What is the Watson Glaser assessment?

What are the Watson Glaser critical reasoning skills?

You can learn a lot here about the Watson Glaser test format and the different types of reasoning skills needed to answer the different types of Watson Glaser test question.

• First we recommend that you learn about the different Watson Glaser test sections from the free Watson Glaser test samples below.
• Review our recommended Watson Glaser test prep we designed for our client AllAboutLaw.
• Then purchase the market’s BEST Watson Glaser test practice.

Watson-Glaser query?

Then ask Rob,  our in-house  expert Watson-Glaser specialist. Ask any Watson-Glaser question by emailing passedpapers@gmail.com. An Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Rob Williams is a Chartered Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working and designing tests. Rob has consulted for many of the top school entrance test publishers.

Improving your critical thinking skills

Here’s our other critical reasoning tests related posts:

• LNAT critical thinking test practice papers
• 11+ spatial reasoning test practice
• 11+ critical reasoning skills
• TSA thinking skills past papers

Try our Watson Glaser test practice

The Watson Glaser test determines thinking capabilities. More specifically, critical thinking ability.

It’s often used in critical examinations or in companies hiring process. 

Summary of the Watson Glaser test

The Watson Glaser questions are multiple choice questions, which are usually phrased as true or false statements. A test administration time of 30 minutes is allowed for answering the 40 Watson Glaser questions.

There are five different Watson Glaser question types:

• inference
• assumptions
• deductions
• evaluation, and
• interpretation. 

An Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Rob Williams is a Chartered Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working and designing tests. He is also the author of five psychometric test design books and has worked for the  school entrance test publishers ISEB, Hodder and GL Assessment. Rob has also consulted for the leading global psychometric test publishers including SHL, Kenexa IBM, MBTI, CAPP and SOVA Assessment.

The Watson Glaser test is produced by test publisher TalentLens and are considered one of the most trusted methods of evaluating critical reasoning.

We hope you find our FREE Watson Glaser practice test and Watson glaser Test tips useful!

Try our Passing each Watson Glaser Test section guide too and THE Best Watson Glaser test practice available.

We also recommend School Entrance Tests‘ critical thinking tests introduction and Watson Glaser test practice resources.

Each Watson-Glaser test is composed of scenarios similar to those typically found in a variety of settings, including the workplace, the school, and other organisational settings.

Applying critical reasoning to a subject or issue involves:

• Considering it from various perspectives.
• Identifying what is fact, compared to which parts are assumptions. Or opinions.
• Drawing logical conclusions
• Using the above critical reasoning to inform the decision making process.

Here you can download Pearson TalentLens introducing their own Watson Glaser key features:

What are the five Watson Glaser test sections?

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is usually built around five core reasoning skills. Each section tests a different part of objective, evidence-based thinking.

Passing Watson Glaser Test section-by-section

The Watson Glaser test is the most widely used critical thinking test in the world. There are five Watson Glaser sections. We go through introducing and sharing the instructions for each of these five ‘Watson Glaser subtests’ below:

You therefore need to reflect upon the following two key Watson Glaser critical reasoning skills:

• How quickly can you draw conclusions from facts?
• Can you make judgements based on limited information?

2) Passing Watson Glaser Recognition of Assumptions question type

Let’s start with the key learning point, what is an assumption?

An assumption is something presupposed or taken for granted. When you say, ‘I’ll be a qualified solicitor in two months’, you take it for granted that you will be alive in two months, that you will pass the relevant examinations, and similar things.

Remember to judge each assumption independently. 

3) Passing Watson Glaser Test’s Deduction section 

• Try not to let your prejudices influence your judgement – just stick to the given statements.
• So, you must judge whether each conclusion follows on. Or not.
• The word ‘some’ in any of these statements means an indefinite part of quantity of a class of things.
• ‘Some’ means at least a portion, and perhaps all of the class.

4) Passing the Watson Glaser Interpretation questions

• How well can you assess the weight of different arguments given a predetermined assumed-to-be-true statement?
• You must decide whether the conclusion is fair ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.
• Again, you can only answer ‘yes’ or ‘n’.
• You need to firstly, focus on whether each assumption or conclusion is true or not.
• Secondly, to avoid personal opinions.
• Also you must remember to judge each conclusion independently.

5) Passing Watson Glaser Evaluation of Arguments section 

• You need to firstly ensure that each argument makes sense. However there is more to the Watson Glaser Argument Evaluation of Arguments section than that.
• Your key focus then needs to be on the following: distinguishing between strong and weak arguments.
• Remember to judge each argument separately on its own merit.
• Try not to let your personal attitude toward the question influence your evaluation of the argument, since each argument is to be regarded as true.

Why does the Watson Glaser Test have a Evaluation of Arguments section?

In making decisions about important questions, it is desirable to be able to distinguish between arguments that are strong and arguments that are weak, as far as the question at issue is concerned.

What skills do critical thinking tests like the Watson Glaser Test require?

The following skills contribute to effective critical thinking:

• Interpreting information
• Differentiating fact from fallacy
• Drawing evidence-based conclusions
• Identifying sound arguments
• Taking an objective stance

How does the Watson Glaser assess critical thinking?

The Watson Glaser test assesses critical thinking skills via:

• Statements
• Text passages
• Asking which inferences / deductions / assumptions can be made based on the above
• By objectively weighing up the strength of an argument.

No prior knowledge is required since the Watson Glaser relies on existing knowledge being ‘igored’. The respondent can only use the evidence presented verbally in each Watson Glaser question.

When is the Watson Glaser used?

When you are applying for a

• graduate,

• professional or

• managerial role.

As long as critical thinking is a prerequisite skill to do that role effectively.

What is the format of a Watson Glaser test?

The Watson Glaser test is a timed, multiple-choice assessment, the most recent version of which consists of 40 questions with a 30-minute time constraint.

There are the following five sections in the Watson Glaser:

Drawing inferences

You’ll need to critically analyse the information in the given paragraph to determine if these statements are true, probably true, false, probably false, or if there is insufficient proof to determine either way.

Recognising assumptions

Assumptions relate to what we understand to be true without needing solid proof. They are the underlying facts that give an argument its validity.

If the statement relies on the assumption being true, you would mark it as ‘assumption made’.

If the assumption is irrelevant to the statement, or bears no weight on its validity, you would mark it as ‘assumption not made’.

Deduction

Deductive reasoning is the act of arriving at a fact-based conclusion through a logical thought process. A deduction differs from an assumption in that it is what we take away from an argument, as opposed to the facts on which an argument needs to stand.

Based solely on the evidence presented in a statement or short paragraph, you’ll need to determine if a list of conclusions do or do not logically follow on from the information in front of you.

Interpreting

• determine whether a given conclusion can logically be drawn from an argument.
• Identify significant pieces of information and
• decide if a logical interpretation can be applied in support of the conclusion in question.

Evaluating arguments

This last section looks at your ability to separate a weak argument from a strong one. You’ll need to decide if an argument is relevant and challenging, and therefore strong, or vague and unrealistic, and therefore weak.

What skills does it look to measure?

The five sections combined give an overall picture of your performance in key areas, and measure your ability to:

• Define a problem
• Select key points of information to formulate a solution
• Hypothesise, or select an applicable hypothesis based on limited evidence
• Draw fact-based conclusions
• Determine the probability of an inference

Watson Glaser Test practice

What is a pass score on the Watson Glaser tests?

It is therefore difficult to state an exact pass score on the test, since it depends entirely on the performance of your peers. Ideally, you’d look to reach 75% and above to give yourself a competitive edge.

Which professions use Watson Glaser tests, and why?

Watson Glaser test usage is most common in the legal and professional services sectors. In other words, the law, banking and financial sectors. In many such roles executives must regularly take nformed business decisions. Each decison must be rooted in fact. As well as being objectively free from any biased thinking.

How should I prepare for the Watson Glaser?

Recognising assumptions. Instead of simply taking things at face value, such as the news or a part of a conversation with a friend or co-worker, ask yourself if what you’re hearing can actually be classified as true, and what the facts are that back it up. Are they evidential, or based on assumptions?

Evaluating arguments. We’re all guilty of seeking out information that confirms our own perspective. Instead, actively look for opinions that contradict your own and assess them from an objective point of view. The better you become at seeing both sides of a story, the more prepared you’ll be to critically evaluate arguments in your Watson Glaser test.

Drawing conclusions. These conclusions may not align with your own perspective, but a Watson Glaser test requires that you conclude impartially – and as with most things in life, practice makes perfect here.

Watson Glaser tips

Study the practice questions

• In the official test, you’ll have the opportunity to complete practice questions. These are there for a reason, so use them wisely.

• To succeed on a Watson Glaser test, you need to go against human nature and ignore everything you think you know.
• Each question will contain all the relevant information you need. Whether you believe it to be true, agree with it, or not, is irrelevant.
• For the sake of the test, evaluate only the information provided in each passage.

Watson Glaser Test practice

• Examine each question carefully. You may feel the need to rush under the time pressure, but attention to detail is vital.

Look for keywords and phrases

The statement, proposition or paragraph of text at the start of each question will inevitably include keywords or phrases that relate directly to the assumptions, inferences or conclusions given. These are your clues. Identify them, and you’ll find it much easier to analyse each scenario objectively.

Split your time evenly

Remember, you have a set amount of time to work through all five sections of the test. Split this evenly across the board before you start, and keep track of how much time you spend on each question. It may seem counterintuitive to add to the pressure, but in setting yourself a time frame, you eliminate the risk of dedicated excessive attention to any one part of the test.

Who uses the Watson Glaser test?

The test is quite popular among law firms or audit firms that analyze the true potential of a professional.

Also, the banking industry’s hiring departments use the Watson Glaser test to

• make more informed recruitment decisions
• Hire the right person for the job.

The Watson Glaser assessment is also important for recruiting junior and senior partners in a law firm and has been proved effective in some of the most recognized companies in the world.

Why use the Watson Glaser test?

• It can prove difficult to differentiate between applicants without this set if everybody is coming from the same background and has the same set of qualifications.
• The outcomes of this test can provide hiring managers with the right data about an individual that will assist in supporting and guiding them when any help is required.
• Hiring costs can be quite high and if several employees are hired who are not fit for the job, then there can be a major loss in the recruitment budget.
• A resume can have information that can look almost similar to every other one that they get.

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is about logic and applying rationale to every argument that one might have with themselves. In today’s world, there are so many distractions, so it is even more important for identifying the critical thinking skill level of an individual. A critical thinker can easily analyze whether some information being provided to them is true to the core or not.

How can I improve my critical thinking skills?

• Tune in to the world around you.
• Ask questions.
• Read actively.
• Look for evidence in every statement or argument you come across.
• Take practice tests regularly to assess your progress.