critical thinking test scores

California Critical Thinking Skills Test

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The  California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST)  is an educational assessment that measures all the core reasoning skills needed for reflective decision-making. The CCTST provides valid and reliable data on critical thinking skills of individuals and of groups.  It is designed for use with undergraduate and graduate students. It is available in many languages and its OVERALL skills score can be benchmarked using one of many percentile comparisons. Clients most commonly use the  CCTST for admissions, advising and retention, studies of curriculum effectiveness, accreditation, and the documentation of student learning outcomes.

For assessment specs, administration, metrics reported, and more, scroll down. Contact us by using the “Request A Quote” button to ask a question. Or phone us at 650-697-5628 to speak with an assessment services client support specialist.

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Higher education.

CCTST is calibrated for undergraduate and graduate level college students across the full spectrum of disciplines and fields of study.

Administration

Administered online with a secure, multi-lingual interface, it’s user-friendly and accessible anywhere.

Support Materials

User Manual includes all needed information about administering the assessment and interpreting the resulting individual and group scores.

Assessment Specs

55 minutes timed administration; 40 engaging, scenario-based questions

Deliverables

Group graphics with statistical summary of scores; Excel spreadsheet of responses to all custom demographic questions, and all scores for each person tested. Optional individual score reports for administrators and/or test takers.

Results Reported

Metrics include scores for 8 critical skills, plus an OVERALL rating. Population percentile scores are available for benchmarking.

All of the CCTST metrics are on a 100-point scale with a corresponding qualitative rating (Superior, Strong, Moderate, Weak, Not Manifested).

Available in English, Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian-Bahasa, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese languages.

CCTST provides 8  cognitive skill scores to focus future development and training. Items are drawn from a scientifically developed and tested item pool.

• OVERALL Critical Thinking Skills – Sustained use of critical thinking to form reasoned judgments
• Analysis  – Accurate identification of the problem and decision-critical elements
• Interpretation  – Discovering and determining significance and contextual meaning
• Inference –  Drawing warranted and logical conclusions from reasons and evidence
• Evaluation  – Assessing credibility of claims and the strength of arguments
• Explanation  – Providing the evidence, reasons, assumptions, or rationale for judgments and decisions
• Induction  – Reasoned judgment in ambiguous, risky, and uncertain contexts
• Deduction  – Reasoned judgment in precisely defined, logically rigorous contexts
• Numeracy  – Sustained use of critical thinking skills in quantitative contexts (quantitative reasoning)

The  California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST)  Report Package includes an individual test-taker report for each person assessed and group summary reports for each group and sub-group in the sample.

Reports are generated immediately after the conclusion of testing and are available for clients to download making real time assessment possible. Read more about how our  customer support specialists work with clients to select their reporting options on our Services tab or contact us for a consultation.

Group Analytics

• Clients can generate and download Excel spreadsheet files of all scores (OVERALL, Percentile ranking and all cognitive score metrics). At the option of the client, these also include the responses to custom demographic questions added by the client to the assessment profile, and percentile scores corresponding to the external comparison group selected by the client.
• Presentation-ready tables and graphic representations of the score distribution for OVERALL critical thinking skills and for the additional cognitive skill metrics.
• Customers who have added custom demographic questions can generate sub-group reports for these variables, or for specific testing sessions or time periods.

Optional Individual Test-Taker Reports

• An overall score of critical thinking skills (OVERALL Score). OVERALL is reported on a 100-point scale accompanied by a qualitative rating (Superior, Strong, Moderate, Weak, Not Manifested), and a comparison percentile score.
• Scores for each cognitive skill metric. These metrics are scored on a 100-point scale and are accompanied by a categorical interpretation of the strength of the score indicating areas of strength and areas for future development.
• The Individual Test Taker Report can be pushed to an email address of the client’s choosing (for example, to an admissions office email, institutional assessment email, dean’s office email, etc.).
• The client controls whether individual reports are made available to the test-taker.

Need to expedite your project?  We can have your first online testing assignment available for your students within 24 hours.  Request a Quote or get started by calling 650-697-5628 and speaking with one of our assessment specialists today.

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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.

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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:

Or explore the Aptitude Tests / Test Types sections.

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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.

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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!

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Online Critical Thinking Basic Concepts Test

Assessing the Understanding of Basic Critical Thinking Concepts and Principles Developed by Dr. Linda Elder, Dr. Richard Paul, and Dr. Rush Cosgrove

The test is a t hree -p art, 100 -i tem t est . The test can be used at the high-school level and above, and it takes approximately 45 minutes to complete.

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The test is based on the substantive approach to critical thinking developed by Dr. Paul and his colleagues at the Foundation for Critical Thinking over decades of work. 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 of thought. 5.  The obstacles or barriers to critical thought.

The test is designed for use at the high school level (grade 10) and above (college, university, and graduate level). Our online testing software has been custom-developed by the Foundation for Critical Thinking to provide comprehensive grading and reporting for both the student and teacher. The test measures the extent to which students, faculty, or, indeed, any persons understand the fundamental concepts embedded in critical thinking. A high score provides evidence of the person having done some critical thinking about critical thinking. It implies that the person is more likely to think critically than someone scoring low on the test. It measures, in other words, the necessary understandings for thinking critically . Of course, the test cannot guarantee that persons with basic critical thinking understandings will use them effectively in their lives. No critical thinking test can. The Online Critical Thinking Basic Concepts Test can assist faculty in determining the extent to which they are succeeding (or not succeeding) in helping students develop the understandings which will enable them to think critically - through course content and through problems and issues they will face in their lives. Most importantly, use of the test, especially when combined with other effective critical thinking assessment approaches, has a high degree of consequential validity . In other words, proper use of the test will lead to greater emphasis on the fundamentals of critical thinking.  For a richer understanding of assessment in critical thinking, see our white paper: Consequential Validity: Using Assessment to Drive Instruction . In this paper, we focus on the primary purpose of assessment in instruction - improvement. The purpose of assessing instruction for critical thinking is to improve the teaching of discipline-based thinking (historical thinking, biological thinking , sociological thinking , mathematical thinking, and so on). It is to improve students’ abilities to think their way through content, problems, and issues using disciplined skill in reasoning. The more particular we can be about what we want students to learn about critical thinking, the better can we devise instruction with that particular end in view. Nothing is more important in this process than our conceptualization of critical thinking, which is why we advocate a substantive, robust, trans-disciplinary conception of critical thinking. Use of this test can be an important part of the critical thinking assessment process, in providing faculty with data illuminating the extent to which students are learning or have learned the fundamentals of critical thinking. The test may also be used by administrators - for example, in connection with accreditation processes - to assess faculty understanding of critical thinking basic concepts and principles, and therefore readiness to foster critical thinking. The test provides statistical group data on the test as a whole, as well as on essential critical thinking understandings. It may be used in a pre/post format, and students may retake the test up to eight times with no additional charge per student over a four-year period. Home study teachers or companies wishing to use the test to assess employee understandings of critical thinking may also benefit from use of the test. This test is licensed for use only on this website (www.criticalthinking.org). It may not be copied, nor may it be utilized through other distribution methods. The Foundation for Critical Thinking reserves the right to modify the test in any way it deems fit and at any time.

How Is the Test Packaged and Licensed? This test is sold on a per-student basis, not per test. Each student may take the test up to 8 times over 4 years. We believe that this test is a valuable assessment, learning, and development tool when taken multiple times. Online test results are analyzed and compared over time to show one's progress in understanding core concepts of critical thinking, and to assist in the development of that understanding. We suggest a testing schedule of 2 to 4 times per year in a pre/post test format. How to Purchase the Test The test is licensed for Groups and Institutions starting with a minimum of 10 licenses per purchase. There is no setup fee for this test. An administrative account is automatically created upon purchase. Please note the total number of licenses purchased should include one license for the Administrator (e.g. if you have 50 students, you need to purchase 51 licenses in total - one for the Administrator, and one for each student.)

License orders paid by credit card are activated immediately. Payment by other methods, such as purchase order or check,  will delay activation of the test account until payment is received by the Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Please note that there is a no-refund policy on our online tests.  We therefore highly recommend that you take the sample test before purchasing the full version.

Test Administration and Features When you purchase test licenses, you are provided a set of tools in your web account to manage your students. The Group Administrator (the account that purchases the test licenses) has access to student rosters, group statistics, and the ability to customize what students can see after taking the test (allowing it to be used for assessment purposes or as online learning tool, depending on the administrator's preference). A student enrollment link is provided for the group administrator to distribute to students, along with a group password. Students are guided through a simple account setup process and then taken directly to the test.

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Critical Thinking Tests

• 228 questions

Critical thinking tests, sometimes known as critical reasoning tests, are often used by employers. They evaluate how a candidate makes logical deductions after scrutinising the evidence provided, while avoiding fallacies or non-factual opinions. Critical thinking tests can form part of an assessment day, or be used as a screening test before an interview.

What is a critical thinking test?

A critical thinking test assesses your ability to use a range of logical skills to evaluate given information and make a judgement. The test is presented in such a way that candidates are expected to quickly scrutinise the evidence presented and decide on the strength of the arguments.

Critical thinking tests show potential employers that you do not just accept data and can avoid subconscious bias and opinions – instead, you can find logical connections between ideas and find alternative interpretations.

This test is usually timed, so quick, clear, logical thinking will help candidates get the best marks. Critical thinking tests are designed to be challenging, and often used as part of the application process for upper-management-level roles.

What does critical thinking mean?

Critical thinking is the intellectual skill set that ensures you can process and consider information, challenge and analyse data, and then reach a conclusion that can be defended and justified.

In the most simple terms, critical reasoning skills will make sure that you are not simply accepting information at face value with little or no supporting evidence.

It also means that you are less likely to be swayed by ‘false news’ or opinions that cannot be backed with facts – which is important in high-level jobs that require logical thinking.

For more information about logical thinking, please see our article all about logical reasoning .

Which professions use critical thinking tests, and why?

Typically, critical thinking tests are taken as part of the application process for jobs that require advanced skills in judgement, analysis and decision making. The higher the position, the more likely that you will need to demonstrate reliable critical reasoning and good logic.

The legal sector is the main industry that uses critical thinking assessments – making decisions based on facts, without opinion and intuition, is vital in legal matters.

A candidate for a legal role needs to demonstrate their intellectual skills in problem-solving without pre-existing knowledge or subconscious bias – and the critical thinking test is a simple and effective way to screen candidates.

Another industry that uses critical thinking tests as part of the recruitment process is banking. In a similar way to the legal sector, those that work in banking are required to make decisions without allowing emotion, intuition or opinion to cloud coherent analysis and conclusions.

Critical thinking tests also sometimes comprise part of the recruitment assessment for graduate and management positions across numerous industries.

The format of the test: which skills are tested?

The test itself, no matter the publisher, is multiple choice.

As a rule, the questions present a paragraph of information for a scenario that may include numerical data. There will then be a statement and a number of possible answers.

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. Having experience of the test structure and what each question is looking for will make the experience smoother for you.

There are typically five separate sections in a critical thinking test, and each section may have multiple questions.

Inference questions assess your ability to judge whether a statement is true, false, or impossible to determine based on the given data and scenario. You usually have five possible answers: absolutely true, absolutely false, possibly true, possibly false, or not possible to determine.

Assumptions

In this section, you are being assessed on your ability to avoid taking things for granted. Each question gives a scenario including data, and you need to evaluate whether there are any assumptions present.

Here you are given a scenario and a number of deductions that may be applicable. You need to assess the given deductions to see which is the logical conclusion – does it follow?

Interpretation

In the interpretation stage, you need to read and analyse a paragraph of information, then interpret a set of possible conclusions, to see which one is correct. You are looking for the conclusion that follows beyond reasonable doubt.

Evaluation of Arguments

In this section, you are given a scenario and a set of arguments that can be for or against. You need to determine which are strong arguments and which are weak, in terms of the information that you have. This decision is made based on the way they address the scenario and how relevant they are to the content.

How best to prepare for a critical thinking test

The best way to prepare for any type of aptitude test is to practice, and critical thinking tests are no different.

Taking practice tests, as mentioned above, will give you confidence as it makes you better understand the structure, layout and timing of the real tests, so you can concentrate on the actual scenarios and questions.

Practice tests should be timed. This will help you get used to working through the scenarios and assessing the conclusions under time constraints – which is a good way to make sure that you perform quickly as well as accurately.

In some thinking skills assessments , a timer will be built in, but you might need to time yourself.

Consistent practice will also enable you to pinpoint any areas of the critical thinking test that require improvement. Our tests offer explanations for each answer, similar to the examples provided above.

Publishers of critical thinking tests

The watson glaser critical thinking test.

The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (W-GCTA) is the most popular and widely used critical thinking test. This test has been in development for 85 years and is published by TalentLens .

The W-GCTA is seen as a successful tool for assessing cognitive abilities, allowing recruiting managers to predict job success, find good managers and identify future leaders. It is available in multiple languages including English, French and Spanish.

The test itself can be used as part of an assessment day or as a screening assessment before an interview. It consists of 40 questions on the 5 sections mentioned above, and is timed at 30 minutes. Click here for more information on Watson Glaser tests .

SHL critical reasoning test

SHL is a major aptitude test publisher, which offers critical thinking as part of its testing battery for pre-employment checks.

SHL tests cover all kinds of behavioural and aptitude tests, from logic to inference, verbal to numerical – and with a number of test batteries available online, they are one of the most popular choices for recruiters.

Cornell critical thinking test

The Cornell critical thinking test was made to test students and first developed in 1985. It is an American system that helps teachers, parents and administrators to confidently predict future performance for college admission, gifted and advanced placement programs, and even career success.

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5 Example critical thinking practice questions with answers

In this section, you need to deduce whether the inferred statement is true, false or impossible to deduce.

The UK Government has published data that shows 82% of people under the age of 30 are not homeowners. A charity that helps homeless people has published data that shows 48% of people that are considered homeless are under 30.

The lack of affordable housing on the sales market is the reason so many under-30s are homeless.

• Definitely True
• Probably True
• Impossible to Deduce
• Probably False
• Definitely False

The information given does not infer the conclusion given, so it is impossible to deduce if the inference is correct – there is just not enough information to judge the inference as correct.

The removal of the five-substitution rule in British football will benefit clubs with a smaller roster.

Clubs with more money would prefer the five-substitute rule to continue.

• Assumption Made

Assumption Not Made

This is an example of a fallacy that could cause confusion for a candidate – it encourages you to bring in any pre-existing knowledge of football clubs.

It would be easy to assume the assumption has been made when you consider that the more money a club has, the more players they should have on the roster. However, the statement does not make the assumption that the clubs with more money would prefer to continue with the five-substitute rule.

All boys love football. Football is a sport, therefore:

• All boys love all sports
• Girls do not love football
• Boys are more likely to choose to play football than any other sport

In this section we are looking for the conclusion that follows the logic of the statement. In this example, we cannot deduce that girls do not love football, because there is not enough information to support that.

In the same way the conclusion that all boys love all sports does not follow – we are not given enough information to make that assumption. So, the conclusion that follows is 3: boys are more likely to choose football than any other sport because all boys like football.

The British Museum has a range of artefacts on display, including the largest privately owned collection of WWII weaponry.

There is a larger privately owned collection of WWII weaponry in the USA.

• Conclusion Follows

Conclusion Does Not Follow

The fact that the collection is in the British Museum does not make a difference to the fact it is the largest private collection – so there cannot be a larger collection elsewhere.

The Department for Education should lower standards in examinations to make it fairer for less able students.

• Yes – top grades are too hard for lower-income students
• No – less fortunate students are not capable of higher standards
• Yes – making the standards lower will benefit all students
• No – private school students will suffer if grade standards are lower
• The strongest argument is the right answer, not the one that you might personally believe.

In this case, we need to assess which argument is most relevant to the statement. Both 1 and 4 refer to students in particular situations, which isn’t relevant to the statement. The same can be said about 2, so the strongest argument is 3, since it is relevant and addresses the statement given.

Sample Critical Thinking Tests question Test your knowledge!

What implication can be drawn from the information in the passage?

A company’s internal audit revealed that departments with access to advanced analytics tools reported higher levels of strategic decision-making. These departments also showed a higher rate of reaching their quarterly objectives.

• Strategic decision-making has no link to the achievement of quarterly objectives.
• Access to advanced analytics does not influence a department's ability to make strategic decisions.
• Advanced analytics tools are the sole reason for departments reaching their quarterly objectives.
• Departments without access to advanced analytics tools are unable to make strategic decisions.
• Advanced analytics tools may facilitate better strategic decision-making, which can lead to the achievement of objectives.

After reading the passage below, what conclusion is best supported by the information provided?

• Job satisfaction increases when employees start their day earlier.
• Starting early may lead to more efficient task completion and less job-related stress.
• Workers who start their day later are more efficient at completing tasks.
• There is a direct correlation between job satisfaction and starting work early.
• The study concludes that job-related stress is unaffected by the start time of the workday.

Based on the passage below, which of the following assumptions is implicit?

• Inter-departmental cooperation is the sole factor influencing project completion rates.
• The increase in project completion rates is due entirely to the specialized team-building module.
• Team-building exercises have no effect on inter-departmental cooperation.
• The specialized team-building module may contribute to improvements in inter-departmental cooperation.
• Departments that have not undergone the training will experience a decrease in project completion rates.

What is the flaw in the argument presented in the passage below?

• The assumption that a casual dress code is suitable for all company types.
• High-tech companies have a casual dress code to increase employee productivity specifically.
• The argument correctly suggests that a casual dress code will increase employee morale in every company.
• Morale and productivity cannot be affected by a company's dress code.
• A casual dress code is more important than other factors in determining a company's success.

Which statement is an inference that can be drawn from the passage below?

• Telecommuting employees are less productive than on-site workers.
• The reduction in operational costs is directly caused by the increase in telecommuting employees.
• Telecommuting may have contributed to the decrease in operational costs.
• Operational costs are unaffected by employee work locations.
• The number of telecommuting employees has no impact on operational costs.

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Critical Thinking Tests Tips

The most important factor in your success will be practice. If you have taken some practice tests, not only will you start to recognise the way questions are worded and become familiar with what each question is looking for, you will also be able to find out whether there are any parts that you need extra practice with.

It is important to find out which test you will be taking, as some generic critical thinking practice tests might not help if you are taking specific publisher tests (see the section below).

2 Fact vs fallacy

Practice questions can also help you recognise the difference between fact and fallacy in the test. A fallacy is simply an error or something misleading in the scenario paragraph that encourages you to choose an invalid argument. This might be a presumption or a misconception, but if it isn’t spotted it can make finding the right answer impossible.

3 Ignore what you already know

There is no need for pre-existing knowledge to be brought into the test, so no research is needed. In fact, it is important that you ignore any subconscious bias when you are considering the questions – you need logic and facts to get the correct answer, not intuition or instinct.

4 Read everything carefully

Read all the given information thoroughly. This might sound straightforward, but knowing that the test is timed can encourage candidates to skip content and risk misunderstanding the content or miss crucial details.

During the test itself, you will receive instructions that will help you to understand what is being asked of you on each section. There is likely to be an example question and answer, so ensure you take the time to read them fully.

5 Stay aware of the time you've taken

This test is usually timed, so don’t spend too long on a question. If you feel it is going to take too much time, leave it and come back to it at the end (if you have time). Critical thinking tests are complex by design, so they do have quite generous time limits.

For further advice, check out our full set of tips for critical thinking tests .

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Critical Thinking Tests FAQs

What are the basics of critical thinking.

In essence, critical thinking is the intellectual process of considering information on its merits, and reaching an analysis or conclusion from that information that can be defended and rationalised with evidence.

How do you know if you have good critical thinking skills?

You are likely to be someone with good critical thinking skills if you can build winning arguments; pick holes in someone’s theory if it’s inconsistent with known facts; reflect on the biases inherent in your own experiences and assumptions; and look at problems using a systematic methodology.

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.

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

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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.

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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 likely based on the Watson and Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal model, which contains five sections designed to assess how well an individual reasons analytically and logically. The five sections are:

Arguments : In this section, you are tested on your ability to distinguish between strong and weak arguments. For an argument to be strong, it must be both significant and directly related to the question. An argument is considered weak if it is not directly related to the question, of minor importance, or confuses correlation with causation, which is the incorrect assumption that correlation implies causation.

Assumptions : An assumption is something taken for granted. People often make assumptions that may not be correct. Being able to identify these is a key aspect of critical reasoning. A typical assumption question will present a statement and several assumptions, and you are required to identify whether an assumption has been made.

Deductions : Deduction questions require you to draw conclusions based solely on the information provided in the question, disregarding your own knowledge. You will be given a passage of information and must evaluate whether a conclusion made from that passage is valid.

Interpretation : In these questions, you are given a passage of information followed by a proposed conclusion. You must consider the information as true and decide whether the proposed conclusion logically and undoubtedly follows.

Inferences : Inference involves drawing conclusions from observed or supposed facts. It is about deducing information that is not explicitly stated but implied by the given information. For example, if we find a public restroom door locked, we infer that it is occupied.

Critical Thinking example:

Read the following statement and decide whether the conclusion logically follows from the information given.

Statement: Every librarian at the city library has completed a master’s degree in Library Science. Sarah is a librarian at the city library.

Conclusion: Sarah has completed a master’s degree in Library Science.

Does this conclusion logically follow from the statement?

Answer Options:

Explanation: Select your answer to display explanation.

The statement establishes that every librarian at the city library has completed a master’s degree in Library Science. Since Sarah is identified as a librarian at this library, it logically follows that she has completed a master’s degree in Library Science. The conclusion is a direct inference from the given information.

Where are Critical thinking tests used?

Critical thinking tests are commonly used in educational institutions for admissions and assessments, particularly in courses requiring strong analytical skills. In the professional realm, they are a key component of the recruitment process for roles demanding problem-solving and decision-making abilities, and are also utilized in internal promotions and leadership development. Additionally, these tests are integral to professional licensing and certification in fields like law and medicine, and are employed in training and development programs across various industries.

Practice Critical Thinking Test

Try a free critical thinking test. This free practice test contains 10 test questions and has a time limit of 6 minutes.

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Critical Thinking test

By 123test team . Updated May 12, 2023

Critical Thinking test 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

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Evaluating and comparing critical thinking skills of residents of Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Saeed reza mehrpour.

1 Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Amin Hoseini Shavoun

2 Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Azita Kheiltash

3 Department of Community Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Rasoul Masoomi

4 Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Roya Nasle Seraji

5 Shariati Hospital, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Associated Data

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Today’s complexities and diversity in the clinical setting have revealed the need to pay attention to strengthening critical thinking (CT) skills. The present study aimed to evaluate and compare CT skills in the residents of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

This is a cross-sectional study. The study's statistical population included 284 residents in orthopedic, internal medicine, and surgery groups studying in the PGY1 to PGY4 years of residency. The data collection tool was the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) form B. The collected data were entered into SPSS-16 software and analyzed using descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (one-way ANOVA) statistics. The significant level in all tests was considered at P  < 0.05.

189 out of 284 residents completed and returned the questionnaire, and the response rate was 66%. The mean CT skill score of residents (M = 13.81, SD = 3.52) was lower than the optimal level (M = 17.1 SD = 5.0). Comparing the mean CT skill scores of the residents separately for the residency year revealed a significant decrease in CT scores in the 4 years. A significant difference was found between the CT skill scores in the three groups (internal medicine, general surgery, and orthopedic surgery).

The CT skills of the residents of Tehran University of Medical Sciences were generally below the optimal level. The CT score of the residents show an increase in PGY2, but a decrease in PGY3 and PGY4. Due to the emphasis of accreditation institutions, the World Federation for Medical Education, and other international educational institutions on the importance of critical thinking, it is recommended to pay more attention to the factors related to the promotion and development of CT skills in residency programs.

Introduction

Having the ability to critically thinking is a very valuable tool for medical students who, after graduation, are responsible for serious responsibility in the health system as health team leaders. Considering the importance of critical thinking skills, teaching critical thinking skills has become one of the most important activities of universities in Iran today. During the last two decades, major universities of medical sciences in Iran such as Tehran, Shaheed Beheshti, Iran, Isfahan, Tabriz, and Shiraz have taken basic steps to revise the general medicine program. In these universities, critical thinking skills are taught longitudinally and integrated into the phases of basic sciences, physiopathology, clerkship, and internship [ 1 – 4 ]. However, there is no formal and standardized training for teaching critical thinking in residency programs.

Medical care is prone to diagnostic errors. Therefore, it requires the highest possible skills in evidence-based diagnosis and treatment. Misdiagnosis of disease by residents is a type of cognitive error. This error results from incomplete data collection, misinterpretation of data, insufficient reasoning, or incomplete knowledge [ 5 ]. Approximately one-third of patient problems are not appropriately managed due to misdiagnosis [ 6 ]. Previous researches consider critical thinking (CT) abilities as part of the solution that can reduce the risk of clinical errors [ 7 , 8 ]. CT can help medical students and healthcare professionals by avoiding medical/clinical errors, Identifying better alternate options for diagnosis and treatment, Better clinical decision-making, and Avoiding litigations [ 8 ].

CT is an essential skill for medical residents to be able to make correct decisions, judgments, and reasoning about patient problems in critical and complex situations [ 9 , 10 ]. CT is a cognitive process to identify and analyze problems and seek and evaluate relevant information to reach an appropriate conclusion [ 8 ]. CT includes various skills, the most important of which include: analysis, evaluation, inference, deductive reasoning, and inductive reasoning [ 5 , 11 ]. Residents need to be able to think critically when dealing with challenging medical issues, such as diagnosis, deciding on treatment plans, and avoiding mistakes [ 12 ]. In this regard, the “World Federation for Medical Education” has introduced CT as one of the basic standards of medical education [ 13 ]. The Institute for International Medical Education (IIME) has also introduced CT as one of the seven main areas in medical education [ 14 ].

Despite the importance of critical thinking, the results of studies suggest the student’s ability to use CT skills is at a moderate level [ 15 ]. The American Higher Education Association reported that less than 6% of graduate students achieve CT skills [ 16 ]. In a systematic review, the level of CT skills and their tendency toward it among Iranian medical students was reported to be low [ 17 ]. Another study has found that the level of CT of residents is lower than the optimal level [ 18 ]. Various factors can play a role in justifying this problem. However, inadequacy and weakness in the planning system and educational policies, inefficient curricula, leadership and management methods governing the current educational institutions, lack of proper and sufficient use of active learning methods by medical faculties, lack of student motivation, pressure work, and use of traditional evaluation method, are considered the main factors that interfere improvement of CT over the years [ 19 – 21 ]. A recent study mentioned several challenges and Barriers to students thinking critically: perceptions, poor metacognitive skills, a fixed mindset, heuristics, biases, and because thinking is effortful [ 22 ].

Several studies Have examined the factors affecting the improvement of CT skills, such as the level of clinical experiences and observations, educational level, clinical setting, and active learning strategies and learning styles. This studies indicated that students with higher educational levels have more vital positive CT skills and can better meet the needs of health care [ 23 , 24 ]. Researchers have indicated that the level of clinical experiences and observations is one of the effective factors in the development and improvement of students’ CT skills [ 25 , 26 ]. The impact of the clinical setting, learning atmosphere, and active learning strategies such as (team-based learning [ 27 ], flipped classroom approach [ 28 ], problem-based learning [ 29 ], and Concept Mapping Education [ 30 ]) have been examined in the literature. In addition, the relation correlations between active learning strategies and learning styles with CT is demonstrated in meta-analysis and systematic review studies [ 31 , 32 ]. Several studies demonstrated the relationship between the clinical environment and CT [ 33 – 35 ].

However, fewer studies have addressed the effect of education level, experience level, and clinical observations on critical thinking [ 36 ]. Also, limited studies have evaluated CT skills in residency programs [ 5 , 18 , 37 , 38 ]. There is some work being done to promote CT in Medical schools in Iran, where the situational judgment test incorporates the Programme assesses constructs closely related to critical thinking [ 39 ]. In a recent decade, TUMS commenced developing and implementing a newly revised curriculum for delivering undergraduate medical education. A main feature of the revised curriculum is that it focuses more attention on the integration of critical thinking programs for training and assessing medical students [ 2 ]. However, not much work has been done in this field at the assistantship level. Furthermore, no study has examined CT skills in Tehran University of Medical Sciences residents. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the CT skills of Tehran University of Medical Sciences residents (internal medicine, surgery, and orthopedics). In this study, we compared the results of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and sub-skills with the post-graduate year, and academic discipline.

Study design

A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate and compare residents’ CT skills scores at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data. The study included the residents in training in the three largest teaching hospitals in TUMS (Imam Khomeini Hospital, Shariati Hospital, and Sina hospital).

The group of the study is 284 residents in training (PGY1, PGY2, PGY3, and PGY4) and were three disciplines of internal medicine, surgery, and orthopedics. After obtaining informed consent, the questionnaire was distributed to all residents starting the residency program ( N  = 284). Except for the assistants who did not meet the inclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria included that the resident is: (1) Spent at least 6 months of residency, (2) willing to participate and complete the questionnaire. (see Table  1 ).

Distribution of teaching hospitals residents and their grades

The rationale for the different groups

In the present study, it was assumed that internal medicine, surgery, and orthopedics groups have different forms of critical thinking in their specialties. From one side, CT is a general skill set that spans disciplines. Furthermore, it is a specific skill set that varies across disciplines [ 40 ]. From the viewpoint of Fero and Ozturk, the level of clinical experience and educational level is one of the effective factors in the development and improvement of students’ CT skills [ 25 , 26 ]. Previous studies indicated that students with higher educational levels have more vital positive CT skills and can better meet the needs of healthcare [ 23 , 24 ]. Therefore, one of the aims of the current study was to investigate the status of critical thinking skills based on the different year groups in residents.

Also, in justifying why these specialties were chosen, we can point to the large number of residents accepted in the fields (internal medicine and surgery) and the availability of orthopedic residents due to the compatibility with the specialized field of the project manager.

In Iran, applicants for residency are general Medical Doctorate (MD) who have participated in the central entrance exam and choose their field according to their score and interest. Based on the healthcare priorities, the annual capacity of the residency program is nearly 4300 residents in 35 medical universities in Iran. The length of the training programs is similar to other countries and ranges from 3 to 5 years depending on the types of specialties which is more or less similar to most residency programs worldwide though there are some differences [ 41 ]. The chosen specialties in this study were all 4 years.

In this study we use the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) form B. The used questionnaire consists of two sections: the demographic characteristics of residents and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST). In the pilot study, the validity and reliability of the test were re-examined. Accordingly, to examine the validity, the desired tool was submitted to 12 medical education experts, clinical professors, and interested residents. After receiving their opinions, experts made the necessary corrections and finally approved to examine the reliability of the test, the questionnaire was piloted on 22 residents from different hospitals and specializations. The Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Coefficient for this questionnaire was 0.81. Facione and Facione specified that the internal consistency reliability (Kuder Richardson-20) of the CCTST was r = 0.70 [ 42 ].. The validity and reliability of the Persian translation of this questionnaire have been confirmed in previous studies in Iran [ 11 , 43 ]. Based on the international expert consensus definition of critical thinking skills as defined by the APA Delphi Report, the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) was designed by Facione to measure critical thinking skills in college students [ 44 ]. The CCTST is a 45-minute standardized test that includes 34 multiple-choice items assessing five critical thinking domains: analysis (9 items), evaluation (14 items), inference (11 items), deductive reasoning (16 items), and inductive reasoning (14 items) [ 42 ]. Each item is presented with four or five response options and one correct answer [ 44 ]. The CCTST is dichotomous (correct answer = 1 and incorrect answer = 0); therefore, scores can range from 0 to 34. Higher CCTST scores reveal stronger critical thinking skills.

The Insight Assessment Measuring Thinking Worldwide has determined the optimal CCTST mean for university levels (M = 17.1) [ 45 ]. According to this guide the optimal mean for university level CCTST total score in the range 0 to 7 do not manifest evidence of critical thinking. Scores in the range of 8–12 are considered Weak; scores in the 13–18 range are Moderate scores, and scores from 19 to 23 are considered Strong. Scores of 24 or higher are considered Superior. Analysis scores in the range of 0 to 2 do (not manifest) evidence of critical thinking. Scores in the 3–4 range are Moderate scores, scores from 5 or higher are considered Strong. Evaluation scores in the range of 0 to 3 do (not manifest) evidence of critical thinking. Scores in the 4–7 range are Moderate scores, scores from 8 or higher are considered Strong. Inference scores in the range of 0 to 5 do (not manifest) evidence of critical thinking. Scores in the 6–11 range are Moderate scores, scores from 12 or higher are considered Strong. Deduction scores in the range of 0 to 5 do (not manifest) evidence of critical thinking. Scores in the 6–11 range are Moderate scores, scores from 12 or higher are considered Strong. Induction scores in the range of 0 to 5 do (not manifest) evidence of critical thinking. Scores in the 6–11 range are Moderate scores, scores from 12 or higher are considered Strong. The optimal score for total CT skills and subdomains is mentioned in Table  2 [ 45 ].

The optimal score of total CT skills and subdomains

This means that a score lower than the cut-off point indicates weakness in CT skills, and a score higher than that indicates strength and high CT skills [ 46 ]. This study considered the above criteria to measure the norm or abnormality of the residents’ CT scores.

The rationale for Using the CCTST

Critical thinking is widely recognized as an essential competency in medical education. Still, there is little agreement on how it should be assessed in residency programs [ 47 ]. As varied as the definitions and teaching methods are, this is also true about the tools used to measure critical thinking outcomes. There is no gold standard across these studies [ 48 ]. For objective standardized measures, used the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI) [ 49 – 51 ]. They additionally use the California Critical Thinking Test (CCTST). which measures critical thinking skills applied to scenarios (e.g., inference) [ 49 – 51 ]. Razeghi et al. use the Self-Reflection Insight Scale (SRIS), for self-reflection, and insight [ 52 ]. Hong and Yu use the Watson & Glaser CT Appraisal (WGCTA) [ 51 ]. Shin et al. used Yoon’s CT Disposition tool [ 53 ]. CT standardized tests are one of the most popular tools used to assess CT and are widely used in health professions students. CCTST is a famous instrument in this field that measures cognitive and meta-cognitive skills associated with CT [ 54 ]. which appears to have the potential for use in residency education [ 10 ]. The CCTST (Form B), predicts strength in critical thinking skills in authentic problem situations and success on professional licensure examinations. It also provides an objective measure of CT skills. This test is suitable for college-level and post-baccalaureate student populations [ 47 ]. As regards the aim of this study was to evaluate the residents’ CT skills, and the domains (analysis, evaluation, inference, induction, and deduction). In this study, we intended to assess more than one aspect of critical thinking. Therefore, we found that the CCTST test is more comprehensive than the others.

Data collection

The names of all residents with their mobile numbers have been obtained in each hospital separately. The questionnaire was given to the residents in person. The residents were informed of the purpose of the study and were invited to provide consent to participate at the outset of the survey, therefore, participation was voluntary. A week later, a reminder was sent to the residents who had not responded for the first time.

Data Analysis

All collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics version 16. The descriptive statistics were calculated, including mean, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages. To examine the normality of quantitative data distribution in different groups, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test was used. For more than two groups, if the data met the normal distribution and the variance was homogeneous, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for inter-group comparison, while the LSD method was used for after-the-fact comparison; otherwise, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used. We used a one-sample t-test to compare the mean of a single population to a standard value and the independent sample t-test for compares the mean of CT skills and subdomains by gender. Pearson’s test was conducted to study the correlation between some variables. A p -value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Out of 284 questionnaires distributed among the residents, 189 of them answered, and the response rate was 66.54%. Among 189 residents, 113 (59.7%) were male and 76 (40.2%) were female. The number of internal medicine, surgery, and orthopedic residents was 88 people (46.5%), 54 people (28.5), and 47 people (24.8%), respectively. They were practicing as a resident in the teaching hospitals of Imam Khomeini (46.03%), Shariati (35.9%), and Sina (17.9%). Among the studied residents, 45 people (23.8%) were studying in PGY1, 58 people (30.6%) in PGY2, 48 people (25.4%) in PGY3, and 38 people (20.1%) in PGY4. In this study, the mean age of residents was 30.29 ± 2.43 years (see Table  3 ).

General demographic characteristics of residents ( n  = 189)

A sample t-test was conducted to compare the residents’ critical thinking mean with the expected mean. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the residents’ critical thinking mean and the expected mean (M = 17.1, SD = 5.0). The residents’ critical thinking mean was lower than the expected mean (M = 13.81, SD = 3.52), t (189) = − 12.811, p  = .000. (see Table  4 ).

One-sample t-test for Critical thinking skills (Test Value = 17.1)

An Independent sample t-test was conducted to compare the residents’ critical thinking mean by gender. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the residents’ critical thinking means and the gender group. t (189) = − 1.644, p  = .008. (see Table  5 ).

Independent sample t-test for Critical thinking and subscales by gender (male n  = 113, Female n  = 76)

The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the correlation between residents’ CT scores with their age, gender, educational Level, and marital status. The result showed a weak positive correlation between the age with subscales of evaluation (r = 0.209, p  = 0.004), and the inductive reasoning, (r = 0.160, p  = 0.028. (see Table  6 ).

Correlation between residents’ characteristics, Critical thinking, and subscales

a Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

b Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)

The results showed that residents’ CT Skills mean score (M = 13.81, SD = 3.52) is weak and below the optimal average (M = 17.1 SD = 5.0). Also, the residents’ CT Skills mean score in all subdomains was lower than the cut-off point. ((see Fig.  1 and Table  7 ).

Total critical thinking and subdomains scores

Total critical thinking score and subdomains

One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed among the groups to compare the mean scores of CT skills of orthopedic, surgical, and internal medicine specialist residents. There was a statistically significant difference between the CT skill scores for the three groups (F = 12.3 at the level of P  = 0.05). due to the equality of the variance of the populations and the significance of the F test, the post hoc comparisons using the LSD test showed that the mean scores of the internal medicine group (SD = 3.45, M = 14.48) had a significant difference with the orthopedic group (SD = 3.71, M = 13.10). The surgery group (SD = 3.33, M = 13.33) did not have a significant difference from the internal medicine and orthopedic groups (see Table  8 ).

Comparison of critical thinking and subscales scores by educational groups

Also, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) among the groups was performed to examine the mean score of CT skill domains of residents’ groups. There was a statistically significant difference between deductive reasoning factor scores for the CT sub-factors (F = 66.4 at the level of P  = 0.05). Due to the equality of the variance of the populations and the significance of the F test, post hoc comparisons using the Scheffe test showed that the mean scores of the surgery group (SD = 2.23, M = 7.60) were significantly different from the surgery group (SD = 2.09, 6.62). There was no significant difference between the surgery group residents and orthopedic group residents in terms of mean scores of deductive reasoning (see Table ​ Table8 8 ).

One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) among the groups was performed to compare the mean scores of CT skills of residents of orthopedic, surgery, and internal medicine groups separately for CT factors and year of residency. There was a statistically significant difference between the scores of CT score from PGY1 to PGY4 (F = 3.09 at the level of P  = 0.05). Due to the equality of the variance of the populations and the significance of the F test, posthoc comparisons using the Scheffe test showed that the mean scores of the residents in the PGY1(SD = 3.19, M = 12.76) had a significant difference from the PGY2(SD = 3.46, M = 14.83). The mean scores of the PGY2 residents (SD = 3.46, M = 14.83) were not significantly different from the PGY3 and PGY4 residents. The detailed information is shown in Table  9 ; Fig.  2 .

Comparison of critical thinking and subscales scores by residency year

Trend of critical thinking and subscales scores by residency year

Also, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) among the groups was performed to compare the mean scores of CT skills of subgroups. There was a statistically significant difference between the scores of CT skills for the analysis sub-factor according to the residency year (F = 32.5 at the level of P  = 0.05). Due to the equality of variance of populations and the significance of the F-test, post hoc comparisons using the Scheffe test showed that the mean score of the PGY1 residents (SD = 1.38, M = 3.24) was significantly different from the mean score of PGY2 residents (SD = 1.71, M = 4.17). The mean score of PGY2 residents had a significant difference from the mean score of PGY4 residents (SD = 1.60, M = 2.93), but there was no difference from the mean score of PGY3 residents The detailed information is shown in Table ​ Table9; 9 ; Fig.  2 .

The present study aimed to investigate the status of residents’ CT skills during training at the Tehran university of medical sciences. The results showed that residents’ CT skills mean score (M = 13.81, SD = 3.52) is weak and below the optimal average (M = 17.1 SD = 5.0). It seems, the residents’ CT skills mean score at Tehran medical school is not favorable. This finding is consistent with previous study conducted in Iran that reported the CT level of residents as weak [ 18 ].

Also, the residents’ CT skills mean score in all sub-skills was lower than the cut-off point, (mentioned in methodology [ 44 ]). a score lower than the cut-off point indicates weakness in CT subdomains, and a score higher than that indicates strength and high CT skills [ 46 ]. By comparing the obtained results with an optimal mean score, it seems the obtained mean score for all subdomains is lower than the expected score. In a study conducted by Leach (2011) on 1502 students of different faculties in the United States, the mean scores of analysis (M = 4.56, SD = 1.34), evaluation (M = 4.80, SD = 2.70), inference (M = 7.92, SD = 2.51), deductive reasoning (M = 7.33, SD = 2.87) and inductive reasoning (M = 9.94, SD = 2.66) were obtained at higher levels compared to the present study [ 55 ]. Ross et al. showed that residents performed better than practicing physicians in nearly all aspects of CT. Age was the strongest predictor of CT skills in practicing physicians [ 37 ]. A study conducted in Brazil shows that the student’s ability to use CT skills is at a moderate level [ 15 ].

It can be concluded that the residents’ mean score of subdomains CT, compared to the results obtained from the studies, as well as the expectation from higher educational levels such as the residency level, the obtained means, seem to be lower than expected. Studies point to several intertwined factors giving rise to the poor level of residents’ CT skills, including traditional educational system, work pressure, lack of interactive teaching methods, emphasis on memorization, lack of student motivation, and lack of appropriate techniques for cultivating CT skills [ 10 , 33 , 56 ]. Given that CT is an essential skill for medical residents to be able to make correct decisions, judgments, and reasoning about patient problems in critical and complex situations [ 9 , 10 ], it is imperative to pay attention to cultivating and promoting these skills in the residency program. Several studies suggest that teaching approaches such as PBL [ 57 ], team-based learning [ 58 ], simulation [ 59 ], flipped classroom approach [ 28 ], Concept Mapping Education [ 30 ], and metacognition [ 60 ] can increase overall CT skills.

Other findings of the present study demonstrated a significant difference between residents’ CT and gender groups. The average score of CT skill in women was slightly higher than that of men. In the sub-domains, there was no difference between the mean scores of CT skills in men and women. The results of this study are similar to the findings of Hosseini et al. In their study, it was found that there is no difference between CT sub-skills between men and women [ 11 ]. While in the study of Sharifinia et al., the level of CT and the subscales of evaluation and deductive reasoning were significantly higher in male students compared to female students [ 10 ]. The reason for this can be the difference in learning styles between men and women. Also, the current study showed a weak positive correlation between age with evaluation and inductive reasoning. Between the gender, educational level, and marital status with CT skill no correlation was found.

Comparing the mean scores of CT skills of residents by the residency years showed that the PGY2 residents have the highest and the PGY1 residents have the lowest CT skill score. The most striking finding of the study is that there is a significant difference between the mean scores of CT of residents for the residency year. Post hoc comparisons using the Scheffe test revealed that the mean scores of PGY1 residents were significantly different from the CT mean scores of PGY2 residents. The CT mean scores of PGY2 residents were not significantly different from the mean scores of PGY3 and PGY4 residents. Post hoc comparisons using the Scheffe test showed that the mean scores of the PGY1 residents had a significant difference from the mean scores of the PGY2 residents. The mean scores of PGY2 residents had a significant difference from the mean scores of PGY4 residents, but their mean scores showed no significant difference from the mean scores of PGY3 residents. Also, comparing the mean scores of CT subdomains of residents showed a significant difference between the CT skill scores for the analysis subdomain based on the residency year. In general, the mean scores of sub-skills suggest that the obtained scores are less than 50% of the total scores of the relevant sub-skills.

Although students’ CT skills is expected to increase with their education years, the findings of the present study, in line with many studies, have shown no CT skills increase in medical students during their education years [ 10 , 11 , 61 ]. A study at the University of São Paulo, Brazil (2021) also showed that the students’ CT level was low and did not change at different stages of their education [ 62 ]. Yasayi et al. investigated the students’ CT levels from the first year to the end of their studies at the university, and they reported that there was no significant difference between the CT scores from the first year to the last year at the university and the CT level of medical students did not increase during the period in which they were at university [ 63 ]. In addition, in a study by Hosseini, it was reported that the CT scores of medical students decreased during their university years [ 11 ].

The results appear to suggest that critical thinking does not progress beyond PGY1 as mentioned before various factors are important in this issue. The use of traditional educational strategies in the current curricula and educational system can be a possible reason for residents’ decline in CT skills scores from PGY1 to PGY4. Another factor may be related to the insufficient development of some critical thinking characteristics, such as flexibility and truth-seeking in residents. Finally, it seems that clinical practice guidelines and residents’ annual grading based on assessment have a major impact on their not being interested in CT skills. Several studies have demonstrated the role of the inadequate and weak educational system, inefficient curricula, leadership and management methods, lack of proper active learning methods by medical professors, lack of student motivation, work pressure, and use of traditional assessment methods in this regard [ 19 – 21 ]. Additionally, poor metacognitive skills and a fixed mindset which is developed during previous years of study play a role in declining CT scores. One way to ensure good CT skills in trainees is to select trainees that already demonstrate those skills. To do this, programs could include CT skills assessment during medical school or residency selection. In a recent decade, TUMS commenced developing and implementing a newly revised curriculum for delivering undergraduate medical education. A main feature of the revised curriculum is that it focuses more attention on the integration of critical thinking programs for training and assessing medical students [ 2 ].

Comparing the mean scores of CT skills of residents of orthopedic, surgery and internal medicine groups showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the scores of CT skills for the three groups. Post hoc comparisons using the LSD test showed that the mean scores of the internal medicine group were significantly different from the orthopedic group. The surgery medicine group was not significantly different from the internal and orthopedic groups. A review of the literature by the researcher showed that no similar study has been conducted to compare the mean scores of educational groups, and the results of this part of the study are considered innovative. A glance at the educational status of residents in educational centers indicates that a large amount of residents’ time and energy is spent responding to the large volume of visiting patients and the excessive presence of the patient and the problem of their overcrowding severely disrupts the process of education and direct communication between teacher and student in educational and medical centers. Education has become just one of the several duties of professors and residents, along with specialized, consulting, research, and sometimes management services. This problem is more severe in surgical fields, and in addition to spending time in outpatient clinics and inpatient departments, the presence of residents in the operating room during daytime and night shifts is also added to the above factors. An increase in working hours and the problems caused by it is one of the factors that reduce the mental abilities of surgery and orthopedic residents in response to CT test questions.

The CT skills of the residents of Tehran University of Medical Sciences were generally below the optimal level. The CT score of the residents show an increase in PGY2, but a decrease in PGY3 and PGY4. Due to the emphasis of accreditation institutions, the World Federation for Medical Education, and other international educational institutions on the importance of critical thinking, In the future, it is recommended to pay more attention to the factors related to the promotion and development of CT skills in residents.

Research Limitations

One of the limitations of this study was the time limitation, and the study was necessarily conducted using a cross-sectional method. Thus, the results might have been influenced by the individual differences of the participants in different years. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct a study with a longitudinal design and investigate the CT skills of the residents from the start of the residency program to graduation. California CT Skills Test (CCTST), which is a general tool, was used in the present study to evaluate the CT ability of residents. One of the limitations was the large number of questions on the questionnaire and the fatigue of the respondents during the administration of the test. Also, due to the standard nature of the questionnaire and the measurement of five sub-skills, it was not possible to eliminate some questions. Thus, to reduce this weakness, it is recommended to use side measures such as giving spiritual gifts and providing favorable conditions for administrating the test. Also, for a more accurate evaluation of the implicit effect of educational and professional experiences on the CT ability of residents, it is recommended to conduct research using specialized tools to evaluate CT skills in specialized fields. Another main limitation of the present study was the impossibility of administrating the test at the same time and place with the presence of all participants due to the work situation and rotating shifts of the residents. To solve this problem, the test was administrated after prior coordination with the residents, and with repeated visits in groups of several people and even a single person. Hence, we tried to provide similar conditions for all residents to participate in the test.

Another limitation of the study was the impossibility to collect more demographic information and provide comprehensive individual information due to the profession of the subjects and their busyness and sensitivity. To prevent non-cooperation and excessive dropout of samples, the demographic information form was revised in several stages and several personal and sensitive questions such as the promotion scores and rank of the residency test, student number, and the name of the medical training centers where the resident studied, which might lead to the identification of the residents and the possibility of their non-cooperation, were eliminated from the questionnaire. Some individual factors such as personality, family, and social characteristics of people, as well as cases such as anxiety, and the level of concentration of the participants during the test influenced the results of the test. To control such psychological conditions, the researcher recommended the subjects not complete the questionnaires in a hurry to collect real information. Based on the literature review by the researcher no study has been conducted in the medical residency period to compare the results of the present study with other studies in this regard. Thus, the results of this study were inevitably compared in the discussion and conclusion section with those of studies conducted at the Ph.D. level of general medicine.

Acknowledgments

We thereby appreciate all the medical residents who helped us by participating in this study. Also, this study was carried out with the financial support of the Education Development Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), for which we express our gratitude.

Authors’ contributions

The authors of this study are SRM, AHS, AK, RM, and RNS. SRM and AHS planned and designed the study and had contact with the clinical departments. AK was responsible for drafting. RM and RNS carried out the data gathering and analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

This study was supported by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) and the Financed by Education Development Center (EDC). The funding body had no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data or in writing the manuscript.

Availability of data and materials

Declarations.

The present article was derived from the research project with a code of 96–02–76-35202. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All methods were carried out by relevant guidelines and regulations. Informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Not applicable.

The authors declare no conflict of interest had bias on the outcomes of our paper.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) is an approved standardized test administered by ETSU to fulfill Quality Assurance Funding (QAF) Standard 1: General Education Assessment.  The General Education Assessment is designed to provide incentives to institutions for improvement in the quality of their undergraduate general education program as measured by the performance of graduates on an approved standardized test of general education.  Each year ETSU's average is compared to the national average for that year.

All undergraduate students graduating in the fall, spring, or summer semesters are required to take the CCTST, but some exemptions may apply. The CCTST is a 45 minute, 34-item, multiple-choice test that evaluates students’ ability to analyze, infer, explain, evaluate, and interpret information.  Students are eligible to complete the CCTST after completing 96 credits.  The CCTST is administered in-person within the University Testing Center, located on the first floor of Sherrod Library on ETSU's main campus and at off-campus instructional sites.  For more information about completing the CCTST, please click the Student Guide link below.

Faculty and Staff have access to the CCTST results under the Faculty/Advisor Guide link below.

Contact:  Megan Miller Telephone:  (423) 439-6712 E-Mail:  [email protected] 

For more information, please visit the Student Guide  or Faculty/Advisor Guide .

Critical Thinking Test Preparation?

It's no secret that to excel in the modern world, one must be adept in critical thinking. However, honing these skills does not always come naturally. When preparing for a critical thinking test, you need a strategic approach to not only comprehend the information but also apply your problem-solving and decision-making skills efficiently. Below, you'll find some comprehensive tips and methods that will assist with Critical Thinking Test Prep .

Understand the Basics of Critical Thinking.

Critical thinking goes beyond mere absorption of information. It encompasses the analysis, examination, and interpretation of facts and figures to create reasoned judgments. These are your tools and your battleground in cracking a critical thinking test:

• Logical Evaluation: The ability to distinguish between logical statements and illogical ones is vital. Your reasoning skills are under scrutiny here, and they must be sharp and intuitive.
• Argument Analysis: Understand the basics of building an argument – premise, assumptions, conclusions, and how they are interrelated. Recognize the difference between strong and weak arguments.
• Fallacy Recognition: Recognise the common fallacies in arguments and reasons. Do not fall for red herrings or straw man arguments that divert from the main point.
• Decision Making: Evaluate choices in a balanced way, weighing pros and cons, and make an informed decision.

Strategize Your Study Plan

Just as strategy is pivotal in critical thinking, it is also the key to effective preparation for a critical thinking test. It isn't about how much time you spend studying, but how you use that time:

• Study Regularly: Consistency is key. Instead of huge chunks of study time, break it down into manageable regular periods.
• Foster a Curious Mindset: Critical thinking involves a great deal of curiosity. Encourage this by constantly asking questions, exploring topics in depth, and challenging assumptions.
• Practice Prioritizing: Time management is essential. Strategize your study plan to focus on areas of weakness first.
• Mock Tests: Mock tests simulate the testing environment, helping to reduce anxiety and familiarize you with the test format. Pursue these at regular intervals in your study routine.

Explore Different Resources

Don't confine yourself to one source for studying. Different sources provide different perspectives, and an exploration of these will build and strengthen your analytical skills:

• Books: Reading enhances comprehension and analytical skills. Seek out books on logical reasoning and analytical puzzles.
• Online Courses: There are myriad online platforms providing dedicated courses for critical thinking. These courses range from basics to advanced concepts and can be instrumental in your test prep.
• Online Forums: Engage in discussions, debates, and question-answer forums to boost your critical thinking skills and gain varied perspectives.
• Apps: Various mobile apps offer brain training exercises and games that promote logical and critical thinking. They're a great tool to use in your downtime.

Get Familiar with the Test Format

Knowing the test format allows you to tailor your preparation strategy accordingly:

• Time Limit: The time limit can range anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour. This will affect your pacing and time management during the test.
• Question Type: Familiarize yourself with the question types, which may include factual recall, inference, and analysis questions. Practice accordingly.
• Answer Format: The answers could be in multiple choice format or free-form answers. Recognize the differences between them and the ideal approach for each one.
• Difficulty Level: The difficulty can vary by the level of test - beginner, intermediate, or advanced. Gather test-specific study material to prepare efficiently.

Master Analytical Techniques

A critical thinking test doesn't just assess your knowledge but also your implementation of it. Sharpen your analytical techniques:

• SWOT Analysis: This technique helps in decision-making and problem-solving by evaluating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Root Cause Analysis: Use this method to look beyond the surface and understand the true cause of problems.
• The Five Why's: This technique involves asking 'why?' repeatedly until the root cause is identified. It's simple, but it encourages deeper understanding and avoids assumptions.

Taking these tips on board during your Critical Thinking Test Prep will give you a sturdier foundation to build upon as you hone your skills. Remember, critical thinking is not an overnight development, but consistent effort will render measurable improvement. You will be not only preparing to excel in this test but also equipping yourself with extremely valuable life skills. Keep practicing, stay committed to your plan, and there's no shadow of doubt that you will succeed in your test.

Turning these tips into habits will enrich your critical thinking abilities and ultimately your test performance. Don't overlook the importance of this valuable set of skills and give yourself the best chance of success with your Critical Thinking Test Prep. Good luck!

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• Corpus ID: 146249669

Critical Thinking: More than Test Scores.

• V. Smith , A. Szymanski
• Published 1 October 2013
• International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation

51 Citations

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THE PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS FOR DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN STUDENTS

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Students in high-performing education systems record top scores in new international creative thinking assessment

18/06/2024 - Singapore, Korea, Canada*, Australia*, New Zealand*, Estonia and Finland were the highest-performing education systems in the first-ever creative thinking assessment under the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Results of the global assessment, administrated in 2022 to better understand skills of 15-year-old students in 64 countries and economies worldwide, show that students in high-performing education systems are not only succeeding in standardised mathematics, reading and science tests, but also in new creative thinking tests. Students were asked to think of original and diverse solutions for simple expressive tasks and familiar problems, such as coming up with an interesting story idea or thinking of different ways to conduct an awareness-raising campaign in school.

PISA 2022 Results (Volume III): Creative Minds, Creative Schools found that students from disadvantaged backgrounds scored significantly lower than other students in creative thinking, attributed to both the challenging environment many of these students live in as well as curriculums in under-resourced schools, which are often sidelining creative activities and practices.

The assessment also found that a gender gap in creative thinking exists in most education systems, with girls out-performing boys across all types of creative thinking tasks.

Performance differences between boys and girls cannot be explained solely by girls’ performance in the PISA core domains. While girls performed relatively better than boys in reading and they performed at a similar level as boys in mathematics performance, girls’ performance advantage in creative thinking remained significant in around half of all countries and economies even after accounting for reading or mathematics performance.

“In this third volume of PISA, the creative thinking competencies of students were assessed for the first time ever in 64 countries and economies. Equipping younger generations with the right skills for creativity, innovation, and digital technology adoption will be key to address the impacts and seize the opportunities of ongoing transformations – from population ageing and lagging productivity growth to the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI),” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. “This assessment measures the capacity of students to generate, evaluate and improve ideas in four different areas - creative writing, visual expression, scientific problem solving and social problem solving - providing governments with data to help students and young people reach their full potential in our changing economies and societies.”

Building from the first two volumes of PISA 2022, launched in December 2023, PISA Volume III measures students’ capacity to engage in the generation, evaluation and improvement of ideas that can result in original and effective solutions.

About three quarters of students (78%) demonstrated a baseline level of creative thinking proficiency, meaning they could think of appropriate ideas for a range of tasks and begin to suggest original ideas for familiar problems. However, in 20 low-performing countries and economies, more than half of students struggled to reach this baseline level.

Overall, the results show that education systems that scored highly in creative thinking almost always performed highly in mathematics, reading and science. However, academic excellence is not a pre-requisite for students to demonstrate proficiency in creative thinking. Results show that individual students can excel in creative thinking without excelling in core academic domains.

As part of the assessment, 64 countries and economies tested students on their creative thinking abilities and carried out a questionnaire about their belief and practices concerning creativity. A further 10 countries/economies only conducted the questionnaire.

The PISA results were launched during an international conference, Learning in a Changing World: Evidence, innovation, and creative thinking in education , co-hosted by the OECD and the Yidan Prize Foundation. To watch the conference online, visit https://oe.cd/5zL .

The release of PISA Volume III comes after Volumes I and II , which focused on the skills and abilities of 15-year-old students in mathematics, reading and science in 81 OECD Member countries and partner economies.

The PISA reports, together with country analysis, summaries and data, are available at www.oecd.org/pisa .

Note to editors - The use of an asterisk (*) next to the name of a country or economy indicates issues with meeting PISA’s technical standards on sampling.

For more information, journalists should contact the OECD Media Office (tel. + 33 1 45 24 97 00).

Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to preserve individual liberty and improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.

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• Los estudiantes de los sistemas educativos de alto rendimiento logran las mejores puntuaciones en la primera evaluación internacional del pensamiento creativo