Watson Glaser Test 2021: Free Practice Tests, Format and 5 Sections Overview

Last updated 03/2021

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) is the initial step you will need to take when applying for many high-profile job positions. Especially, legal professional and managerial jobs. Acing the Watson Glaser critical thinking test will prove to your prospective employer that you have the right skill set to excel in your new role.

The Watson Glaser aptitude test is believed to be one of the most difficult and demanding tests on the psychometric test market. Practicing in advance is the perfect way to make sure that you perform to the best of your ability on test day. In the current competitive job market, you want to do everything in your power to make sure you perform better than your competition.

Start preparing today by taking PrepTerminal’s Free Watson Glaser Practice Test.

What Is The Watson Glaser Test?

Created by Goodwin Watson and Edward Glaser, The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Test (WGCTA) evaluates and interprets the critical thinking skills of the test-taker.

Critical thinking assessments are psychometric tests used for recruitment at various levels including, professional, managerial, and graduate and are used in many sectors. However, they are most commonly seen in the legal field.

Employers use this test to measure the abilities of a candidate and to see how they understand arguments, identify assumptions, and form conclusions founded on those assumptions.

The Watson Glaser Test mainly assesses a candidate’s ability to think critically and analytically.

The Structure of the Watson Glaser Test

The Watson Glaser test consists of 40 questions. There is a timed version and an untimed version. Those taking the timed version have 30 minutes to finish the 40 questions.

The test is made up of 5 sections:

Inferences
Identification of assumptions
Deductions
Interpretation of information
Assessment of arguments

All questions on the test have multiple-choice answers (five choices are given in the inference section and two choices are given in all the rest of the questions).

There are currently two available versions of the test:

Watson-Glaser II forms D & E (computerized or pen & paper)
Watson-Glaser III (only computerized).

The central difference between the two versions is that the Watson Glaser III uses an item bank of questions and doesn’t require a test officer.

The test can be taken offline or online, and keep in mind that no marks are taken off for choosing an incorrect answer.

What does the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test Measure?

The Watson Glaser test measures your abilities in 5 key areas: assumptions, arguments, deductions, inferences, and interpreting information. Let’s take a look at each of these question types individually.

Inferences

You will be presented with a short scenario and then will be given possible inferences. The inferences are concise statements. You will need to assess whether these concise statements have been inferred from the passage.

You will also have to decide the likelihood of the inference. You will be asked to say if the inference is ‘true,’ ‘false,’ possibly true,’ ‘possibly false’ or ‘more information is required.’ You can only select one answer.

Identification of Assumptions

When people have discussions or present arguments, there are underlying assumptions in their arguments. In the test, you will be given an initial statement. You will also be presented with various assumptions. You will be asked to decide if the assumption is evident in the initial statement.

For example, in the statement “only people earning a high salary can buy a big house”, what is being assumed is that big houses are costly because only individuals who earn a high salary can purchase one. However, what’s not being assumed is that people who are not high earners aren’t legally permitted to buy a big house.

In these question types, it is your job to choose whether an assumption has or has not been made. You will need to answer: yes or no.

Deductions

You will be given a few sentences of information. Another different short statement will also be presented to you, which is meant to be a conclusion that an individual has made. You will need to decide if the conclusion is logical, based on the information presented to you.

If yes, then the conclusion follows on from the information available. If no, then the conclusion does not follow on from the information given. You need to base your decision on the information given and not on your previous experience or knowledge.

Interpreting information

You will be presented with a passage of information and then will be shown various statements. You will be asked to decide whether the ‘conclusion follows,’ or ‘conclusion does not follow’. You choose one of these answers depending on whether or not you think that the statement can be logically arrived at from the information provided.

Here like before you need to base your answer solely on the information given to you in the question.

Arguments

You will be given an argument, such as “Should school uniforms be compulsory?” You will then be given statements that relate to this argument. You are asked to state whether the statements or responses to the argument “Should school uniform be compulsory?” create a strong or weak argument.

Arguments are deemed strong if they directly relate to the topic. For example, “Yes, many people would benefit from wearing school uniforms because school kids will be less likely to form opinions about each other based on their choice of fashion. This makes for a less judgmental school environment.” The argument given is reasonable and relates to the question.

A weak argument could be something like “No, I don’t trust people who wear baggy clothes”. This second argument has little to do with the topic of making school uniforms compulsory. When you are presented with these questions you need to think objectively about the argument being made and put aside your personal judgments and opinions.

How is the Watson Glaser Test Scored?

A candidate’s score on the Watson Glaser test is given in comparison to a norm group.

A potential employer will compare and contrast the profile of all potential applicants. Applicants with the highest relative scores will pass the Watson Glaser test and likely move on to the next stage of the hiring process.

Doing well on the Watson Glaser test may not be enough, as candidates will have to do better than their competitors if they want to stand out.

A good score on the Watson Glaser test is dependent on the company a candidate is applying to. Ultimately, an applicant should aim to score 80% or more, to be considered a likely candidate for the job.

Practice is thus essential. Prepterminal’s Watson Glaser Test prep course provides Watson Glaser practice test questions and more.

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Which Companies Use the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test?

The top five companies that use the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal as part of their hiring process:

Clifford Chance – Ranked among the top 10 multinational law firms, in the world, Clifford Chance is a key member of the “Magic Circle”.
Linklater – Linklaters is a “Magic Circle” member and is one of the top three law firms in England.
Dentons – This is a relatively young law firm. However, it has grown to be the 5th largest law firm – based on revenue.
Hogan Lovells – This American-British law firm is the 11th largest international law firm.
GLS – The British Government Legal Services hires lawyers who represent the government in court and give legal advice to the government.

How To Prepare For Watson Glaser Test: Top Tips

#1. Answer solely based on the information provided: Answer each question using only the facts and conditions given in the question itself. Do not use your own knowledge of the subject matter, even if you are well-versed in a particular area.

#2. Read each question slowly and carefully: Some of the questions featured on the Watson Glaser Practice Test may be long, and you may want to skim through them. Refrain from doing so. If you quickly scan a question, you may skip over valuable information. Read each question thoroughly before choosing an answer.

#3. Manage your time effectively: The Watson Glaser test features both long and short questions, so it may be hard to ascertain in advance how much time you need for each question. Nevertheless, the more you practice the more familiar you will become with the question types and the better you will be at pacing yourself.

#4. Practice, practice, practice: To do well on this test you will need to practice. Take as many practice tests as you can so you can learn to anticipate the type and structure of the questions. This way you can approach the test with confidence.

How Difficult is the Watson Glaser Test?

As you have seen the Watson Glaser test is very tricky. It is especially hard for individuals who are not familiar with the question types.

Enrolling in Prepterminal’s preparatory Watson Glaser Test course with Watson Glaser Practice Test questions will help you become familiar with the structure and nature of the questions featured in this notoriously difficult test.

We will help you understand the specific nuanced rules of the Watson Glaser test and how to accept the statements presented to you in the test and more.

6 Benefits of Preptermainal’s Prep Watson Glaser Test Course

Learn how to think like the creators of the test require you to think.
Understand how to base your judgments exclusively on the information given to you in the test.
Understand the specific rules of the test.
Learn how to accept statements presented to you in the test at face value.
Practice using carefully crafted course material that covers the specific subject matter of the Watson Glaser test.
Learn how to make decisions without being influenced by your past experiences.

With these tools under your belt, you will be able to wow your potential employer by acing your critical thinking test.

Whether your ambition is to be a lawyer, to get a promotion to a leadership role, or to manage others, PrepTermainal is here to help you make your career goals a reality.

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