Jump to a Section on This Page:
- What Is the Watson Glaser Test and How to Get A High Score?
- What is the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test Format?
- Watson Glaser Assessment Sample Questions & Sections Overview
- 7 Watson Glaser Test Tips to Pass the Exam
- How is the Watson Glaser Test Scored?
- Watson Glaser FAQs
What Is the Watson Glaser Test?
The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is a pre-hire test developed by Pearson. It is usually used by law firms and other organisations to screen candidates during the recruitment process. The skills evaluated are crucial for succeeding in both the legal world and managerial roles.
How to Get a High Score on the Watson Glaser?
Like all tests, the absolute best way to get a high score is by practising.
But as the Watson Glaser test is unique, just practising is not enough. It has to be an ACCURATE practice.
Only by using accurate Watson Glaser practice tests, which simulate the real test, you will be familiar with the different sections and rules. This intimate familiarity is your key to gaining an advantage over your competition.
Get a taste of the full range of questions and improve your score with an accurate free Watson Glaser mock test.
What is the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test Format?
The Watson Glaser Test includes 40 multiple-choice questions, that takes 30 minutes to answer.
The test is divided into five sections (click to jump to a specific section):
Each section is unique and has a set of rules you need to familiarise yourself with. Read on to learn about each section and get Watson Glaser sample questions.
To boost your Watson Glaser score, you have to master the test's unique format and sections. To do that you have to practise.
Our tailored Watson Glaser test prep pack includes many accurate Watson Glaser practice tests, which follow three fundamentals:
- Accuracy - you will get Watson Glaser practice questions that EXACTLY simulate the real test, sections, and format.
- New skill learning – every Watson Glaser practice question is followed by an extensive explanation, tips and strategies. This will ensure you will learn the skills you need to answer every question.
- Reducing anxiety - you will practice under the real Watson Glaser time constraint to know how to perform well under pressure.
Improve your score by practising with accurate Watson Glaser Practice Tests (covering all possible versions of the test: WG-II Form D and Form E, and WG-III).
Watson Glaser Assessment Sample Questions & Sections Overview
Inference Assessment Overview
The Inference Assessment section, will present you with a single statement of facts that you regard as true.
Every statement will be followed with a series of inferences – conclusions that one might draw from the facts in the statement.
Your task is to examine the inferences, and decide how true or false each one is, on a scale:
- True
- Probably True
- Insufficient Data
- Probably False
- False
Note: Sometimes, in deciding whether an inference is probably true or false, you will have to use common knowledge or information.
While you should not hesitate to use such knowledge, it is unadvisable to rely on such knowledge as the sole basis for judging an inference to be True or False. These rulings must be supported by the statement of facts given.
Inference Assessment Sample Question
Statement: James is a human rights activist who was fined £60 on three different days during the past month for smoking in public at his workplace. On each of the occasions, he admitted to the act peacefully, telling policemen that he is unwilling to conform with such a breach of people's right to privacy. James paid the three fines shortly after receiving them.
Inference: James has spent at least a couple hundreds of pounds in his struggle to oppose violation of civil liberties this year.
- True
- Probably True
- Insufficient Data
- Probably False
- False
The correct answer is 'Probably True.'
You know that James had paid 180 pounds in the past month alone. You also know he is a human rights activist who is willing to spend money for his cause, based on his actions and testimony.
As such, even though it is not explicitly mentioned in the text, it is safe to assume that sometime in the year James had spent at least 20 more pounds on his activism, smoking-related or otherwise.
Recognising Assumptions Overview
In the Watson Glaser Test Recognising Assumptions section, you will be presented with different statements. Several proposed assumptions follow each statement. Your job is to decide for each assumption whether a person, in making the given statement, is really making that assumption – that is, taking it for granted, justifiably or not.
Note: These assumptions do not have to concur with reality or reason – you are not judging their common sense, but plainly whether they are made or not.
Recognising Assumptions Sample Question
Statement: Complaints were raised against the town's sole French teacher for using her monopoly to charge more than her late predecessor. In fact, however, she does not earn more money on each lesson than she would have before, because she lives out of town and her fee reflects higher transportation costs than those of her predecessor, who lived in town.
Proposed Assumption: Service providers who spend more on transportation are more expensive.
- Assumption Made
- Assumption Not Made
Assumption is not made.
This is a generalisation of what happened in the town. This statement is a logical rule—it refers to all service providers in the world.
The author might think this is true, but he doesn't have to assume it in order for the passage to make sense. Therefore, it is not assumed.
Deduction Overview
In the Deduction section, you will have to read several passages. Each one will be followed by a suggested conclusion.
Your task is to determine whether the conclusion “follows” or “does not follow” the information presented in the text.
Note: While making a decision, you should rely only on the premises, even though you may believe some conclusions may or may not be true according to your general knowledge.
For the purposes of this test, consider the premises in each exercise to be true without exception. (e.g., the sentence "apples are tasty", should be read as all apples are actually tasty, even rotten apples and unripe apples).
Deduction Sample Question
Statement: Some citizens pay taxes. Many citizens receive income support.
Conclusion: More citizens receive income support than citizens who pay taxes.
- Conclusion follows
- Conclusion does not follow
Conclusion does not follow.
Citizens = A, pay taxes = B, receive income support = C.
According to the premises, (A+B)some, and (A+C)many.
The conclusion states (A+C) > (A+B).
Some refer to a portion - a quantity between 1 to everything, while many others refer to multiplicity – at least 2 and up to everything.
However, you have no grounds to infer an accurate quantity of either statement; therefore, the conclusion does not necessarily follow.
In other words:
This one is tricky. Although there is a hierarchy between words that indicate a quantity, and “many” is more than “some”, that is only true when discussing the same group.
For example, if the conclusion was “there are some citizens who receive income support”, it would follow, because you can infer “some” from “many”. However, you cannot compare the quantities of two different groups this way.
Interpretation Overview
The Watson Glaser Test Interpretation section is similar to the Deduction section we just talked about.
In this section you will be presented with a short paragraph, for which you have to assume that everything stated in it is true. Then, you will have to decide if a certain conclusion is followed beyond a reasonable doubt from the text, or not.
Note: While section 3 (Deduction) instructions ask us to decide whether a proposed conclusion “necessarily follows”, section 4 (Interpretation) offers a disjunction: The proposed conclusion can necessarily follow or probably follow (beyond a reasonable doubt).
Another distinction is that section 3 mainly uses formal logic, whereas section 4 is less formal in that way.
Interpretation Sample Question
Text: In the years 2011-12, 32% of pupils entitled to free school meals (an indicator of low socioeconomic status) achieved five GCSE passes at grade C or above. This is compared to 65% of pupils who were not entitled to free school meals.
Conclusion: Most of the pupils who were not entitled to a free school meal achieved five GCSE passes at grade C or above.
- Conclusion follows
- Conclusion does not follow
Conclusion follows.
The logic behind this answer is mathematical: the passage states that 65% of the pupils who were not entitled to a free school meal achieved five GCSE passes at a minimum of a C grade. Since 65% is greater than 50%, we can conclude that they are the majority.
Evaluation of Arguments Overview
In this final Watson Glaser test section, you will be presented with a question or a topic, followed by several arguments you need to evaluate. For each argument, you will have to determine whether it is “strong” or “weak”.
Note: For an argument to be strong, it must be both important and directly related to the question. An argument is weak if it is not directly related to the question (even though it may be of great general importance), if it is of minor importance, or if it is only related to trivial aspects of the question.
Evaluation of Arguments Sample Question
Question: Should parents put their children in preparation courses for gifted tests, in order for them to reach their full potential?
Argument: Yes; parents are responsible for their children’s future and should do whatever they can to help them succeed in life.
- Strong argument
- Weak argument
Weak argument.
This argument, although of great general importance, is not directly related to the question. The question specifically asked about preparation courses for gifted tests, and the arguments do not even mention them.
If, for example, the argument made the connection between preparation courses and success, the argument would have been strong. Since it does not, it is weak.
Want to try more Watson Glaser sample questions? Watch our new YouTube video that explains all 5 sections in detail and provides an example for each section:
And if you are ready to move on to the next prep level, then check this:
Our tailored Watson Glaser test prep package includes many accurate Watson Glaser practice tests, which follow three fundamentals:
- Accuracy - you will get Watson Glaser practice questions that EXACTLY simulate the real test, sections, and format.
- New skill learning – every Watson Glaser practice question is followed by an extensive explanation, tips and strategies. This will ensure you will learn the skills you need to answer every question.
- Reducing anxiety - you will practice under the real Watson Glaser time constraint to know how to perform well under pressure.
Improve your score by practising with accurate Watson Glaser Practice Tests (covering all possible versions of the test: WG-II Form D and Form E, and WG-III).
7 Watson Glaser Test Tips to Pass the Exam
- Take the example questions if offered. Sometimes you will be offered example questions on your test day before your actual test. If this happens, treat it as an opportunity to get confident with the questions you are due to face. The only exception to this advice is if you feel it may tier you.
- Read the instructions carefully (don't skip them!). Remember, each section has its own rules to follow.
- Don't spend too much time on a single question. If you finish the questions before the time is up, you can go back to questions you weren't sure of.
- The time limit does not affect your score. Completing the test with time to spare will not improve your score, so make sure to use every minute and answer all of the questions. Don't leave any questions unanswered!
- There’s no penalty for wrong answers. So, it is better to make educated guesses if you’re running out of time.
- Use your common sense with caution. Pay attention to where you are, or are not, allowed to use common sense and world knowledge. In some sections, you must base your answer solely on the passage, and in others, you have to use common sense to reach a conclusion.
- Brush on your formal logic. For example, did you know that ‘most bears like beets’. Since this sentence only states that ‘most’ bears like beets, not ‘all’, it means that not all bears enjoy beats.
How Is the Watson Glaser Test Scored?
The results of your Watson Glaser exam will be compared against a norm group.
The norm group’s members are individuals of a comparative educational and professional background within a relevant field (such as senior managers), who have sat the exam previously.
Your potential employer will compare the profiles of all candidates. Those with the highest relative scores will pass the test and move on to the next stage.
Additionally, there will be individual percentile scores for three subscales, allowing the employer to assess you against specific skills. These sub-areas are called RED: Recognize Assumptions, Evaluate Arguments, and Draw Conclusions.
Check this sample report PDF to see how the score report looks, and see this table that contains all the available norm groups.
What Is a Good Score on the Watson Glaser Test?
The Watson Glaser doesn't have a pre-determined pass mark. Each employer has a different benchmark, but ideally, you should aim for a score of 80% and above. This means that you should strive to answer correctly at least 32 out of 40 questions. The higher your scores are, the better your chances of passing the test.
What Is the Average Score on the Watson Glaser?
While there’s no official Watson Glaser average score, a small study conducted by Pearson, the company that developed the test, found a mean score of 32.8 within its study participants.
How to Improve Your Watson Glaser Score?
As you’ve read above, scoring high on the Watson Glaser is not enough, since you will also have to beat the other competitors.
Although the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test is hard, boosting your score is absolutely possible. Getting a GREAT score is all about practising.
That’s why the preparation pack found on this page is specially designed to give you all the tools you need to immensely improve your score and beat your competition.
Watson Glaser FAQs
A critical thinking test, sometimes referred to as critical reasoning test, is an aptitude test that measures your ability to assess a situation through various perspectives. While taking the test, you will be asked to acknowledge, extract, and interpret facts, opinions, and assumptions.
The critical thinking tests are usually used in the legal professions’ recruitment process, where a major critical thinking ability needed is to make a strong, solid argument. Additional skills measured are being able to analyse verbal information, make accurate assumptions and draw conclusions.
The critical reasoning test measures these critical thinking skills by using paragraphs of text, some short and some very long. Your job is to analyse the text in different ways and show that you understood every aspect of it.
There are dozens of firms and organisations that use the Watson Glaser to screen potential employees. Here’s a list of the biggest names who use it:
- Clifford Chance
- Linklaters
- Hogan Lovells
- Government Legal Service (GLS)
- Howard Kennedy
- Bird & Bird
- Dentons
- DLA Piper
- Hiscox
- HSF
- Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Critical thinking is important for companies since employees with strong critical thinking can make decisions with limited supervision, allowing them to make independent judgment decisions. Also, this skill helps them solve problems, build strategies, and make them better at their job in general.
The following professions use the Watson Glaser test:
- Trainee Solicitors and Solicitors
- Graduate Trainees
- Lawyers
- Vacation Scheme
- Public Health Registrars
- Analysts
To succeed in these roles, it’s important to have strong critical thinking skills. That’s why companies use the Watson Glaser, which is an accurate assessment tool for measuring this ability.
The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is considered to be one of the hardest pre-employment tests on the market today, due to its unique and counterintuitive set of rules, as well as its focus solely on critical thinking.
The Watson Glaser III is a revision of the common WG-II test. The main difference is that the WG-III can be taken in an unsupervised setting, due to the "item-bank" from which questions are randomly selected.
However, WG-II and WG-III are identical in terms of topics, question number, and allowed time.
The Watson Glaser is normally timed and allows you up to 30 minutes to complete all 40 questions. There are also untimed versions for candidates requiring adjustments. Note that every section is timed separately.
According to the official Watson Glaser Manual, forms D and E are a remnant of the revision the test has gone through in recent years. The older version contained two different forms, named A and B. Practically speaking, for you as a test-taker, both forms are equivalent and share the same difficulty level, structure, and format.
