The Watson Glaser test is a critical thinking test, published by Pearson TalentLens, that employers use to see how well you reason with written information. It gives you short passages and asks you to judge inferences, assumptions, deductions, interpretations and arguments using only what the passage says. It is used most widely in law firm recruitment, and also by banks, consultancies and other professional employers.
Because the format is fixed, it rewards practice more than most tests. You can try the question types in a free Watson Glaser style critical thinking test, with an explanation for every answer. Our tests are written in the style of the Watson Glaser and are not the publisher’s own.
The one rule that matters most
Answer only from the information given. Every question is self-contained, and the test is not checking what you know about the world. If a passage says something you believe is untrue, you still treat it as true for that question. If a passage leaves something out, you do not fill the gap with your own knowledge.
Most lost marks come from breaking this rule, so keep it in mind through everything that follows.
Who uses the Watson Glaser test
Law firms are the best known users, particularly for training contract and vacation scheme applications. It also appears in recruitment for banking, finance, consulting and some public sector roles, at graduate, professional and management level.
Employers use it because the skills it measures are the ones these jobs need every day: spotting what an argument takes for granted, separating fact from opinion, and judging whether a conclusion is supported. It gives them a consistent way to compare candidates on those skills. It may appear early as a screening step or later at an assessment centre.
Format and timing
The test is taken online and is multiple choice. Versions commonly used in UK graduate recruitment are often reported to have around 40 questions with a time limit of about 30 minutes, which is roughly 45 seconds a question. Formats can vary between employers and versions, so check your invitation for the exact details.
Questions come in groups. You read a short passage, then answer several questions about it.
The five sections, with examples
Each section tests a different skill and uses a different set of answer options. Learning those options before the test saves real time on the day.
1. Inference
You read a passage of facts, then judge a proposed inference on a five-point scale: true, probably true, insufficient data, probably false or false.
Passage: “A regional bank closed four of its ten branches last year. Online banking use among its customers rose over the same period.”
Inference: “Some of the bank’s customers who used the closed branches now bank online.”
Answer: probably true. It is likely, given that branches closed and online use rose, but the passage does not confirm it. The rise could have come entirely from other customers.
2. Recognising assumptions
You read a statement and decide whether a proposed assumption is made (taken for granted) or not made.
Statement: “We should run the graduate open day in March, because final-year students will have finished their exams by then.”
Assumption: “It is better to hold the open day when final-year students do not have exams.”
Answer: assumption made. The exam timing is the whole reason for choosing March, so the statement depends on it.
3. Deduction
You read premises and decide whether a conclusion follows necessarily, or does not follow. Treat the premises as true, even if they seem unlikely.
Premises: “All contracts above £10,000 need legal review. The new cleaning contract is above £10,000.”
Conclusion: “The new cleaning contract needs legal review.”
Answer: conclusion follows. If both premises are true, the conclusion must be true.
4. Interpretation
You read a passage and decide whether a proposed conclusion follows beyond reasonable doubt. This is less strict than deduction, but you still cannot go beyond the evidence.
Passage: “Of the 200 people who attended the firm’s careers fair, 50 went on to apply for a role.”
Conclusion: “A quarter of the fair’s attendees applied for a role.”
Answer: conclusion follows. 50 ÷ 200 = 0.25, which is a quarter. A conclusion such as “the fair caused these people to apply” would not follow, because they may have applied anyway.
5. Evaluating arguments
You read a question and an argument for or against it, and decide whether the argument is strong or weak. A strong argument is important and directly relevant to the question. A weak one is not directly related, is trivial, or confuses the issue.
Question: “Should the company let all staff work from home two days a week?”
Argument: “No, because some staff live close to the office.”
Answer: weak. Living close to the office does not address whether home working would be good or bad for the company or its staff.
You will find longer worked examples for every section in our guide to Watson Glaser test examples and tips.
The RED model
TalentLens describes the skills the test measures with the RED model:
- Recognise assumptions
- Evaluate arguments
- Draw conclusions
Drawing conclusions covers the inference, deduction and interpretation sections. The model is a useful way to organise your preparation. We explain it, and other frameworks, in critical thinking models and theory explained.
How the test is scored
Your raw score is the number of questions you answer correctly. Employers usually compare it with a norm group, a large group of people who have taken the same test, and it is often reported as a percentile. A percentile shows the share of that group you scored above. Each employer sets its own threshold, and the threshold can differ between roles, so there is no single pass mark.
How to prepare
- Learn the answer options for each section. Knowing the five-point inference scale, and the difference between deduction and interpretation, stops you losing time on instructions.
- Practise each section on its own first. Each one needs a different way of thinking. Once you are comfortable with them separately, move on to mixed practice.
- Then practise under time pressure. Untimed practice builds understanding. Timed practice builds the pace you need on the day.
- Catch yourself using outside knowledge. When you think “but in reality…”, stop and go back to the passage.
- Review your mistakes by section. If most of your errors are in one section, that is where extra practice will pay off most.
Critical thinking is a skill you can build outside test practice too. Our guide on how to improve critical thinking skills has everyday exercises that use the same reasoning.
In summary
The Watson Glaser measures five reasoning skills in a fixed, predictable format, and judges you only on the information in front of you. Candidates who know the format and have practised each section under timed conditions start the real test with a clear advantage. When you are ready, take a timed Watson Glaser style practice test to see where you stand.
