critical analysis quiz

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When Is Critical Thinking Used?

Critical thinking is used in several stages of the problem-solving and decision-making process:

Critical thinking tests can have several sections or subtests that assess and measure a variety of aspects.

In this section, you are asked to draw conclusions from observed or supposed facts. You are presented with a short text containing a set of facts you should consider as true. Below the text is a statement that could be inferred from the text. You need to make a judgement on whether this statement is valid or not, based on what you have read. Furthermore, you are asked to evaluate whether the statement is true, probably true, there is insufficient data to determine, probably false, or false. For example, if a baby is crying and it is his feeding time, you may infer that the baby is hungry. However, the baby may be crying for other reasons—perhaps it is hot.

Recognizing Assumptions

In this section, you are asked to recognize whether an assumption is justifiable or not. Here you are given a statement followed by an assumption on that statement. You need to establish whether this assumption can be supported by the statement or not. You are being tested on your ability to avoid taking things for granted that are not necessarily true. For example, you may say, "I’ll have the same job in three months," but you would be taking for granted the fact that your workplace won't make you redundant, or that that you won’t decide to quit and explore various other possibilities. You are asked to choose between the options of assumption made and assumption not made.

This section tests your ability to weigh information and decide whether given conclusions are warranted. You are presented with a statement of facts followed by a conclusion on what you have read. For example, you may be told, "Nobody in authority can avoid making uncomfortable decisions." You must then decide whether a statement such as "All people must make uncomfortable decisions" is warranted from the first statement. You need to assess whether the conclusion follows or the conclusion does not follow what is contained in the statement.

Interpretation

This section measures your ability to understand the weighing of different arguments on a particular question or issue. You are given a short paragraph to read, which you are expected to take as true. This paragraph is followed by a suggested conclusion, for which you must decide if it follows beyond a reasonable doubt. You have the choice of conclusion follows and conclusion does not follow.

Evaluation of Arguments

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

Watson Glaser

For free Watson Glaser practice questions click here !

Critical Thinking Examples

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

Example 1 – Underlying Assumptions

Proposed Assumption: Asking for a raise at her current place of work is not the best way to increase the wife's income.

A. Assumption made

B. Assumption not made

The correct answer is (B), Assumption not made.

Answer explanation:

The conclusion of the wife's statement: Soon we will increase our joint income. The evidence supporting this conclusion: I will begin to work an additional part-time job. The underlying assumption/s that must be true for the conclusion to be true: A part-time job will provide me with extra money. The proposed assumption: "Asking for a raise at her current place of work is not the best way to increase the wife's income" is not necessary for the conclusion to be true.

Example 2 – Interpreting Information

Proposed Assumption: Harold’s wife doesn’t feel unhappy.

A. Conclusion follows

B. Conclusion does not follow

The correct answer is (B), Conclusion does not follow.

Answer explanation: Harold’s wife is not mentioned in the passage, and, therefore, you cannot presume any information regarding her feelings.

Example 3 – Inferences

Proposed Assumption: There is more to the management's announced intentions than those mentioned by them in the passage.

B. Probably true

C. Insufficent data

E. Probably false

The correct answer is (B), Probably true.

Answer explanation: The text begins by introducing the management's announcement as a reaction to a negative trend—reduction in the number of student applications. While the announcement explicitly addresses both the college's staff and its students, it is likely that the issue at hand is not only a wish to achieve academic excellence but, in fact, a means to resolve the issue of reduced applications and college reputation, which has implications on the college's future. Therefore, the correct answer is probably true.

Professions That Use Critical Thinking Tests

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

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Critical Thinking Tests

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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.

Regular practice will also help you to identify if there are any sections of the critical thinking test that you need to work on. Most tests will provide an explanation to each answer, as in the examples 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.

Prepare yourself for leading employers

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.

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:

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.

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.

I’ve practiced hundreds of numerical questions and still have plenty more to try.

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.

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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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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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Want More Critical Thinking Quiz Questions? Test your knowledge with questions from our award-winning titles below.

1) You have only an 8-liter jug and a 3-liter jug. Both containers are unmarked. You need exactly 4 liters of water.

How can you get it, if a water faucet is handy? Question from Classroom Quickies • Show/Hide Solution

2) What can you add to 1,000,000 and always get more than if you multiplied the 1,000,000 by the same value?

Question from Scratch Your Brain • Show/Hide Solution

3) Determine the common saying depicted in these verbal picture puzzles.

a. DECI SION b. ANOTHER ONE Question from Think-A-Grams • Show/Hide Solution

4) What is the 50th number in this sequence?

Explain how you got your answer. 5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 35, 41, … Question from Dr. Funster’s Think-A-Minutes • Show/Hide Solution

5) Determine both one-word answers.

The floor of ship or boat, They walk on me at sea; Where there’s a C, make it an S, At school you sit on me. What am I? _______________ Question from Spelling DooRiddles • Show/Hide Solution

6) The reason he gave the press for leaving his job was illness and fatigue. That wasn’t exactly the truth and it wasn’t exactly a lie.

Why did he leave? Question from Red Herring Mysteries • Show/Hide Solution

7) Determine both one-word answers.

Another word for sick, Your forehead is quite hot; Now put an H in front, A mountain I am not. What am I?______________ Question from Spelling DooRiddles • Show/Hide Solution

8) Use the clues to solve the puzzle.

A duck, a goose, a goat, and a horse all entered the barn at different times one day last week. a. A mammal entered the barn first. b. The duck entered before the goose. c. The goose entered ahead of the horse. Who entered the barn first? ____________ Question from Dr. Funster’s Creative Thinking Puzzlers • Show/Hide Solution

9) Determine the common term or phrase depicted in these verbal picture puzzles.

a. CHIEDITOREF b. T 2222 Question from Think-A-Grams • Show/Hide Solution

10) Use the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division symbols once each to make these equations true.

a. 600 __ 200 __ 400 __ 300 __ 200 = 200 b. 200 __ 300 __ 600 __ 400 __ 200 = 200 Question from Dr. Funster’s Quick Thinks Math • Show/Hide Solution

11) While relaxing on the deck outside her cabin one summer evening, Vivian fell into a deep trance-like sleep. When she awoke, she felt as if she had slept only an hour or two, but it was now the middle of winter.

How could this be? Question from Red Herring Mysteries • Show/Hide Solution

12) What do you get when a math teacher is a magician? ________________

Question from Scratch Your Brain • Show/Hide Solution

Answers to Questions: 1) Fill the 3-liter jug three times, each time dumping the water from it into the 8-liter jug. The third time, this will leave one liter of water in the 3-liter jug, and the 8-liter jug will be filled. Dump the water from the 8-liter jug down the drain, and then empty the one liter of water from the 3-liter jug into the 8-liter jug. Now fill the 3-liter jug again and dump the water into the 8-liter jug. The 8-liter jug now contains 4 liters of water. Various answers are possible. 2) zero, or any fraction less than a whole, or any negative number 3) a. split decision; b. one after another 4) 299. The pattern involves a difference of 6 between adjacent terms of the sequence. Add 6 to 5, getting 11, then add 6 to 11, getting 17, then add 6 to 17, getting 23, etc., until 6 has been added 50 times, ending in 299. Answer explanations will vary. 5) Deck, desk 6) He was the coach of a professional ball team. The team’s owner fired him because he was “sick and tired” of the team’s dismal performance. 7) a. ill; b. hill 8) the goat 9) a. Editor in Chief; b. Tea for two 10) a. 600 x 200 / 400 - 300 + 200 = 200; b. 200 / 300 x 600 - 400 + 200 = 200 11) Vivian was on the patio of her first class cabin on a cruise ship. She fell asleep just before the ship crossed the equator on a trip from Hawaii to New Zealand. The equator is the dividing line between the opposite seasons. She fell asleep north of the equator while in the middle of summer and awoke two hours later south of th equator in the middle of winter. 12) Tricky Problems

The Free Critical Thinking Quizzes are promotional quizzes, not be confused with our time tested and academically sound Cornell Critical Thinking Tests .

Free Critical Thinking Test Practice: 2023 Prep Guide

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Ace that Test!

Critical thinking tests assess your skills in examining and evaluating reasoning. Such reasoning can be on any subject and can use both verbal and numerical material. The skills of critical thinking include being able to analyze the sequence of claims in reasoning, to assess the strength of reasoning, to interpret meaning, to find implicit claims in reasoning, and to evaluate the possible significance of claims (including evidence).

These tests can be used for selection for higher education courses, and in the employment world as a pre-employment screening tool and as a personnel development tool.

Did you know?

Critical Thinking Tests measure a number of skills, including your ability to (1) recognize assumptions (2) evaluate arguments and (3) draw conclusions. Critical thinking tests are commonly used by academic institutions and in pre-employment testing. Thinking through questions logically and understanding what is being asked are two characteristics of people who do well on these types of tests.

Critical Thinking Questions Types

The sections below review the most common types of questions included in critical thinking tests and provide examples of question scenarios, answers, and solutions. Additional critical thinking sample questions for you to practice can be found on the free practice tab.

Judging Inferences

In this category, you are given a short passage containing evidence, and some inferences drawn from it. Your task is to judge degrees of truth or falsehood in relation to given inferences that have been drawn from the passage. The degrees range from “true” at one end to “false” at the other, with “probably true” and “probably false” within the range. In addition, there is a possible response of “insufficient data” which fits when none of the other judgments can be made. Though there are five possible options, since the same passage will be used for only two or three questions, not all of them will apply to the inferences that are given.

A worldwide study shows that there are behavioral shifts among consumers. 41% said that they are “increasingly looking for ways to save money.” Consumers are largely brand-loyal but shop around for the best prices. Only 12% of consumers have traded-down to buy cheaper brands (such as bottled water), with 11% trading up (with products such as cosmetics). There has been a big shift towards online shopping.

Proposed inference:

Not all consumer behavior is concerned with saving money.

Answer: True This inference can be drawn from the evidence that “Consumers are largely brand-loyal.” The inferential link between the words “largely brand-loyal” and “not all” emphasizes how this inference can be seen as true. It would cease to be true if the inference was given as “All consumer behavior is concerned with making money.”

Recognizing Assumptions

In this type of question, you are looking for what is taken-for-granted or assumed in an argument or in a statement of a position. In other words, though something has not been explicitly stated in an argument or in a position, it is necessary for its author to believe or accept it.

The main justification for taxation is to raise money to increase public welfare rather than to limit the choices available for private spending.

Proposed assumption:

Choices made by private spending will not maximize public welfare.

Answer: Assumption made This must be presupposed since, if the main justification for taxation is to increase public welfare, then it must be believed that private spending would not do this to the same degree.

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In these questions, you are asked to consider if a given conclusion necessarily follows from given statements. By this, we mean that, if the given statements are true (and, for these questions, we always need to take it that they are), then does a given conclusion have to follow? In other words, we are not dealing with conclusions that, at best, probably follow, but those which, given the logic of the argument, must follow.

Some economic predictions are accurate for the short-term. All economic predictions that are accurate for the short-term are inaccurate for the long-term. Therefore…

Proposed conclusion:

No economic predictions are accurate for the long-term.

Answer: The conclusion does not follow The conclusion does not follow since we cannot identify from the statements whether there are any economic predictions that are accurate for the long-term. If we look at the structure of the statements in a simplified form, we get “Some A are B. All B are C.” A logical conclusion to this will be “So some A are C.” Looking at this suggested conclusion in terms of the simplified structure, we see that this would not fit, since it would have to be “No A are D.”

Interpretation of Information

In these questions, you need to use the standard of “beyond reasonable doubt” in order to judge whether a given conclusion follows from the information that is given. (As with deduction, we need to take it that the information is true.) The criterion of “beyond reasonable doubt” is a strong one but it is weaker than the one used in deduction, which is that the conclusion necessarily follows, given the logical structure of the statements.

Economic forecasters tend to perform well with three to four-month predictions, but become much less successful beyond this timescale, especially with 22 months or more. The biggest errors occur ahead of economic contractions. This is because, though economies normally have steady but slow growth, when they contract, they do so sharply.

Short-term forecasts (up to four months) of an economy’s performance are normally accurate except when the economy contracts.

Answer: The conclusion follows This is drawn from the evidence on the normal success of short-term forecasts (“Economic forecasters tend to perform well within three to four-month predictions”) and the reason for the lack of success when the economy contracts (“though economies normally have steady but slow growth, when they contract, they do so sharply”). In this way, the evidence is sufficient for this conclusion to be drawn beyond a reasonable doubt.

Evaluation of Arguments

In these questions, you need to judge the strength or weakness of given arguments. You are given a question in the form of “Should x be the case?” and then an argument in the form of “Yes, because y” or “No, because y.” The relationship between x and y is then to be judged by evaluating whether the reason given provides weak or strong support.

Should tax evasion and theft be seen as equivalent crimes?

No; most people who commit tax evasion wouldn’t also commit theft.

Answer: Weak argument This doesn’t begin to address the issue since it doesn’t make any reference to the issue of equivalence. As a result, it does not provide a relevant reason.

Examining Definitions

In these questions, you are asked to use some information in what is given in a short dialogue in order to clarify how one of the two participants in the dialogue is using a term. There can be a dispute between the participants as to the meaning of the term.

“Are you happy with your investment in ABC Holdings?” asked Frank.

“Very much so – it has been a good investment,” said Mary. “I invested in them five years ago and they have given a good return over a period when other investments have achieved much less.”

Of the following, which is the best way to state Mary’s notion of a good investment?

Answer: The correct answer is 3 This is because it refers to the necessary aspects of the way in which Mary explains her use of the term. It refers to the return as “high” which can be seen to cover her use of the word “good” (since a good return would be seen as a high return). It also refers to the return on investment as being better in relation to returns on other investments, which is another feature of the way in which Mary uses the term. (1) is incorrect. We cannot tell from the way in which Mary uses the term “good investment” whether or not the return on her investment had been predicted as being lower than that which was achieved. (2) is incorrect. Though this captures part of the way in which Mary uses the term “good investment,” it does not make reference to the point that ABC Holdings has done well during a time when other investments have not done so well. In this way, (2) is not sufficiently specific to fit with the way in which Mary uses the term.

Judging Credibility

In questions on credibility, you are asked to judge between the believability of claims that are made about a given scenario. The scenario will be described in such a way that claims about it can be judged against relevant credibility criteria such as expertise, ability to perceive, motive, and reputation. In other words, you are asked to make a credibility judgment between statements, including identifying the possibility that neither statement is more or less believable than the other.

A research study on the language abilities of parrots has been running for a year. The head of the study, Dr. Polly Atkinson, has extensive experience in working on animal communication. She has recently published the first report on the research.

In the following question, two statements are given: (1) and (2). These statements are underlined and the source of them is given. You need to decide which of the two is the more believable but, if you think that neither one is more believable, then mark (3) as your answer.

(1) Parrots were able to use the majority of the words that they were taught (from “Parrots can talk better than young children” in an article based on the report by Dr. Atkins in “Modern Parenting,” a popular magazine).

(2) The parrots could mimic a large proportion (83.8%) of the words that they were given over a period of 100 days (from an article by Dr. Atkins in the journal “Animal learning and behavior”).

(3) Neither statement is more believable.

Answer: The correct answer is 2 This is more believable than (1) since it comes from the named expert in this research study. Though (1) is “based on” this expert’s report, it could be that it isn’t an entirely correct interpretation of her findings, especially with the word “use” rather than “mimic” and the reference to parrots being able to “talk better than young children” which is both vague and ambiguous (and is not necessarily claimed by Dr. Atkins).

Critical Thinking Test Tips

1. answer strictly based on the provided info.

Answer each question solely based on the conditions and facts provided in the question, and not by using your own industry knowledge. However, what is not mentioned may also be relevant for disproving a conclusion.

2. Read each question carefully and don’t skip paragraphs or sentences

You might encounter long questions which you may be tempted to skim through. Don’t! By quickly scanning the question, you may miss valuable information you will need to get the right answer. Read thoroughly and then make your decision.

3. Try finding logic in the statements

Answering each question requires finding a logical connection between the statements or the sentences of the passage. Analyze these and try to find logic between them.

4. Learn to manage the time

Since there will be both long and short questions, the time spent on each question is difficult to assess in advance. However, through practice, you should know how to manage time without skipping any question. Learn to pace and compete with time. This tip only applies to the timed version of the test.

5. Plan and practice

Lastly, to ace any test, precise planning, and continuous practice are a must! Therefore, practice as many questions as you can beforehand.

Critical Thinking Tests for Employment

The results of critical thinking tests reflect on how a job prospect decision making and problem-solving skills and were found to be a good predictor of work performance. Poor critical thinking skills may be costly for any business in terms of higher expenses, loss of revenue, and lower productivity. High scores suggest that the candidate is likely to discover crucial information and problems, evaluate the variables and risks properly, and develop quick and adequate solutions for the benefit of the organization.

Common Critical Thinking Tests

The following are the most used critical thinking assessments. These are mainly used in the employment field but are also utilized as a personal appraisal of critical thinking skills of candidates in various academic programs as an educational placement tool.

Disclaimer – All the information and prep materials on iPrep are genuine and were created for tutoring purposes. iPrep is not affiliated with publishers of Critical Thinking tests.

Get to know the most common types of questions in Critical Thinking Assessment Tests. Practice with these sample questions:

Question 1 of 7

First Type – Inference

A worldwide study shows that there are behavioral shifts among consumers. 41% said that they are “increasingly looking for ways to save money.” Consumers are largely brand loyal but shop around for the best prices. Only 12% of consumers have traded down to buy cheaper brands (such as bottled water), with 11% trading up (with products such as cosmetics). There has been a big shift towards online shopping.

Inference: Consumers who are brand loyal are less likely than those who aren’t to look for ways to save money.

The correct answer is Probably False.

The third sentence gives evidence that, although “consumers are largely brand-loyal,” they also “shop around for the best prices.” Together, these two pieces of evidence make it not probable that brand-loyal customers “are less likely than those who aren’t to look for ways to save money.” At one level, you could say that this is an example of insufficient data, but this category applies when the evidence is simply insufficient (very often, it’s completely absent). Here the evidence is sufficient to understand that it makes this inference a “probably false” one.

Question 2 of 7

Second Type – Recognition of Assumptions

Statement: “It’s clear that there will be an exponential speed-up of AI performance, with a correspondingly huge impact on business strategy.”

Proposed Assumption: The greater the speed of AI performance, the bigger the impact is on business strategy.

This assumption is made.

The relationship between AI performance and the impact on business strategy in the statement is such that the faster AI performance increases, the greater the impact on strategy must be. This can be seen if one looks at the original statement together with the negative version of the assumption.

“It’s clear that there will be an exponential speed-up of AI performance, with a correspondingly huge impact on business strategy.”

The greater the speed of AI performance, the less is the impact on business strategy.

As can be seen, this negative version does not fit at all with the statement, showing that the assumption must be made.

Question 3 of 7

Third Type – Deduction

Premises: All companies use ways to maximize their profits. Some companies use profit-sharing plans; such plans help to retain staff. Retaining staff is a way to maximize a company’s profits. Therefore…

Conclusion: Not all profit-maximizing companies retain staff.

This conclusion follows the premises.

In the diagram below, “A” represents all the profit-maximizing ways; hence, it represents all the companies because according to the first premise, “All companies use ways to maximize their profits.”

The next premises create a link between profiting-sharing plans, retaining staff, and maximizing profits. “B” represents the portion of the companies that follow this mechanism of maximizing profits.

This inference can be drawn from the first premise (“All companies use ways to maximize their profits”) and the significance of the second and the third, which together allow the conclusion that there are profit-maximizing companies that do not retain staff.

Question 4 of 7

Fourth Type – Interpretation

According to a 2018 survey, 76% of the US population considers someone with an annual income of $10,000 to be “poor,” and 56% considers someone with an annual income of $100,000 to be “rich.” The majority of people saw the category of “neither rich nor poor” as including annual incomes from $40,000 to $80,000. Almost equal percentages saw someone with an income of $90,000 as “rich” or “neither rich nor poor.”

Conclusion: To be considered “rich” in the US, someone needs to have an income of at least ten times that of the poor.

This conclusion does not follow beyond a reasonable doubt from the premises.

This neither takes into account the possible percentages for those seen as “poor” in income groups other than $10,000, nor the lack of full agreement on whether an income of $100,000 means that someone is “rich.” As a result, the evidence is insufficient for this conclusion to be drawn beyond a reasonable doubt.

Question 5 of 7

Fifth Type – Evaluation of Arguments

Question: Should tariffs on foreign goods be used as a way of protecting domestic jobs?

Argument: No; some domestic jobs are created as a result of importing foreign goods.

This argument is strong.

This provides both a relevant and important challenge to the question. If the focus is on the protection of domestic jobs, then risking the reduction of foreign imports through tariffs (by consequent price-increases) could reduce the number of jobs in some domestic industries.

Question 6 of 7

Sixth Type – Definition

“That’s an interesting piece of furniture,” said Anna.

“Interesting?” said Mike. “It’s more than interesting. It’s a real antique. It’s been made using a design that is well over 100 years old, using methods that are even older. You certainly don’t get craftsmanship like that anymore.”

“But does that make it an antique?” asked Anna.

Question: Of the following, which is the best way to state Mike’s notion of an antique?

The correct answer is (A).

Mike sees an antique item as having three features: an at least 100 years old design, made according to methods that are older (so also covered by “at least 100 years old”), and the current absence of skills to make it. This definition covers all three of these features.

(B) is incorrect. Mike’s use of the term “antique” does not include the necessity of the item having been made at least 100 years ago.

(C) is incorrect. This includes two of the features of Mike’s use of the term (methods of construction no longer seen and design that is at least 100 years old), but it does not include the reference to the methods being at least 100 years old.

Question 7 of 7

Seventh Type – Credibility

Professor Whitman of the Food Research Laboratory (FRL) has been conducting research on the effectiveness of meal-replacement products in helping people lose weight. Interim results from his research have shown that, so far, Product A has not resulted in any significant weight loss in those who have used it, but that there was evidence of an up to 12.5% weight loss in those who used Product B.

In the following question, two statements are given: (A) and (B). These statements are underlined, and their sources are given. You need to decide which of the two is more believable but if you think that neither one is more believable, then mark (C) as your answer.

The correct answer is C.

Both (A) and (B) are accurate claims made by the same person based on the information given. Since there is no reason to question the credibility of either (A) or (B) (given their sources), this means that neither of them is more believable than the other.

You have completed the Sample Questions section.

The complete iPrep course includes full test simulations with detailed explanations and study guides.

About the course

Welcome to iPrep’s Critical Thinking test preparation course.

This course will help you boost your skills and with it your confidence towards your upcoming test. The course will provide you with the following tools and benefits:

Learning hours

Practice tests

By the end of this course, you will be more knowledgeable and comfortable with critical thinking test questions – Knowledge and familiarity with the test are the two most significant factors that can help you maximize your score and improve your chances of success.

The course is comprised of two parts – guidance and the test simulations. In the guidance section, we will review each type of question, its purpose, and its underlying logical mechanism. You will also have a chance to practice several test-level questions before approaching the test simulation to get a feel for the challenge ahead.

Afterwards, you will proceed to the simulation test. Once done, you will be able to get full question explanations and even see how well you performed in comparison with other people who have taken the test.

Wishing you an enjoyable learning experience!

Skills you will learn

Recognition of Assumptions

Drawing Conclusions

About the author

Dr. Roy van den Brink-Budgen

Co-founder and Director of Studies of the Centre for Critical Thinking

Dr. Roy van den Brink-Budgen has been working in the field of critical thinking for over thirty years. His experience has included the development of various assessments in critical thinking, and teaching the subject to a wide range of groups (students from primary to postgraduate, teachers from primary to college, juvenile offenders, and business managers). He has also written seven books on the subject, many journal articles, and online courses for secondary students and MBA students (as well as having produced a critical thinking card game). He has given presentations to various international conferences on critical thinking and creative thinking.

His work in critical thinking has taken him to many countries (including France, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, the UK, and Singapore – where he is the Director of Studies at the Centre for Critical Thinking). He serves as a consultant on critical thinking to PocketConfidant, an international company that is developing AI for personal coaching. In addition, he runs a company that provides various services in critical thinking – if…then ltd – based in the UK.

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September 28, 2020 at 1:45 AM

This course is very well designed for both practicing and testing critical thinking skills. I have enjoyed taking the course, and gained a better understanding of my own current level of critical thing ability. I will use the test results to continue improving my critical thinking skills.

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September 21, 2020 at 4:53 PM

I did use this practice session for my graduate school interview and I highly recommend this to anyone who are trying to ace their school admissions or their dream job interviews. The course format is effectively organized in a way which is easy to understand by giving real life scenario.

Critical Analysis Quiz

Building a Case

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Unit: Practice Passages: Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS)

Critical analysis and reasoning skills (cars) practice questions.

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