make the most of the session.

Step 4 . Practice Abstract Reasoning

Abstract reasoning is a form of critical thinking that uses logic to form a conclusion. Some abstract reasoning tests are presented as word problems.

Practicing these is a good way to flex critical thinking muscles. You can find practice questions on the Psychometric Success website .

Step 5 . Practice Critical Thinking in Everyday Life

Reading widely, especially non-fiction, is a good way to practice your critical thinking skills in everyday life.

Newspaper articles, scientific or technical journals, and other sources of information present an opportunity to think about:

The strength of arguments
The perspective of the author
Whether there are enough facts presented to draw the conclusion given
Whether other conclusions could be drawn from the same information

Step 6 . Revise Logical Fallacies

Knowledge of logical fallacies will help you to judge the effectiveness of an argument. Fallacy describes ‘faulty reasoning’ in an argument and is often seen in hyperbole or opinion pieces in newspapers and magazines.

There are many types of fallacy that you might come across, such as:

Strawman – An argument that doesn’t address the statement.
False cause – An argument based on a connection that doesn’t exist.
Ambiguity – An argument using a phrase that is unclear or that may have different meanings.
Appeal to popularity – An argument that states it must be true because many people believe it.

There are many others, including red herrings, appeal to authority and false dichotomy. Learning these will help you to identify a weak argument.

Step 7 . Focus on Long-Term Practice

Cramming and panicking about a critical thinking assessment is rarely conducive to great performance.

If you are looking for a career in a sector where critical thinking skills are necessary, then long-term practice will have better results when you come to be assessed. Make critical thinking a part of life – so that every day can be a chance to practice recognizing assumptions.

Key Tips for Critical Thinking Test Success

Understand the format of the test and each question type.

Familiarity is important for any assessment, and in critical thinking tests, it is essential that you can recognize what the question is looking for. As mentioned above, this is usually one of the following:

Assessing assumptions
Determining inferences
Making deductions
Interpreting conclusions

Practice tests will help you become comfortable with the structure and format of the test, including ways to answer, and will also demonstrate what the question types look like.

Read Test Content Carefully

Taking time to read and understand the content provided in the question is important to ensure that you can answer correctly.

The information you need to determine the correct answer will be provided although it might not be explicitly stated. Careful reading is an important part of critical thinking.

Only Use the Information Provided

While some of the information provided in the critical thinking test might be related to the role you are applying for, or about something that you have existing knowledge of, you mustn't use this knowledge during the test.

A facet of critical thinking is avoiding subconscious bias and opinion, so only use the information that is provided to answer the question.

Look Out for Facts and Fallacies

Throughout the critical thinking test, look out for facts and fallacies in the information and arguments provided.

Identifying fallacies will help you decide if an argument is strong and will help you answer questions correctly.

Critical thinking tests are used as pre-employment assessments for jobs that require effective communication, good problem-solving and great decision-making, such as those in the legal sector and banking.

These tests assess the ability of candidates to question and scrutinize evidence, make logical connections between ideas, find alternative interpretations and decide on the strength of an argument.

All critical thinking tests are not the same, but they do have similar question types. Learning what these are and how to answer them will help you perform better. Practicing tests based on the specific publisher of your test will give you the best results.

You might also be interested in these other Psychometric Success articles:

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal

Or explore the Aptitude Tests / Test Types sections.

Search Search Search …
Search Search …

How to Prepare for a Critical Thinking Test: Effective Strategies and Tips

Preparing for a critical thinking test can be challenging, as it requires you to use your intellectual skills to critically analyze evidence and reach logical conclusions. Critical thinking tests, sometimes known as critical reasoning tests, are often used by employers to evaluate how a candidate makes logical deductions after scrutinizing the evidence provided, while avoiding fallacies or non-factual opinions.

Understanding the fundamentals of critical thinking tests and familiarizing yourself with the types of questions you may encounter can greatly improve your chances of success. Additionally, consistent practice, mastering the art of deduction, and learning how to evaluate evidence effectively will also help you perform well on a critical thinking test.

Key Takeaways

Familiarize yourself with the fundamentals and types of questions in a critical thinking test.
Practice regularly and hone your deduction and evidence evaluation skills.
Understand the relevance and application of critical thinking tests in various sectors.

Understanding Critical Thinking

Critical thinking skills.

Critical thinking is the ability to scrutinize evidence using intellectual skills and reflective abilities to reach clear, coherent, and logical conclusions, rather than just accepting information as it is provided 1 . It involves a range of logical skills that are essential for effective decision-making and problem-solving. Some of the key critical thinking skills include:

Analyzing and evaluating information : Breaking down complex ideas, evaluating the quality of the information, and determining the relevance of various pieces of information.
Identifying arguments and assumptions : Recognizing the structure of an argument, identifying hidden assumptions, and evaluating the strength of the underlying premises.
Logical reasoning : Applying rules of logic and reasoning to make valid inferences and deductions based on provided information.
Creative problem-solving : Thinking out of the box and using non-conventional methods to find new solutions to problems.
Open-mindedness : Being willing to consider alternative perspectives and approaches, and resisting confirmation bias by questioning your own beliefs and assumptions.

Strategies to Enhance Critical Thinking Ability

Developing strong critical thinking skills requires practice and active engagement. Here are a few strategies to enhance your critical thinking abilities:

Question everything : Cultivate curiosity by asking questions about what you read, hear, and observe.
Practice active listening : Pay attention to the speaker and try to understand their perspective.
Be aware of cognitive biases : Familiarize yourself with common biases and consciously try to avoid them.
Develop reflective thinking : Reflect on your thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions to understand how they shape your decisions and actions.
Exercise your brain : Engage in activities that challenge your mind, such as solving puzzles, learning new skills, or reading widely.

By incorporating these strategies into your daily life, you can improve your critical thinking skills to better prepare for critical thinking tests and be more effective in decision-making and problem-solving scenarios.

Psychometric Success – Critical Thinking Tests ↩

Fundamentals of Critical Thinking Test

Evaluation of arguments.

Critical thinking tests assess an individual’s ability to evaluate arguments from various perspectives. Candidates are often required to decipher underlying assumptions, identify logical inconsistencies, and draw accurate conclusions from the provided information. A well-prepared candidate can understand the evidence and draw logical and coherent conclusions, rejecting any false or misleading information.

Types of Critical Thinking Tests

There are different types of critical thinking tests available online, covering a range of question formats and testing methods. Some tests focus on analyzing written passages, while others present the information in diagrams or charts. Most tests evaluate an individual’s ability to:

Identify, understand, and evaluate assumptions
Draw inferences and determine the validity of conclusions
Evaluate the strength and relevance of arguments

Regardless of the test format, candidates need to be familiar with the structure and know how to approach each question type effectively.

Importance of Critical Thinking Tests for Employers

For employers, critical thinking tests play a vital role in the application process. Employers use these tests to assess a candidate’s ability to scrutinize evidence, make logical deductions, and avoid fallacies or non-factual opinions. This evaluation is essential in deciding whether an individual is suitable for a role that requires complex decision-making, troubleshooting, or problem-solving skills.

Overall, the fundamentals of critical thinking tests revolve around the ability to evaluate arguments, understand various test types, and recognize their significance in the employment process. Aspiring candidates should sharpen their critical thinking skills and acquaint themselves with different question formats to excel in these tests.

Guidelines to Prepare for the Test

Assessing and recognizing assumptions.

Before taking a critical thinking test, it’s essential to understand the importance of recognizing underlying assumptions in various scenarios. An argument may seem valid on the surface, but assumptions that have not been justified can weaken it. To prepare, practice identifying assumptions by evaluating different arguments and assessing the logical connections between them. Recognizing assumptions is crucial for making logical decisions during the test.

Drawing Logical Conclusions

A critical component of critical thinking is drawing logical conclusions based on the information provided. To master this skill, begin with analyzing different scenarios and identifying the relevant details. This process involves making inferences and connecting multiple pieces of information to arrive at a sound conclusion. Engage in activities that challenge your interpretation and decision-making abilities, as these skills will be beneficial on assessment day.

Implementing Problem Solving Techniques

Problem solving is an integral part of critical thinking tests. To strengthen your problem-solving capabilities, start by working on various multiple-choice questions that require analytical thinking. Identify the best course of action and always consider the possible consequences. Additionally, practice working under a time limit to become more efficient and precise in your methods. Establishing a systematic approach to problem solving will greatly enhance your performance on the test.

Sharpening Deduction Skills

Deduction is the process of making specific conclusions based on general principles. To improve your deduction skills, practice working on exercises that involve multiple-choice questions and scenarios where you must draw logical connections. Focus on understanding the fundamental principles and reasoning behind each situation. This will enable you to make informed and logical decisions during the test.

In conclusion, enhancing your critical thinking skills requires diligent practice and an understanding of key principles. By following the guidelines above, you can confidently prepare for the test and emerge with a strong foundation in critical thinking.

Critical Thinking Tests in Different Sectors

Critical thinking in the legal sector.

In the legal sector, critical thinking tests play a significant role in assessing job applicants. One popular test used for this purpose is the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal . This test evaluates a candidate’s ability to think logically and analytically while avoiding subconscious biases.

Lawyers are often expected to efficiently analyze complex situations and make logical deductions based on the evidence they gather. This skill is invaluable for law professionals, which is why companies prefer administering critical thinking skill tests for hiring purposes.

Critical Thinking in the Banking Sector

The banking sector similarly places great importance on critical thinking abilities. SHL Critical Reasoning Battery is commonly utilized in the banking industry to assess candidates’ logical reasoning and decision-making skills. You can practice critical thinking tests here .

Banks need employees who can make well-founded decisions and effectively handle intricate financial scenarios. Assessing critical thinking skills during recruitment ensures that companies hire professionals with the ability to make rational choices and excel in their roles.

In both sectors, it is crucial for candidates to undergo critical thinking tests to demonstrate their ability to think logically and analytically, contributing to the overall success of the organization.

Relevant Psychometric Assessments

When preparing for a critical thinking test, it is important to familiarize yourself with relevant psychometric assessments that employers might use to evaluate your cognitive abilities. Two widely known assessments are the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the SHL Critical Reasoning Battery .

Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is a popular psychometric test that measures an individual’s ability to interpret, analyze, and evaluate information. This test helps employers assess a candidate’s critical thinking skills, which are essential for problem-solving and decision-making in various roles.

The Watson Glaser test covers five main areas:

Recognition of assumptions
Interpretation
Evaluation of arguments

By understanding these categories and practicing relevant questions, you can effectively prepare for the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and showcase your ability to think critically.

SHL Critical Reasoning Battery

Another important test to be aware of is the SHL Critical Reasoning Battery . This assessment evaluates a candidate’s aptitude for logical reasoning and analysis, focusing on their ability to identify alternative interpretations and make well-informed decisions.

The SHL Critical Reasoning Battery typically includes three types of assessments:

Verbal reasoning
Numerical reasoning
Inductive reasoning

Each type of assessment measures different cognitive abilities, making it necessary for candidates to practice and develop their skills in all three areas to perform well during the test.

In conclusion, preparing for a critical thinking test requires understanding the relevant psychometric assessments, such as the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the SHL Critical Reasoning Battery. By focusing on the specific categories and cognitive abilities assessed in these tests, you can improve your critical thinking skills and increase your chances of success in the recruitment process.

Approach to Sample Questions

Interpreting information.

When preparing for a critical thinking test, it is essential to practice interpreting information. This skill involves the ability to understand and analyze the given data in order to draw logical conclusions. To enhance your interpretation skills, consider different question formats as well as various types of data, such as charts, tables, and passages. By exposing yourself to diverse information, you’ll improve your capability to discern what is relevant and make informed decisions.

Evaluating Arguments

Another critical component of preparing for a critical thinking test is evaluating arguments. This process requires analyzing an argument’s structure, as well as its strengths and weaknesses. In particular, focus on the argument’s premises, conclusions, and underlying assumptions. In order to develop the necessary evaluation skills, practice dissecting various arguments and maintain a neutral, objective mindset. This will enable you to discern whether the argument is valid, sound, or flawed.

Recognizing Assumptions

Recognizing assumptions is a crucial aspect of critical thinking, as it involves identifying biases, values, and beliefs underlying the presented information. Make a habit of questioning assumptions and considering alternative viewpoints. As you practice recognizing assumptions, challenge yourself to consider counterarguments and explore different perspectives. Developing this skill will enable you to approach sample questions with a more open mind and balanced judgment.

Practice Tests

Taking practice tests is an invaluable method of preparing for critical thinking exams. Practice tests expose you to a variety of question types, allowing you to get a feel for the format and structure of the test. Furthermore, practice tests provide you with the opportunity to identify areas for improvement and monitor your progress. By dedicating time to practicing test questions and analyzing your results, you can enhance your critical reasoning skills and better prepare yourself for the actual exam.

Remember, your raw score will be compared to a norm group to determine your relative performance in higher education or employment settings. By following these guidelines for interpreting information, evaluating arguments, recognizing assumptions, and taking practice tests, you will be well-equipped to excel in critical thinking tests, demonstrating your ability to make sound judgments.

Preparing for a critical thinking test involves a combination of honing your intellectual and reflective skills. One key aspect is to practice regularly with different test assessments to familiarize yourself with the format and question types.

When working on test questions, focus on understanding the context and read the given information thoroughly. Be particularly attentive to the question’s phrasing, as misinterpretation could lead to incorrect answers. Remind yourself to be cautious of assumptions, and check for logical fallacies in both the presented information and your own thought process.

Develop a habit of staying organized and ensuring your reasoning is coherent. In cases where creative problem-solving is needed, balance cold logic with out-of-the-box thinking. Self-awareness and a neutral, clear mindset can significantly improve your critical thinking abilities .

Lastly, persistence and dedication are crucial in refining your critical thinking skills. Be prepared to invest time and effort into this process, and do not become disheartened if you face difficulties along the way. Remember to learn from your mistakes, adapt your strategies, and you will undoubtedly see progress in your critical thinking capabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key elements to focus on while practicing.

To prepare for a critical thinking test effectively, it’s important to focus on a few key elements while practicing. These include evaluating arguments, assessing evidence, understanding the structure and logic of an argument, and ensuring that emotions or personal opinions do not influence conclusions. Along with these elements, improving one’s problem-solving skills is crucial for success in the test.

How can one improve problem-solving skills?

Improving problem-solving skills involves breaking down complex problems into manageable components, identifying the root cause of a problem, and developing a systematic approach to find the solution. Practicing brain-teasers, puzzles, and logical reasoning questions can help sharpen these skills, making it easier to tackle critical thinking problems on the test.

What are the best sources for critical thinking test samples?

The best sources for critical thinking test samples are reputable websites and platforms that offer practice tests and resources tailored to the specific critical thinking test format. Some examples include Psychometric Success , Practice Aptitude Tests , and Practice4Me . These platforms offer sample questions, tips, and techniques to help candidates familiarize themselves with the test format and content.

How essential is time management in critical thinking tests?

Time management is an important aspect of critical thinking tests, as candidates are often required to solve problems and analyze situations within a limited timeframe. Developing efficient time management skills can help test-takers allocate appropriate time for each question, avoid spending too long on a single problem, and ensure that they have enough time to complete the entire test.

What strategies can be employed to enhance logical reasoning?

To enhance logical reasoning capabilities, candidates can practice understanding relationships between different statements, identifying assumptions and premises, and deducing conclusions from given information. Engaging in activities such as solving puzzles, participating in debates, and analyzing deductive and inductive reasoning can also help to further develop logical reasoning skills.

How can one effectively analyze arguments during the test?

Analyzing arguments effectively during a critical thinking test involves evaluating the evidence presented, understanding the structure of the argument, determining the validity of the argument, and identifying potential fallacies or biased reasoning. To achieve this, test-takers should practice critically analyzing various types of arguments, focusing on the logical and evidentiary components, and maintaining a neutral and objective viewpoint throughout the process.

Occam’s Razor: Simplifying Complex Problems with an Age-Old Principle

Occam’s Razor is a philosophical concept that has been influential in various fields such as science, philosophy, and everyday reasoning. The principle, […]

Best Critical Thinking Apps: Enhance Your Cognitive Skills Today

In today’s fast-paced and technology-driven world, critical thinking skills are more important than ever. With an abundance of information at our fingertips, […]

5 Critical Thinking Exercises for a Healthy and Alert Brain

Critical thinking is the ability to translate complex circumstances into meaningful insights. It has become an essential skill that every individual should […]

Critical Thinking for Team Collaboration: A Guide to Effective Problem-Solving

Critical thinking is an essential skill that enhances a team’s ability to collaborate efficiently and effectively. By honing their critical thinking skills, […]

Get 25% off all test packages.

Get 25% off all test packages!

Click below to get 25% off all test packages.

Watson Glaser Tests

https://www.talentlens.co.uk/product/watson-glaser/
228 questions

Watson Glaser tests are a form of psychometric assessment that fall under the category of critical thinking tests. They are designed to determine how well an individual can process information from a logical perspective, and then evaluate, analyse and make sound judgements. As such, they are commonly used in the recruitment process for professions that rely on these skills.

What is a Watson Glaser test?

Watson Glaser test is a comprehensive psychometric assessment that falls under the category of critical thinking tests. It is designed to determine how well an individual can process information from a logical perspective, and then evaluate, analyze and make sound judgments. Watson Glaser test is commonly used in the recruitment process for professions that rely on these skills.

Watson Glaser tests have been around since 1925 when they were first developed by American psychologists Goodwin Watson and Edwin Glaser. Subject to many revisions and improvements over the years, they are now produced by test publisher TalentLens and are considered one of the most trusted methods of evaluating critical reasoning.

Critical thinking is a complex skill that requires the ability to interpret information, differentiate fact from fallacy, draw evidence-based conclusions and identify sound arguments, all while remaining objective.

Like many critical thinking tests , the Watson Glaser test measures these skills through verbal information: that is, statements or passages of text from which an individual is required to make deductions and inferences, pinpoint assumptions needed to validate a proposition, and weigh up the strength of an argument.

These are inherent skills, more prominent in some than others. The Watson Glaser test, therefore, requires no prior knowledge. Success relies on existing knowledge being put to one side, the sole focus being the evidence laid out in each question.

You may be asked to sit a Watson Glaser test by the potential employer if applying for a graduate, professional or managerial level position in a sector where critical thinking is a prerequisite. Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is most commonly used in the legal sector, but also the selection process of organizations like the Bank of England.

The test may be used for screening purposes in the initial stages of the hiring process, or at a later date as part of an assessment day .

What is the format of a Watson Glaser test?

The Watson Glaser test is a timed, multiple-choice assessment, the most recent version of which consists of 40 critical reasoning questions with a 30-minute time constraint.

Questions are split across five areas of logical reasoning ability:

Drawing inferences

To draw inferences is essential to make an educated guess based on the evidence in front of you, without being swayed by any pre-existing knowledge or subconscious bias.

You’ll be presented with a short paragraph, followed by a set of inferred statements. Potential employees need to critically analyse the information in the given paragraph to determine if these statements are true, probably true, false, probably false, or if there is insufficient proof to determine either way.

Recognising assumptions

Assumptions relating to what we understand to be true without needing solid proof. They are the underlying facts that give an argument its validity.

In this section of the test, you’ll be presented with a statement and a set of assumptions. If the statement relies on the assumption being true, you would mark it as ‘assumption made’.

If the assumption is irrelevant to the statement or bears no weight on its validity, you would mark it as ‘assumption not made.

Deductive reasoning is the act of arriving at a fact-based conclusion through a logical thought process. A deduction differs from an assumption in that it is what we take away from an argument, as opposed to the facts on which an argument needs to stand.

Based solely on the evidence presented in a statement or short paragraph, you’ll need to determine if a list of conclusions does or does not logically follow the information in front of you.

Interpreting

The interpretation section of the Watson Glaser test is similar to the deduction section, in that you’ll be asked to determine whether a given conclusion can logically be drawn from an argument.

However, with these questions, you’ll need to be able to identify significant pieces of information and decide if a logical interpretation can be applied in support of the conclusion in question.

Evaluating arguments

This last section looks at your ability to separate a weak argument from a strong one. It is designed to test your impartial evaluation of arguments, not your personal opinion.

A question will be posted, followed by a set of arguments on either side of the debate. You’ll need to decide if an argument is relevant and challenging, and therefore strong, or vague and unrealistic, and therefore weak.

What skills does it look to measure?

The five sections combined to give an overall picture of your performance in key areas, and measure your ability to:

Define a problem

Select key points of information to formulate a solution

Understand when an assumption has been made, and when it has not

Hypothesise, or select an applicable hypothesis based on limited evidence

Draw fact-based conclusions

Determine the probability of an inference

What is a passing score on the Watson Glaser tests?

The results of your Watson Glaser test will be assessed against a norm group: individuals of a comparative educational background or professional standing – within a relevant field – that have previously sat the exam.

It is therefore difficult to state an exact pass score on the test since it depends entirely on the performance of your peers. Ideally, you’d look to reach 75% and above to give yourself a competitive edge.

Which professions use Watson Glaser tests, and why?

Watson Glaser tests are used to assess suitability for several occupations including those in the medical profession, marketing, and education. Those critical reasoning tests are most common in law firms and professional services sectors.

Many positions in law, banking, and finance, for example, require that an individual make informed decisions that can be justified, are rooted in fact, and are free from bias. Since critical thinking is an essential skill here, employers use Watson Glaser tests to determine how well-suited a candidate is for these professions.

How to prepare for a Watson Glaser test

Practice is the first port of call when preparing for your Watson Glaser test. Although critical thinking is an inherent skill, it can be nurtured and improved upon.

Watson Glaser tests are built around a model known as RED . Try to keep this in mind as you approach both practice tests and daily tasks.

The components associated with the RED model are:

Recognising assumptions . Instead of simply taking things at face value, such as the news or a part of a conversation with a friend or co-worker, ask yourself if what you’re hearing can be classified as true, and what the facts are that back it up. Are they evidential, or based on assumptions?

Evaluating arguments . We’re all guilty of seeking out information that confirms our perspective. Instead, actively look for opinions that contradict your own and assess them from an objective point of view. The better you become at seeing both sides of a story, the more prepared you’ll be to critically evaluate arguments in your Watson Glaser test.

Drawing conclusions . Try to get used to drawing fact-based conclusions, rather than those based on emotional reactions or subconscious bias. These conclusions may not align with your perspective, but a Watson Glaser test requires that you conclude impartially – and as with most things in life, practice makes perfect here.

The tests were well suited to the job that I’ve applied for. They are easy to do and loads of them.

Tips for Watson Glaser tests

Study the practice questions.

In the official test, you’ll have the opportunity to complete practice questions. These are there for a reason, so use them wisely. Each section of the test differs slightly in its approach, and the more comfortable you are with what is being asked of you, the more clearly you’ll be able to approach the problem.

Leave instinct and intuition at the door

To succeed on a Watson Glaser test, you need to go against human nature and ignore everything you think you know. Each question will contain all the relevant information you need. Whether you believe it to be true, agree with it, or not, is irrelevant. For the sake of the test, evaluate only the information given. Any outside knowledge should temporarily be forgotten.

Examine each question carefully

The key to strategic critical thinking is to fully understand what is being presented. You cannot draw a valid conclusion, or understand what assumptions support an argument, if you do not fully comprehend what is put forward. You may feel the need to rush under the time pressure, but attention to detail is vital.

Look for keywords and phrases

The statement, proposition or paragraph of text at the start of each question will inevitably include keywords or phrases that relate directly to the assumptions, inferences or conclusions given. These are your clues. Identify them, and you’ll find it much easier to analyse each scenario objectively.

Split your time evenly

Remember, you have a set amount of time to work through all five sections of the test. Split this evenly across the board before you start, and keep track of how much time you spend on each question. It may seem counterintuitive to add to the pressure, but in setting yourself a time frame, you eliminate the risk of dedicated excessive attention to any one part of the test.

For further advice, check out our full set of tips for Watson Glaser tests .

Practice Aptitude Tests is not associated with Watson Glaser. We provide preparation services for Watson Glaser psychometric tests. Our tests are not designed to be identical to any style, employer or industry. Visit https://www.talentlens.co.uk/product/watson-glaser/ to find out more.

Watson Glaser Tests FAQs

How does watson glaser define critical thinking.

According to the methodology behind Watson Glaser tests, critical thinking is the ability to observe a scenario and consider it from various perspectives, whilst identifying what is fact, what is assumed and what is mere opinion. In doing so, you should be able to draw logical conclusions and use these for informed decision making.

How can I improve my critical thinking skills?

Critical thinking is a part of our daily lives; we’re just not always aware that we’re doing it. To improve your skills, tune in to the world around you, ask questions, read actively and look for evidence in every statement or argument you come across. Take practice tests regularly to assess your progress.

Is the Watson Glaser test hard?

Watson Glaser tests are considered among the most challenging of all critical thinking assessments, since they test five separate aspects of logical reasoning ability . Time constraints also add to the pressure. That said, they are typically no harder than the careers for which they test your suitability, and with dedicated practice, you can hone your skills and make critical thinking second nature.

Where can I practice Watson Glaser tests?

There are multiple online resources available to help you prepare for your Watson Glaser test, including our own free practice tests . We recommended you work through these questions to familiarise yourself with the format and improve your critical thinking skills.

Enjoy what you’ve read? Let others know!

Share on whatsapp
Share on linkedin
Share on twitter
Share on facebook
Share via email

Try Watson Glaser Tests for Free

Watson glaser 01.

20 Questions | 20 Minutes

Watson Glaser 02

Watson glaser 03, improve your scores with our intelligent learning system.

Immediate access. Cancel anytime.

30 Numerical reasoning tests
30 Verbal reasoning tests
30 Diagrammatic reasoning tests
30 Situational judgement tests
34 Publisher packages e.g. Watson Glaser
252 Employer packages e.g. HSBC
29 Extra packages e.g Mechanical
Dashboard performance tracking
Full solutions and explanations
Tips, tricks, guides and resources
Access to free tests
Basic performance tracking
Solutions & explanations
Tips and resources

Reviews of our Watson Glaser tests

What our customers say about our Watson Glaser tests

Jozef Bailey

United Kingdom

April 05, 2022

Doesn't cover all aspects of Watson-Glaser tests but useful

The WGCTA uses more categories to assess critical thinking, but this was useful for the inference section.

April 01, 2022

Just practicing for an interview

Good information and liked that it had a countdown clock, to give you that real feel in the test situation.

Jerico Kadhir

March 31, 2022

Aptitude test

It was OK, I didn't understand personally whether or not the "cannot say" option was acceptable or not in a lot of the questions, as it may have been a trick option.

Salvarina Viknesuari

March 15, 2022

I like the test because the platform is simple and engaging while the test itself is different than most of the Watson Glaser tests I've taken.

Alexis Sheridan

March 02, 2022

Some of the ratios were harder than I thought!

I like how clear the design and layout is - makes things very easy (even if the content itself is not!)

Cyril Lekgetho

February 17, 2022

Mental arithmetic

I enjoyed the fact that there were multiple questions pertaining to one passage of information, rather than multiple passages. However I would've appreciated a more varied question type.

Madupoju Manish

February 16, 2022

Analytics are the best questions

I like the test because of its time schedule. The way the questions are prepared makes it easy to crack the original test.

Chelsea Franklin

February 02, 2022

Interesting

I haven't done something like this for ages. Very good for the brain - although I certainly experienced some fog whilst doing it.

[email protected]

January 04, 2022

Population/exchange rates were the hardest

Great test as it felt a bit time pressured. Very different types of questions in terms of difficulty.

faezeh tavakoli

January 02, 2022

More attention to detail + be more time conscious

It was asking about daily stuff we all deal with, but as an assessment it's scrutinising how we approach these problems.

By using our website you agree with our Cookie Policy.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

Knowledge Base
Working with sources
What Is Critical Thinking? | Definition & Examples

What Is Critical Thinking? | Definition & Examples

Published on May 30, 2022 by Eoghan Ryan . Revised on May 31, 2023.

Critical thinking is the ability to effectively analyze information and form a judgment .

To think critically, you must be aware of your own biases and assumptions when encountering information, and apply consistent standards when evaluating sources .

Critical thinking skills help you to:

Identify credible sources
Evaluate and respond to arguments
Assess alternative viewpoints
Test hypotheses against relevant criteria

Why is critical thinking important, critical thinking examples, how to think critically, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about critical thinking.

Critical thinking is important for making judgments about sources of information and forming your own arguments. It emphasizes a rational, objective, and self-aware approach that can help you to identify credible sources and strengthen your conclusions.

Critical thinking is important in all disciplines and throughout all stages of the research process . The types of evidence used in the sciences and in the humanities may differ, but critical thinking skills are relevant to both.

In academic writing , critical thinking can help you to determine whether a source:

Is free from research bias
Provides evidence to support its research findings
Considers alternative viewpoints

Outside of academia, critical thinking goes hand in hand with information literacy to help you form opinions rationally and engage independently and critically with popular media.

Scribbr Citation Checker New

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

Missing commas and periods
Incorrect usage of “et al.”
Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
Missing reference entries

Critical thinking can help you to identify reliable sources of information that you can cite in your research paper . It can also guide your own research methods and inform your own arguments.

Outside of academia, critical thinking can help you to be aware of both your own and others’ biases and assumptions.

Academic examples

However, when you compare the findings of the study with other current research, you determine that the results seem improbable. You analyze the paper again, consulting the sources it cites.

You notice that the research was funded by the pharmaceutical company that created the treatment. Because of this, you view its results skeptically and determine that more independent research is necessary to confirm or refute them. Example: Poor critical thinking in an academic context You’re researching a paper on the impact wireless technology has had on developing countries that previously did not have large-scale communications infrastructure. You read an article that seems to confirm your hypothesis: the impact is mainly positive. Rather than evaluating the research methodology, you accept the findings uncritically.

Nonacademic examples

However, you decide to compare this review article with consumer reviews on a different site. You find that these reviews are not as positive. Some customers have had problems installing the alarm, and some have noted that it activates for no apparent reason.

You revisit the original review article. You notice that the words “sponsored content” appear in small print under the article title. Based on this, you conclude that the review is advertising and is therefore not an unbiased source. Example: Poor critical thinking in a nonacademic context You support a candidate in an upcoming election. You visit an online news site affiliated with their political party and read an article that criticizes their opponent. The article claims that the opponent is inexperienced in politics. You accept this without evidence, because it fits your preconceptions about the opponent.

There is no single way to think critically. How you engage with information will depend on the type of source you’re using and the information you need.

However, you can engage with sources in a systematic and critical way by asking certain questions when you encounter information. Like the CRAAP test , these questions focus on the currency , relevance , authority , accuracy , and purpose of a source of information.

When encountering information, ask:

Who is the author? Are they an expert in their field?
What do they say? Is their argument clear? Can you summarize it?
When did they say this? Is the source current?
Where is the information published? Is it an academic article? Is it peer-reviewed ?
Why did the author publish it? What is their motivation?
How do they make their argument? Is it backed up by evidence? Does it rely on opinion, speculation, or appeals to emotion ? Do they address alternative arguments?

Critical thinking also involves being aware of your own biases, not only those of others. When you make an argument or draw your own conclusions, you can ask similar questions about your own writing:

Am I only considering evidence that supports my preconceptions?
Is my argument expressed clearly and backed up with credible sources?
Would I be convinced by this argument coming from someone else?

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

ChatGPT vs human editor
ChatGPT citations
Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
Using ChatGPT for your studies
What is ChatGPT?
Chicago style
Paraphrasing

Plagiarism

Types of plagiarism
Self-plagiarism
Avoiding plagiarism
Academic integrity
Consequences of plagiarism
Common knowledge

The only proofreading tool specialized in correcting academic writing - try for free!

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts and by native English editors. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students.

Try for free

Critical thinking refers to the ability to evaluate information and to be aware of biases or assumptions, including your own.

Like information literacy , it involves evaluating arguments, identifying and solving problems in an objective and systematic way, and clearly communicating your ideas.

Critical thinking skills include the ability to:

You can assess information and arguments critically by asking certain questions about the source. You can use the CRAAP test , focusing on the currency , relevance , authority , accuracy , and purpose of a source of information.

Ask questions such as:

Who is the author? Are they an expert?
How do they make their argument? Is it backed up by evidence?

A credible source should pass the CRAAP test and follow these guidelines:

The information should be up to date and current.
The author and publication should be a trusted authority on the subject you are researching.
The sources the author cited should be easy to find, clear, and unbiased.
For a web source, the URL and layout should signify that it is trustworthy.

Information literacy refers to a broad range of skills, including the ability to find, evaluate, and use sources of information effectively.

Being information literate means that you:

Know how to find credible sources
Use relevant sources to inform your research
Understand what constitutes plagiarism
Know how to cite your sources correctly

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search, interpret, and recall information in a way that aligns with our pre-existing values, opinions, or beliefs. It refers to the ability to recollect information best when it amplifies what we already believe. Relatedly, we tend to forget information that contradicts our opinions.

Although selective recall is a component of confirmation bias, it should not be confused with recall bias.

On the other hand, recall bias refers to the differences in the ability between study participants to recall past events when self-reporting is used. This difference in accuracy or completeness of recollection is not related to beliefs or opinions. Rather, recall bias relates to other factors, such as the length of the recall period, age, and the characteristics of the disease under investigation.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Ryan, E. (2023, May 31). What Is Critical Thinking? | Definition & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/critical-thinking/

Is this article helpful?

Eoghan Ryan

Other students also liked, student guide: information literacy | meaning & examples, what are credible sources & how to spot them | examples, applying the craap test & evaluating sources, unlimited academic ai-proofreading.

✔ Document error-free in 5minutes ✔ Unlimited document corrections ✔ Specialized in correcting academic texts

Watson-Glaser Assessments: Guidelines & Practice Examples

Originally designed by Goodwin Watson and Edward Glaser, The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (Form AM) was a measurement of “how well you are able to reason analytically and logically.” After their extensive use during World War One, experts increasingly used the tests as a tool to rank and filter individuals in contexts including (but not limited to) education and employment. In this article, we’ll be providing you with an overview of The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, its test format, and question examples for your practice.

Table of Contents

What is a Watson Glaser test?

The Watson Glaser Assessment (Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal) is designed by Pearson Talentlens – a part of the famous Pearson education publishing house. The assessment is a quick, consistent, and accurate measurement of the test-takers ability to analyze, reason, interpret and draw logical conclusions from written information .

This critical thinking test has five scales which are the elementary units of critical thinking and reasoning . These five units serve as parameters to measure all areas of critical thinking ability.

The test is administered to appraising adults (16 years and above) with questions of varying difficulty and format.

Watson Glaser Test format

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is a timed test. It can be administered both online and offline, depending on the company you are applying to.

For the online version (W-G III), the test is suitable for the unproctored screening of job applicants . Questions are selected randomly from a larger pool of questions called “item bank”. This helps minimize the possibility of cheating due to the fact that there are no applicants having the same set of questions.
For the offline version (W-G II Forms D and E), applicants have to take the test under supervised conditions .

Upon finishing, applicants receive a percentile score with norm groups either provided by Pearson Talentlens or designed by the company.

Popular test formats are as follows:

40 questions – 30 minutes
80 questions – 60 minutes

The question distribution in a 40-question Watson Glaser test includes the following:

Inference – 5 questions
Recognition of assumptions – 12 questions
Deduction – 5 questions
Interpretation – 6 questions
Evaluation – 12 questions

Watson Glaser test: 5 question types & examples

Five types of questions appearing in the test are

Infer questions

Recognize Assumption questions

Deduce questions

Interpret questions.

Evaluate Argument questions

You will find five choices of answers for each inference in the question: True, Probably True, Insufficient Data, Probably False, and False. Your job is to determine which choice best fits the hypothesis.

True : If you think the inference is definitely TRUE; that it properly follows beyond a reasonable doubt from the statement of facts given.
Probably True : If, in the light of the facts given, you think the inference is Probably True; that it is more likely to be true than false.
Insufficient Data : If you decide that there are Insufficient Data; that you cannot tell from the facts given whether the inference is likely to be true or false; if the facts provide no basis for judging one way or another.
Probably False : If, in the light of the facts given, you think the inference is Probably False; that it is more likely to be true than false.
False : If you think the inference is definitely False; that it is wrong, either because it misinterprets the facts given, or because it contradicts the facts or necessary inferences from those facts.

Unlike popular aptitude tests where you use solely given information, this test allows the use of specific commonly accepted knowledge or information that practically every person has.

Source: Pearson Talentlens

During the past month, managers scheduled for international assignments voluntarily attended our company’s cross-cultural business training workshop. All of the managers reported that the quality of the training was high and focused on valuable work skills that could be immediately applied.

The majority of training was devoted to rules and regulations for doing business in this country.

A. True B. Probably True C. Insufficient Data D. Probably False E. False

Answer : Probably False

Explanation : Probably False because the training focused on cross-cultural business. It cannot be considered definitely false because the specific course content is not provided.

Practice Example:

Chamonix is one of the oldest ski resorts in France. Last year, the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Valley authorities introduced a climate and energy action plan, the first in the French Alps. The plan commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the area by 22 percent. Among the proposed measures is a ban on the most polluting lorries using the nearby Mont Blanc tunnel. Climate change will have a major impact on the valley’s main economic activities: less snow on low-altitude ski slopes and the risk of increased pressure on high-altitude ski slopes have been recorded in recent studies. Natural habitats, river patterns, forests, and agriculture might be radically transformed, increasing the likelihood of hazards such as avalanches, floods, and landslides.

Although air quality is a great concern for those living at the foot of Mont Blanc, noise pollution is arguably the most noticeable at a local level.

A. True B. ProbablyTrue C. Insufficient Data D. Probably False E. False

Answer : Insufficient Data

Explanation : The passage does not mention noise pollution, as well as its existence at local level.

Recognize assumption questions

In this question, you are presented with a statement and two choices “ Assumption made ” or “ Assumption not made “. Your job is to determine whether the statement is an assumption taken for granted (Assumption made) or an assumption not necessarily taken for granted (Assumption not made).

We need to save time in getting there so we’d better go by plane.

There is a plane service available to us for at least part of the distance to the destination.

A. Assumption made B. Assumption not made

Answer : Assumption made

Explanation :

This is assumed in the statement because, in order to save time by plane, it must be possible to go by plane.

While owning a pet can be expensive and is occasionally an inconvenience, it’s a good thing to do if you want to improve your chances of living a satisfying life.

Pet owners will always lead more satisfying lives than those who don’t own pets.

Answer : Assumption not made

From the given premises, we can only see that: if you want a satisfying life, it is a good thing to have a pet. However, having a pet does not definitely lead to a satisfying life. There is no indication to compare the satisfaction between having a pet or not having a pet as a way to live a satisfying life.

In this type of question, each item contains several statements (premises) followed by several suggested conclusions. For the purposes of the test, you must consider the given statements as true without exception. The question presents you with two options

Conclusion follows : If you think the conclusion necessarily follows from the statements given;
Conclusion does not follow : If you think it is not a necessary conclusion from the statements given.

Since the test requires you to regard given statements as completely true, you have to try not to let your common sense and existing knowledge interfere. You have to stick to only the given statements (premises) and make judgments as to whether it necessarily follows from the statement or not.

One thing to note is the use of the word “Some” in this type of question. It means an indefinite part or quantity of a class of things. It can be either a portion or perhaps all of the class.

Sample:

Some Sundays are rainy. All rainy days are boring. Therefore …

Some Sundays are boring.

A. Conclusion follows B. Conclusion does not follow

Answer : Conclusion follows

The conclusion necessarily follows from the statements because, according to them, rainy Sundays must be boring.

Damage to roads in the area has made them unsuitable for loads over one ton. These loads are being transported to the capital by air, but as air resources are limited they are restricted to carrying food and medical supplies. Roads cannot be repaired until medical emergencies are dealt with. Therefore, …

Food can be taken to the capital by road.

Answer : Conclusion does not follow

Roads can not be used to transport food in loads over one ton. Food loads over one ton are being transported by air. We are not sure whether food in loads under one ton are delivered by road or anything else.

An interpret question provides you with a short paragraph followed by several suggested conclusions. You must assume that everything in the short paragraph is true, for the purpose of the test. To answer the question, you have to judge whether or not each of the suggested conclusions logically follows beyond a reasonable doubt from the information presented in the paragraph.

You have two answer choices:

Conclusion follows : If you think the conclusions follow beyond a reasonable doubt (although they may not follow absolutely and necessarily);
Conclusion does not follow : If you think the conclusions doesn’t follow beyond a reasonable doubt from the facts given in the short paragraph.

As a rule of thumb, you should judge each conclusion independently from your common sense or outside knowledge.

Source: Watson Glaser

A study of vocabulary growth in children from ages eight months to six years old shows that the size of spoken vocabulary increases from zero words at age eight months to 2562 words at age six years.

Vocabulary is slowest during the period when children are learning to walk.

Answer : Conclusion does not follow.

The conclusion does not follow because there is no information given that relates the growth of vocabulary to walking.

An accounting computer program, MagicNumber, is Wisdom Software’s biggest-selling product, with its development involving 20% of programmers and 30% of marketing staff. DesignAid, a graphic design program, is the latest offering from the company. It is definitely expected to sell more copies than MagicNumber and will have fewer programmers working on its design, but more marketing staff.

DesignAid will bring in greater profits for the company than MagicNumber.

The paragraph only mentioned that DesignAid is expected to sell more than MagicNumber. This does not necessarily mean that DesignAid uiwll bring greater profit than MagicNumber.

Evaluate argument questions

The question involves distinguishing between strong and weak arguments, as far as the question at issue is concerned. In each question, there is a series of arguments that you must regard as true. Your job is to determine whether or not each of these arguments is a strong or a weak one.

Argument strong : If you think the argument is strong;
Argument weak: If you think the argument is weak.

For an objective evaluation of the argument, you must judge each argument independently on its own merit, without the influence of your personal perception.

One thing to note is the use of the word Should. By using Should at the beginning of each question, it means “Would the proposed action promote the general welfare of the people in your country?”

Should young adults in this country go to university?

No; a large percentage of young adults do not have enough ability or interest to derive any benefit from university training.

A. Argument strong B. Argument weak

Answer : Argument strong.

If this is true, as the directions require us to assume, it is a weighty argument against all young adults going to university.

Practice Example 5:

Is it worthwhile for a business to invest in training employees?

Yes, research shows the amount of money spent on training is positively related to profitability.

A. Argument Strong B. Argument Weak

Answer : Argument Strong

The explanation show that business can increase their profit by invest more money on training. This is a direct back up evidence for the claim.

Which companies use Watson Glaser tests?

Watson Glaser Tests are popular in the pre-employment process across sectors such as medical, marketing, education, legal, and professional services. The test can be used for different job levels like Graduates, Execs and Managerial, Supervisors, and Professionals., depending on the company hiring request.

There are a great number of UK companies using it for their pre-employment screening process. The names include the following

Simmons & Simmons
Hill Dickinson
Bank of England
Burges Salmon
Ince & Co
Government Legal Service
Irwin Mitchell
Clifford Chance
Hogan Lovells

Prepare for aptitude tests with MConsultingPrep

Explore MConsultingPrep’s Aptitude Test – a strategic & comprehensive practicing platform with

A question bank of +1000 aptitude questions (Numerical, Verbal & Logical)
A comprehensive explanation of every question
Evaluation and recording tools for performance reviews

You’ll be practicing more strategically with our test packages, to gain more confidence for every test question you might experience in your future aptitude tests.

Our massive question bank consists of a significant number of question variations from many test publishers and companies, across different companies & businesses.

With questions organized by type, you can leverage your preparation by

Focusing on practicing questions in specific types
Improving your performance in questions that you struggle with

With evaluation tools coming in handy, you have better insights into your overall performance, what you excel at, and what you need improvements on.

Scoring in the McKinsey PSG/Digital Assessment

The scoring mechanism in the McKinsey Digital Assessment

Aptitude Test Package

Simulating most common test publishers, this package provides you with 1400+ numerical, verbal and logical reasoning questions. Ace the aptitude test with our practical study guides tailored to each question type.

Let’s dive deep into aptitude tests: definition, different types, and free practice materials for this world-famous assessment tool!

Aptitude tests are usually compulsory in the application process. So how much time should you spend on learning to get a high score?

While the majority of aptitude tests contain multiple-choice questions, some test providers provide gamified assessments. Dive in the details now!

Aptitude Tests
Critical Thinking Preparation

Full Critical Thinking Test Guide 2024

An increasing number of companies are incorporating tests of critical thinking into their recruitment procedures. Get ready for these evaluations by using the preparation tools available from JobTestPrep. Our materials offer insights into the tests, along with practice exams, thorough explanations for each answer, results analysis, and additional features. Begin your preparation for critical thinking assessments now to enhance your chances of success.

David , Psychometric Testiting Expert at JobTestPrep .

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking, often referred to as critical reasoning, involves evaluating a situation and understanding different viewpoints. It requires recognizing, analyzing, and distinguishing between facts, opinions, and assumptions.

Why Is the Critical Thinking Test Important to Employers?

Employers use reasoning aptitude questions to assess your ability to make reasoned decisions when faced with a problem, without letting emotions sway your judgment. This ability to separate feelings from analysis allows you to remain objective, self-assured, and decisive, leading to choices that are more reasoned and well-founded.

When Is Critical Thinking Used?

Critical thinking plays a key role throughout various phases of problem-solving and making decisions:

Identifying the issue at hand. Choosing pertinent data needed to address the issue. Acknowledging both explicit and implicit assumptions present in the information. Formulating theories and determining the most pertinent and trustworthy solutions. Arriving at sound conclusions and evaluating the strength of the deductions made.

Critical Thinking Skills Tests

Tests of critical thinking often include multiple parts or subsections that evaluate different cognitive skills.

Inference In the inference segment, you're tasked with drawing conclusions from given or assumed facts. You'll read a brief passage with facts to accept as true, and then you'll see a statement that might be derived from the passage. Your job is to decide if this statement is valid based on the information provided. You must determine if the statement is true, probably true, not enough information to decide, probably false, or false. For instance, if a baby cries at mealtime, you might infer that the baby is hungry, though other reasons could be possible, like discomfort from heat.

Recognizing Assumptions This part requires you to identify if an underlying assumption is reasonable. You'll be presented with a statement and an associated assumption. Your task is to figure out if the assumption is supported by the statement. This tests your ability to not automatically accept things as true without evidence. For example, saying "I’ll still have my job in three months" assumes that you won't be laid off or decide to leave for other opportunities. You must decide if an assumption is made or not.

Deduction The deduction section evaluates your ability to consider information and determine if certain conclusions are justified. After reading a set of facts, you'll be given a potential conclusion. Your role is to decide if this conclusion logically follows the facts. For instance, from the statement "No one in authority escapes making tough choices," you must deduce if it logically means "All people must make tough choices." You must judge whether the conclusion follows or does not follow from the statement.

Interpretation In this part, your skill in understanding and weighing various arguments about a question or issue is assessed. You'll read a paragraph, assumed to be true, followed by a proposed conclusion. You must decide if the conclusion is logically sound beyond a reasonable doubt. The options you have are whether the conclusion follows or does not follow.

Evaluation of Arguments Here, you're asked to judge the strength of an argument. You'll be given a question and an argument that is taken as true. Your task is to decide if the argument is strong or weak, meaning if it is significant and directly related to the question.

Watson Glaser

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) , a widely recognized psychological test created by Pearson Assessments, serves primarily for evaluating critical thinking skills. It's frequently utilized for selecting candidates for employment and managing talent, as well as for assessing students academically. This test can be taken either through an online platform or in a traditional face-to-face setting.

For free Watson Glaser practice questions click here !

Critical Thinking Examples

Critical thinking comes in many forms, so we have put together a variety of questions to test your critical thinking skills.

Example 1 – Identifying Assumptions A wife tells her husband that their combined income is not as high as it could be. She plans to start working a part-time job soon to earn more money. Hypothesized Assumption: The wife should not ask for a raise at her current job to increase her income.

A. Assumption is present

B. Assumption is absent

The correct answer is (B), Assumption is absent.

Explanation for the answer:

The wife's main point: Our total income will soon go up. Her reasoning: I'll start a new part-time job. The assumption that must be correct for her conclusion to hold: A part-time job will bring in additional income. The assumption that she shouldn't ask for a raise at her current job is not necessary for her conclusion to hold water.

Example 2 – Drawing Conclusions Years ago, Harold and his wife adopted a two-year-old named Betty. Now, Betty is a college student living away from home. Harold feels sad and misses her a lot, wishing she would visit more. Hypothesized Assumption: Harold’s wife isn’t sad.

A. Conclusion is valid

B. Conclusion is invalid

The correct answer is (B), Conclusion is invalid.

Harold's wife isn't mentioned in the story, so we can't make any assumptions about her emotions.

Example 3 – Making Inferences After a drop in applications, a college has had students review their professors' teaching for two years. The college leaders say the reviews are to help teachers improve and to reward the best ones with raises and promotions. Professor Burke, who just retired, wrote a letter criticizing these reviews, saying they lower academic standards. Hypothesized Assumption: The college leaders have more motives than they're admitting.

B. Probably true

C. Insufficient data

E. Probably false

The correct answer is (B), Probably true.

The introduction shows that the college's announcement is a response to fewer student applications. Although the announcement seems to focus on improving teaching quality, it's likely that there's also a concern about the college's reputation and application rates. So, the answer "probably true" fits best.

Professions That Use Critical Thinking Tests

Below are some professions that use critical thinking tests and assessments during the hiring process as well as some positions that demand critical thinking and reasoning skills:

Prepare for Critical Thinking and Critical Reasoning Assessments

The Critical Thinking PrepPack™ offers a comprehensive preparation journey to enhance your critical thinking abilities. With our collection of practice questions, detailed study guides, and informative score reports, we aim to boost your skillset. Begin your prep now to secure your success.

JobTestPrep is not affiliated with any specific test provider. Therefore, while our materials are extremely helpful and styled similarly to most critical thinking tests, they are not an exact match.

What's on this page
Sample Questions
Related Links
CCAT Free Practice Test
SHL Practice Test
Online Preparation for Aflac
AON Caliper Test Preparation

Personality
By Publisher
Prep Access
Articles & News
For Employers

Critical Thinking Test

A Critical Thinking test, also known as a critical reasoning test, determines your ability to reason through an argument logically and make an objective decision. You may be required to assess a situation, recognize assumptions being made, create hypotheses, and evaluate arguments. What questions can I expect? Questions are very likely to be based on the Watson and Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal model, which contains five sections specially designed to find out how good an individual is at reasoning analytically and logically. The five sections are: Arguments: In the argument section you are tested on your ability to distinguish between arguments that are strong and arguments that are weak. For an argument to be strong, it must be both important and directly related to the question. An argument is weak if it is not directly related to the question, of minor importance, or it confuses correlation with causation (which is incorrectly assuming that just because two things are related, they are the cause of each other). Assumptions: An assumption is something we take for granted. People make many assumptions which may not necessarily be correct; being able to identify these is a key aspect of critical reasoning. An assumption question will include a statement and a number of assumptions. You are required to identify whether an assumption has been made or not. Deductions: In deduction questions you have to draw conclusions based on only the information given in the question and not your own knowledge. You will be provided with a small passage of information and you will need to evaluate a conclusion made based on that passage. If the conclusion cannot be drawn from the information given, then the conclusion does not follow. Interpretation: In these questions you are given a passage of information followed by a proposed conclusion. You are to regard the information you are given as true and decide whether the proposed conclusion logically and beyond doubt follows. Inferences: Inference is a conclusion drawn from supposed or observed facts. It is information that does not appear directly in the given information, but is drawn from it. If, for instance, we go to a public restroom and find the door locked, we will assume/make the inference that it is occupied. Where are Critical Thinking tests used? These tests are used in graduate, professional, and managerial recruitment. They are very common in the legal and banking sector.

Practice Critical Thinking Test

Try a free Critical Thinking Test. This test is a short practice test, the test contains 10 test questions and has a time limit of 6 minutes.

Would you like to improve your test score? Practice smart with a Test Prep Account.

Practice on 150 Critical Thinking questions and a total of 950 verbal aptitude questions with detailed description and score statistics.

The many features of a Test Prep Account:

Preparation software developed under a didactic and methodical perspective
High-quality practice test questions
Clearly explained solutions
Accessible on all devices
Detailed score data and progression charts
Reference scores to compare your performance against others
Training Assistant
Practice mode (feedback after every question and no time limit)

Numerical Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning
Inductive Reasoning
Diagrammatic Reasoning
Logical Reasoning
Mechanical Reasoning
Situational Judgement
Deductive reasoning
Critical thinking
Spatial reasoning
Error checking
Verbal comprehension
Reading comprehension
Psychometric tests
Personality test
In-Tray exercise
E-Tray exercise
Group exercise
Roleplay exercise
Presentation exercise
Analysis exercise
Case study exercise
Game based assessments
Competency based assessment
Strengths based assessment
Strengths based interview
Video interview
Saville Assessment
Talent Q / Korn Ferry
Watson Glaser
Test Partnership
Clevry (Criterion)
Criteria Corp
Aon / Cut-e
Sova Assessment
For Practice
For Business

Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Tests

Complex and challenging critical thinking tests, including the Watson-Glaser, are used mostly by law firms.

Page contents:

About critical thinking tests and how they work, free practice critical thinking tests, the watson glaser critical thinking appraisal, what is measured by a watson glaser critical thinking test, what should i know before taking a watson glaser critical thinking test, major publishers' critical thinking tests, advice for all critical thinking tests, assessmentday's practice tests can help you to prepare for a critical thinking test, one final point, other test publishers.

Updated: 08 September 2022

Critical thinking tests, or critical reasoning tests, are psychometric tests used in recruitment at all levels, graduate, professional and managerial, but predominantly in the legal sector. However, it is not uncommon to find companies in other sectors using critical thinking tests as part of their selection process. This is an intense test, focusing primarily on your analytical, or critical thinking, skills. Some tests are still conducted by paper and pen, but, just like other psychometric tests, critical thinking tests are mostly administered online at home or on a computer at a testing center.

The questions are multiple choice, and these choices and the style of questions are explained in more detail further down the page. The tests will often follow these two common timings:

30 questions with a 40 minute time limit
80 questions with a 60 minute time limit

Critical Thinking can be defined in many ways and an exact description is disputed, however, most agree on a broad definition of critical thinking, that 'critical thinking involves rational, purposeful, and goal-directed thinking...by using certain cognitive skills and strategies.' An absence or lack of critical thinking skills at times may lead us to believe things which aren't true, because we haven't sufficiently analysed and criticized the information we've received or used this to formulate and independently test our own theories, arguments and ideas. These are all examples of critical thinking skills put into practice. Glaser (An Experiment in the Development of Critical Thinking, 1941) stated that to think critically involved three key parts:

An attitude of being disposed to consider in a thoughtful way the problems and subjects that come within the range of one's experiences
Knowledge of the methods of logical inquiry and reasoning
Some skill in applying those methods

Note: AssessmentDay and its products are not affiliated with Pearson or TalentLens. Our practice tests are for candidates to prepare for the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal; we do not sell tests for employers to select candidates.

Free Critical Thinking Test

Here, we have a full critical thinking test for you to practice for free. You can dive straight in and practice the full test (in blue at the bottom), or tackle each individual section one at a time.

All answers and explanations are included at the end of the test, or alternatively you can download the Solutions PDF. Each test has been given a generous time limit.

Critical Thinking Test 1

40 questions

Critical Thinking Test 2

Critical thinking test 3, critical thinking test 4.

TalentLens' Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) is the most common critical thinking test. You can visit their official site here: Watson Glaser . Most other critical thinking tests are based on the Watson Glaser format. More than 90 years' of experience have led to many modifications and improvements in the test.

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is widely regarded as a good predictor of work productivity and at identifying candidates with a good potential to become managers and occupy other positions as a senior member of staff. The latest edition of the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test has improved its validity, appealed more to businesses by focusing on business-relevant topics, switched to the Item Response Theory (IRT) for its scoring, updated norm groups, and integrated anti-cheat measures by having an online retest, which can be used to validate results.

Developed by Goodwin Watson and Edward Glaser, the Watson Glaser test is favored by law firms , keen to measure people's abilities to reason, reach conclusions and know when leaps in logic have been made. Skills which are required in the legal sector. The questions in each of the 5 sections aims to evaluate the candidate's ability to:

1. Arrive at correct inferences
2. Identify when an assumption has been made
3. Use deductive reasoning
4. Reach logical conclusions
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of arguments

Did You Know

The most recent revision of the W-GCTA was published in 2011 with notable improvements being better face validity and business-relevant items, scoring based on Item Response Theory (IRT), updated norm groups, and an online retest which can be used to validate a paper and pencil test result.

A Critical thinking tests assesses your ability in 5 key areas mentioned above; assumptions, arguments, deductions, inferences and interpreting information. Often in this order. A short paragraph of text a few sentences long or a single sentence is used as a starting point. This passage will contain information which you will base your answer to the question on. Another sentence is then presented to you and you will be asked to judge something about this sentence based on the information in the short paragraph. The five sections are explained in more detail here:

Assumptions - You are being asked to state whether the information in the second set of text you are presented is an assumption made in the first paragraph. Quite a tricky concept to get your head around at first. In a nutshell, when people speak or make arguments, there are underlying assumptions in those arguments. Here you are presented with some assumptions and are asked to judge if that is being made in the original statement. For example in the statement "only people earning a high salary can afford a fast car," what's being assumed is that fast cars are expensive because only people who are earning a lot of money can buy one, however, what's not being assumed is that people without high salaries aren't legally allowed to buy a fast car. You are asked to choose whether an assumption has been made or has not been made.
Arguments - You are presented with an argument, such as "Should college fees be abolished?" Regardless of your own opinions and thoughts on the argument, you are then presented with statements related to this original argument. You are asked to say whether the responses to the original argument of "Should college fees be abolished?" make for strong or weak arguments. Arguments are considered strong if they are related to the topic such as, "Yes, many people who would benefit from a college education do not because they cannot afford it. This hurts the country's economic growth." The argument presented is sound, related to the original question. Compare this with a weak argument, "No, I do not trust people who read a lot of books." It is clear that the second argument bears very little relation to the subject of the abolition of college tuition fees. This is not to say that an argument against the original argument will always be a weak one, or that an argument in favor will always be a strong one. For example, "Yes, I like people that read books," is in favor of the abolition as indicated by "yes," but that person's like or dislike of others that read books isn't related, or hasn't been explained how it's related to removing the fees. Carefully considering what is being said, remove it from your own personal opinions and political views to objectively analyse what someone else has put forward.
Deductions - A few sentences of information are presented to you. Another separate short statement will also be shown to you, which is supposed to represent a conclusion that someone has reached. You will have to determine whether this conclusion logically follows from the information given to you. Can the statement be deduced from the information available>? If so, and without a doubt, then the conclusion follows, if not, then the conclusion does not follow. Your decision must be based on the information given and not from your own knowledge.
Inferences - A short scenario is described to you, followed by possible inferences. The inferences are short statements. Imagine that these are what people have said is inferred from the scenario. Use your judgement and the short scenario to assess whether what's being said has actually been inferred from the passage and the likelihood of this inference. You are asked to rank each inference as either 'true,' 'false,' 'possibly true,' 'possibly false.' For some proposed inferences there isn't enough information to say either 'true' or 'false' so a fifth option is included; 'more information required.' You can only select one option from the five.
Interpreting Information - Following a similar format to the previous four sections, a short passage of information and then a series of statements are shown to you. You are asked to judge whether the information in the passage can be interpreted as the statements suggest. The answer options are straightforward here; you either select 'conclusion follows,' or 'conclusion does not follow,' depending on whether or not you believe that the statement can be logically reached from the information given. Again, for this section and all others, you are to base your choice of answer on what you're given, not on any specialized knowledge you might have.

If a watson glaser critical thinking test is used in the early stages of the application process it's likely to be used as a screening tool. This puts some pressure on candidates to meet a minimum pass mark, which will allow them to be selected to go on to the next stage of the selection process. If it's used at a later stage in the process, the results from this will be combined with performance in other assessments, tests, exercises and interviews. All the information you need to answer the questions will be in the test. Below the details of a few companies' critical thinking tests are pointed out.

Here is a list of critical reasoning tests on the market at present, which candidates may be likely to encounter for recruitment, selection or development.

W-GCTA - The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal as it is formally called is the most ubiquitous critical thinking test out there. This is the one that you are most likely to encounter.
GMAT - The general management aptitude test, used by business schools and colleges test students' critical thinking ability. The critical thinking questions are written in a business or finance context.
SHL - SHL have produced the Critical Reasoning Test Battery composed of 60 critical reasoning questions with a strict time limit of 30 minutes.
Cornell - Cornell have developed a critical thinking test to be used in educational environments. The two levels, X and Z, are aimed at children and adults, respectively.
Area-specific - There are tests which focus on either numerical critical reasoning skills and verbal critical reasoning skills. These tests will ask only numerical or only verbal questions to assess your skills in a specific area.

Here is some general advice to help you perform to the best of your ability for your critical reasoning test.

No prior knowledge - The key point here is that critical reasoning tests are measuring your ability to think, or the method that you use to reach a conclusion. You should therefore not rely on prior knowledge to answer the question. Questions will be written so that you do not need to know any specialist knowledge to answer the question. For example, you will not be expected to know mathematical formulas or laws of nature and to answer questions with that information. If you are given the formula and its description in the questions, you are expected to use that information to reach the answer.
Carefully read the instructions - There are 5 sections to most critical thinking tests and each will assess a slightly different skill. Make sure you have read the instructions and understand what it is you are expected to do to answer the questions for this section. There is quite a difference between the Assumptions section and the Deductions section for example. Applying the rules of one to the other would lead to just guessing the answers and making many mistakes.
Keep your eye on the timer - These tests are complex. You might find yourself fixated on answering one question and taking up a lot of the time you are allowed. Checking how much time you have every so often can help you to more evenly distribute your time between the questions. This is done to avoid spending too much time on one question when that time would be better spent answering more or checking your answers. This time management applies to all tests, but is particularly important with Critical Thinking tests, as many people believe they have such a large amount of time, but underestimate the number of questions they have to answer.
Logical fallacies - Identifying logical fallacies is key to many parts of this test, and researching the difference between sound and fallacious logic will prove helpful in a critical reasoning test. A fallacy is an error in reasoning due to a misconception or a presumption, and an argument which employs a formal fallacy, logical fallacy or a deductive fallacy in its reasoning becomes an invalid argument. Researching the different types of fallacy (i.e. red herring argument, straw man argument, confusing correlation and causation etc.) can help you spot these in the test and correctly answer the question.

The practice tests that we have cover all of the sections of the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking test and these overlap with many of the variations in Critical Thinking tests produced by major publishers. practice helps to increase your confidence, gives you a chance to learn from your mistakes in a risk-free environment, and can reduce stress before an exam.

The best place to get advice on taking a critical thinking tests is the test publisher's website, for example this one for the Watson Glaser .

If you have already successfully passed a few initial stages of the application process, it's unlikely that companies will focus solely on your results in the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking test when deciding whether or not to hire you. This type of selection by results on one test is more likely if it is part of the early stages of the process. However, towards the later stages the company will look at your results across interviews, group exercises, other aptitude tests and your résumé and will collate all of this information before reaching a decision. If you have been invited to undertake a critical reasoning test then the organisation clearly has an interest in hiring you, let that fact inspire confidence and perform to the best of your ability on your test, good luck!

You may also be interested in these popular tests sections.

Critical thinking definition

Critical thinking, as described by Oxford Languages, is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Active and skillful approach, evaluation, assessment, synthesis, and/or evaluation of information obtained from, or made by, observation, knowledge, reflection, acumen or conversation, as a guide to belief and action, requires the critical thinking process, which is why it's often used in education and academics.

Some even may view it as a backbone of modern thought.

However, it's a skill, and skills must be trained and encouraged to be used at its full potential.

People turn up to various approaches in improving their critical thinking, like:

Developing technical and problem-solving skills
Engaging in more active listening
Actively questioning their assumptions and beliefs
Seeking out more diversity of thought
Opening up their curiosity in an intellectual way etc.

Is critical thinking useful in writing?

Critical thinking can help in planning your paper and making it more concise, but it's not obvious at first. We carefully pinpointed some the questions you should ask yourself when boosting critical thinking in writing:

What information should be included?
Which information resources should the author look to?
What degree of technical knowledge should the report assume its audience has?
What is the most effective way to show information?
How should the report be organized?
How should it be designed?
What tone and level of language difficulty should the document have?

Usage of critical thinking comes down not only to the outline of your paper, it also begs the question: How can we use critical thinking solving problems in our writing's topic?

Let's say, you have a Powerpoint on how critical thinking can reduce poverty in the United States. You'll primarily have to define critical thinking for the viewers, as well as use a lot of critical thinking questions and synonyms to get them to be familiar with your methods and start the thinking process behind it.

Are there any services that can help me use more critical thinking?

We understand that it's difficult to learn how to use critical thinking more effectively in just one article, but our service is here to help.

We are a team specializing in writing essays and other assignments for college students and all other types of customers who need a helping hand in its making. We cover a great range of topics, offer perfect quality work, always deliver on time and aim to leave our customers completely satisfied with what they ordered.

The ordering process is fully online, and it goes as follows:

Select the topic and the deadline of your essay.
Provide us with any details, requirements, statements that should be emphasized or particular parts of the essay writing process you struggle with.
Leave the email address, where your completed order will be sent to.
Select your prefered payment type, sit back and relax!

With lots of experience on the market, professionally degreed essay writers , online 24/7 customer support and incredibly low prices, you won't find a service offering a better deal than ours.

IMAGES

Critical Thinking Test: Questions and Answers
48 Critical Thinking Questions For Any Content Area
Critical Thinking Test
6 Examples of Critical Thinking Skills
Examples of Critical Thinking Ability Test Question on Aspects of
25 Critical Thinking Examples (2024)

VIDEO

#brain test#logical #criticalthinking#maths #shortsfeed#shorts#ytshorts #upsc#motivation#ibps#sort
🔓🧠💯Unlock Your Brain Full Potential with these 💥🤔🔎Top 4 Exercises to Boost Critical Thinking Skills
Critical Thinking Free Practice Question 7
Critical Thinking NCLEX Questions (NCLEX Review)
Tricks to Solve Inferences and Conclusions Based Questions?
Critical Reasoning

COMMENTS

Critical Thinking Test: Free Practice Questions
We will examine examples of critical thinking questions, illuminating the challenging scenarios that candidates encounter prompting them to navigate the complexities of thought with finesse. Critical Thinking Practice Test. Before going ahead to take the critical thinking test, let's delve into the realm of preparation.
Free Critical Thinking Test: Sample Questions & Explanations
The Critical Thinking Test assesses your capacity to think critically and form logical conclusions when given written information. Critical thinking tests are generally used in job recruitment processes, in the legal sector. These tests measure the analytical critical thinking abilities of a candidate.
41+ Critical Thinking Examples (Definition + Practices)
There are many resources to help you determine if information sources are factual or not. 7. Socratic Questioning. This way of thinking is called the Socrates Method, named after an old-time thinker from Greece. It's about asking lots of questions to understand a topic.
Critical Thinking test
This Critical Thinking test measures your ability to think critically and draw logical conclusions based on written information. Critical Thinking tests are often used in job assessments in the legal sector to assess a candidate's analytical critical thinking skills. A well known example of a critical thinking test is the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal.
Critical Thinking Test Free Practice 28 Questions + Score Report
Critical thinking, also known as critical reasoning, is the ability to assess a situation and consider/understand various perspectives, all while acknowledging, extracting and deciphering facts, opinions and assumptions. Critical thinking tests are a sub-type of aptitude exams or psychometric tests used in pre-employment assessment for jobs ...
Critical Thinking Test: Free Practice Questions & Tips
The critical thinking test is difficult to study for because the test is designed to assess your bare knowledge and raw skills. In order to prepare successfully, it is important to focus on the areas of the test that you can equip yourself for. ... Another helpful way to prepare is running through sample questions. This way, you can warm-up ...
Critical Thinking Test Assessment
The critical thinking test is timed, so decisions need to be made quickly and accurately; in most tests there is a little less than a minute for each question. ... 5 Example critical thinking practice questions with answers Inference. In this section, you need to deduce whether the inferred statement is true, false or impossible to deduce ...
Critical Thinking Tests: A Complete Guide
Most Common Critical Thinking Tests in 2024 Watson Glaser Test. Watson Glaser is the most commonly used test publisher for critical thinking assessments and is used by many industries.. When sitting a Watson Glaser test, your results will be compared against a sample group of over 1,500 test-takers who are considered representative of graduate-level candidates.
How to Prepare for a Critical Thinking Test: Effective Strategies and
What are the best sources for critical thinking test samples? The best sources for critical thinking test samples are reputable websites and platforms that offer practice tests and resources tailored to the specific critical thinking test format. Some examples include Psychometric Success, Practice Aptitude Tests, and Practice4Me. These ...
Online Critical Thinking Basic Concepts Sample Test
The Online Critical Thinking Basic Concepts Sample Test is freely available to the public. The sample test is intended for use as a demonstration of both the content and grading tools which are available in the full version of this test. The sample test has a limited number of questions compared to the full version, and therefore should not be ...
Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Tests: Free Examples & Tips
Watson Glaser test is a comprehensive psychometric assessment that falls under the category of critical thinking tests. It is designed to determine how well an individual can process information from a logical perspective, and then evaluate, analyze and make sound judgments. Watson Glaser test is commonly used in the recruitment process for ...
Online Critical Thinking Basic Concepts Test
It is the only critical thinking test that approaches critical thinking as a trans-disciplinary system of interconnected concepts, principles, and understandings. It focuses on the five essential dimensions of critical thinking: 1. The analysis of thought. 2. The assessment of thought. 3. The dispositions of thought. 4. The skills and abilities ...
What Is Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking is the ability to effectively analyze information and form a judgment. To think critically, you must be aware of your own biases and assumptions when encountering information, and apply consistent standards when evaluating sources. Critical thinking skills help you to: Identify credible sources. Evaluate and respond to arguments.
Sample Critical Thinking Test Questions
If you're applying for a graduate job, you'll probably have to pass a critical thinking test. Here, we're going to take a look at a few sample critical thinking test questions that you should use as practice for the real critical thinking test. Sample Critical Thinking Test Questions Section 1 - Evaluating Arguments
Watson-Glaser Assessments: Guidelines & Practice Examples
The Watson Glaser Assessment (Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal) is designed by Pearson Talentlens - a part of the famous Pearson education publishing house. The assessment is a quick, consistent, and accurate measurement of the test-takers ability to analyze, reason, interpret and draw logical conclusions from written information.
Full Critical Thinking Test Guide 2024
Critical thinking comes in many forms, so we have put together a variety of questions to test your critical thinking skills. Example 1 - Identifying Assumptions. A wife tells her husband that their combined income is not as high as it could be. She plans to start working a part-time job soon to earn more money.
Sample Test
Sample Test Online Critical Thinking Basic Concepts SAMPLE Test. Part One: On the Nature of Critical Thinking Q: Critical thinking is essential to reasoning well through complicated issues. True; False; Q: Critical thinking and creativity entail two distinctly different processes. True
Critical Thinking Practice Test
Use sample questions and practice tests to hone your skills. This will not only improve your critical thinking abilities but also help you become familiar with the test format. 3. Review Your Answers: After completing a practice test, review your answers. Understand why you got a question right or wrong.
Critical Thinking Test
Practice Critical Thinking Test. Try a free Critical Thinking Test. This test is a short practice test, the test contains 10 test questions and has a time limit of 6 minutes. Would you like to improve your test score? Practice smart with a Test Prep Account. Practice on 150 Critical Thinking questions and a total of 950 verbal aptitude ...
Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Free Practice Tests
These are all examples of critical thinking skills put into practice. Glaser (An Experiment in the Development of Critical Thinking, 1941) stated that to think critically involved three key parts: ... If a watson glaser critical thinking test is used in the early stages of the application process it's likely to be used as a screening tool. This ...
6 Main Types of Critical Thinking Skills (With Examples)
Critical thinking skills examples. There are six main skills you can develop to successfully analyze facts and situations and come up with logical conclusions: 1. Analytical thinking. Being able to properly analyze information is the most important aspect of critical thinking. This implies gathering information and interpreting it, but also ...
PDF The International Critical Thinking Reading & Writing Test
The International Critical Thinking Reading & Writing Test assesses the ability of students to use reading and writing as tools for acquiring knowledge. To appreciate the significance ... Students give examples, from their experience, of ideas in texts. 5. Students connect the core ideas in a text to other core ideas they understand.
Using Critical Thinking in Essays and other Assignments
Learn what critical thinking is and how to use it in writing essays and other assignments. Find out how to improve your critical thinking skills, get tips and examples, and order custom papers from OnlineCriticalThinking.com.
Critical Thinking: Definition and Analysis
Essentially, critical thinking acts as intellectual armor, equipping individuals with the tools to navigate the complex landscape of information and ideas in today's world. One of the foundational elements of critical thinking is analysis. Analysis entails breaking down complex ideas or issues into their constituent parts, closely examining ...
Critical thinking through learning models based on Edmodo eliciting
The sample was selected through a homogeneity test from 4 parallel classes of one junior high school in Bandung Indonesia, two classes were selected, namely class VIII A as the experimental class and VIII D as the control class. The instrument uses an initial mathematical ability test and critical thinking abilities.

What is the Critical Thinking Test?

Critical Thinking Test: Sample Questions with Explanations (2024)

What Does The Critical Thinking Test Include?

Why Is Critical Thinking Useful?

What is Watson Glaser Test and what Critical Thinking Skills it Measures?

Questions 25

Critical Thinking Course

The Five Critical Thinking Skills Explained

2. Evaluation of Arguments

3. Deductions

4. Interpretation

5. Inferences

Improve Your Score with Prepterminal’s Critical Thinking Course

Created by: Matt

41+ Critical Thinking Examples (Definition + Practices)

Critical Thinking Process Outline

Critical Thinking Methods

1. "What If" Scenarios

3. Analyze Visual Data

4. Mind Mapping

5. Weekly Diary

6. Evaluating Information Sources

7. Socratic Questioning

8. Six Thinking Hats

9. SWOT Analysis

Everyday Examples

10. Deciding to buy something

11. Deciding what is true

12. Deciding when you’re wrong

13. Deciding what to eat

14. Deciding what to do today

15. Making Tough Choices

16. Planning for the Future

Job Examples

18. Decision Making

19. Setting Goals

20. Evaluating Ideas

21. Handling Conflict

22. Improving Processes

23. Asking Questions

24. Checking Facts

25. Planning for the Future

26. Understanding Perspectives

School Examples

28. Debating an Issue

29. Evaluating Sources

30. Problem Solving in Math

31. Analyzing Literature

32. Testing a Hypothesis

33. Giving Peer Feedback

34. Questioning Assumptions

35. Designing a Study

36. Interpreting Data

Critical Thinking Puzzles

37. The Farmer, Fox, Chicken, and Grain Problem

38. The Rope, Jar, and Pebbles Problem

39. The Two Guards Problem

40. The Hourglass Problem

41. The Lifeboat Dilemma

42. The Tech Dilemma

43. The History Mystery

The Role of Bias in Critical Thinking

How Bias Gets in the Way of Good Thinking

How to Overcome Biases

Critical Thinking Puzzles (Solutions)

The Rope, Jar, and Pebbles Problem

The Two Guards Problem

The Hourglass Problem

The Boat and Weights Problem

The Lifeboat Dilemma

The Tech Dilemma

The History Mystery

Related posts:

About The Author

Free Personality Test

Free Memory Test

Free IQ Test

Psychology Resources

Psychology Tests

Critical Thinking test