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Watson-Glaser critical thinking test: what it asks, and how to practise
The Watson-Glaser is Pearson's test of critical thinking, used to recruit and develop graduates, managers and professionals. You read short passages and judge statements about them, using only what the passage says. This page sets out what Pearson says about the test, what each kind of question wants, and which of them preplaud lets you practise. Two of the five it doesn't cover yet, and the page says which.
What Pearson says
| What it measures | The ability to analyse written information, interpret it and draw logical conclusions from it |
|---|---|
| Questions | 40, of varying format and difficulty, from a large item bank |
| Time | 30 minutes for Watson-Glaser III (Pearson's product page gives 30 to 40 minutes timed) |
| Format | A series of passages or scenarios, each with several items to answer |
| Five kinds of question | Drawing inferences, recognising assumptions, deducing, interpreting and evaluating arguments |
| Three scores | Grouped as Recognise assumptions, Evaluate arguments and Draw conclusions (Pearson's "RED model"), plus an overall score |
| Where | Online, supervised or unsupervised; an untimed version exists in US English for development or reasonable adjustments |
| Practice | Pearson's TalentLens site offers a free practice test |
The five kinds of question, and what each wants
One rule runs through all five: use only what the passage says, and set aside what you know or believe about the topic. The answer choices below are the ones preparation guides describe; check the instructions on the day.
- Drawing inferences: how likely a statement is, given the passage: true, probably true, not enough information, probably false or false. The trap is "probably true" for something the passage only makes you expect.
- Recognising assumptions: whether a statement is taken for granted by an argument: assumption made or not made. The test that settles it: if the statement were false, would the argument fall apart?
- Deducing: whether a conclusion follows for certain from the statements given: follows or does not follow. "Probably" is not enough.
- Interpreting: whether a conclusion follows beyond reasonable doubt from the information: yes or no.
- Evaluating arguments: whether an argument for or against a proposal is strong (important and directly relevant to the question) or weak.
What preplaud lets you practise
- Assumptions: a short argument and a proposed assumption; say whether it is made. Every answer is checked with the "would the argument fall apart?" test, and the guide shows the usual traps: too strong, a restatement, plausible but not needed.
- Passages: judge statements against a passage as true, false or cannot say. That is the same discipline as drawing inferences, with three answers instead of five.
- Syllogisms: does a conclusion follow for certain from two statements? That is the deducing question in its plainest form.
- Not covered yet: interpreting and evaluating arguments. Use Pearson's own practice test for those.
What practice can and cannot do
- It teaches the rules of each question. Most lost marks come from answering with outside knowledge, or from treating "probably" as "certainly". Practice makes the rules automatic, so your 30 minutes go on the passages.
- It doesn't copy the test. preplaud's questions are its own, with their own topics and wording, and it makes no claim that practice raises a Watson-Glaser score.
- Do Pearson's practice test too. It is the nearest thing to the real format, and it covers the two kinds preplaud doesn't.
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Sources
- TalentLens (Pearson): Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (40 items, 30 to 40 minutes timed, the five skill areas, online and supervised or unsupervised, item bank, free practice test)
- Pearson: Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, efficacy summary (what it measures, the RED model, passages with several items, the 30-minute limit, the untimed version)