CCAT Practice Test

What the real test usually looks like

Criteria Corp publishes the CCAT's format for candidates (Criteria):

• 50 multiple choice questions in 15 minutes, about 18 seconds each.
• Three kinds of question: verbal, math and logic, and spatial reasoning, mixed through the test.
• No calculator. Criteria's candidate page says calculators are not allowed.
• Almost nobody finishes. Criteria says fewer than 1% of candidates answer all 50 questions, and the average test taker gets 24 right.
• No penalty for wrong answers, according to the same page.
• Usually taken online, from a link the employer sends. Criteria says its assessments work on a tablet or phone browser unless you are told otherwise beforehand (candidate FAQs).

Each test is drawn from a large item bank. Criteria describes the CCAT as a dynamic assessment that draws on thousands of items, so two candidates rarely see the same set (Criteria). Practicing the question types works; memorizing questions does not.

What each area covers. Criteria's information brief describes verbal ability as reading and comprehension of words, logic and attention to detail; math and logic as reasoning with numbers and analytical thinking; and spatial reasoning as visualizing objects and solving problems in physical space. In practice that means analogies, word meanings and sentence completion; word problems, number series and deductive statements; and shape sequences.

After the test, Criteria says your results are emailed directly to the employer, and Criteria's support team cannot see them.

Question types with worked examples

These original examples cover each type of question you are likely to meet. Each one shows the method and the trap that catches people under time pressure.

Analogy. "PAINTER is to BRUSH as WRITER is to ___." Say the relationship as a sentence: a painter works with a brush, so a writer works with a pen. The trap is "book": it is what a writer makes, not what a writer works with.

Sentence completion. "The new policy was ___: it applied to every team without exception." The clue is "without exception", so "universal" fits. "Strict" sounds right in tone but does not match the clue. Find the clue words in the sentence before you read the options.

Attention to detail. "How many of these number pairs match: 1209 / 1209, 4471 / 4417, 3380 / 3380?" Two. The middle pair swaps its last two digits, which is the classic trap.

Reverse percentage. "A shirt costs $24 after a 20% discount. What was the original price?" $24 is 80% of the original, so the original is $24 / 0.8 = $30. The trap is adding 20% to $24 and answering $28.80.

Number series. "2, 3, 5, 9, 17, ..." The gaps are 1, 2, 4 and 8, doubling each time, so the next gap is 16 and the answer is 33. Write the gaps above the numbers if the rule does not jump out.

Deductive statements. "Sam is taller than Lee. Lee is taller than Kim. Pat is taller than Kim. Is Pat taller than Lee?" Uncertain. We know Pat and Lee are both taller than Kim, but nothing compares Pat with Lee. The trap is filling the gap with a guess. By contrast, "Is Sam taller than Kim?" is clearly yes.

Shape sequence. An arrow turns 45 degrees clockwise each step while a small square beside it switches between filled and empty. Track one change at a time: first the arrow, then the square. If two things change, check whether they change at different speeds, and pick the answer that satisfies both.

How to prepare

1. Budget about 18 seconds a question. 15 minutes is 900 seconds, and 900 / 50 = 18. At an even pace you would be near question 17 after 5 minutes. Since the average test taker gets 24 right, nobody expects you to reach the end.
2. Cut your losses early. Criteria's own advice is to make an educated guess and move on if a question has taken more than a minute. At 18 seconds a question, many people do better setting their own limit at around 30 seconds.
3. Never leave a blank. Criteria says there is no penalty for wrong answers, so in the last 30 seconds answer every remaining question you can reach.
4. Drill mental math. Percentages (10%, 5%, 25%), simple fractions and rates come up constantly, without a calculator. Our percentage questions guide and ratio questions guide cover the fast methods.
5. Practice spatial sequences. They feel strange at first and quickly become familiar. Our abstract reasoning test has more of them.
6. Learn to say analogies as sentences. It turns a vague feeling into a rule you can check in two seconds. Our verbal reasoning test gives more word practice.
7. Take at least two full-length timed mocks. Fifteen minutes of full focus is a skill on its own.
8. Check your invitation for the rules. It says how long the link is valid and whether the test runs on a phone. Use an up-to-date browser, as Criteria recommends.

How scoring usually works

Criteria says employers receive two numbers: your raw score (how many of the 50 questions you answered correctly) and your percentile (Criteria).

• Raw score is a simple count. Wrong answers and blanks both score zero, so there is no penalty for guessing.
• Percentile compares your raw score with a norm group of people who have taken the test. A percentile of 70 would mean you scored higher than about 70% of that group; it is not the percentage of questions you got right.
• Score ranges by job. Criteria's information brief says it gives employers suggested score ranges for many job families, such as accounting, legal, management and office support, based on scores of people in similar roles. The employer decides how to use them.

Criteria says the average test taker gets 24 questions right, which is a useful reality check when you practice. Our CCAT scores guide explains raw scores and percentiles in more detail.

Our practice score is the number you got right on our own questions. It is not a CCAT score or percentile.

Who uses the CCAT

Criteria recommends the CCAT for mid- to high-level jobs that require problem solving (Criteria). Its information brief names managers, sales executives, software developers, executive assistants and analysts, and says the test also suits jobs with a lot of training, such as apprentice, intern and graduate roles (information brief).

The CCAT is offered in US and UK English. For other languages, Criteria points employers to the UCAT, a language-independent version. If your invitation says UCAT, expect more emphasis on shapes and numbers than on words; our spatial reasoning test and abstract reasoning test are the closest practice.

If your invitation names a different Criteria test, or just says "cognitive test", our cognitive ability test covers the same mix at a similar pace.

Common mistakes on CCAT-style tests

• Treating it like a school exam. You are not meant to finish. Fewer than 1% of candidates answer all 50, so working through in order and refusing to leave a question behind costs you points.
• Leaving blanks at the end. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so an empty answer is a sure zero.
• Answering "false" when the right answer is "uncertain". In deductive questions, "uncertain" means the statements do not settle it. If you need a fact the question did not give you, the answer is uncertain.
• Reversing percentages the wrong way. After a 20% discount, the original price is the sale price divided by 0.8, not the sale price plus 20%.
• Looking at the whole shape at once. In spatial sequences, list each change separately: position, rotation, shading, number of sides.
• Doing math on paper you do not need. Most CCAT-style arithmetic is designed for mental shortcuts. Write only what you would otherwise forget.

A one-week study plan

About 30 minutes a day is enough. If your test is sooner, do days 1, 4 and 6.

• Day 1: Take the free sample above with the timer on. Note your slowest question type.
• Day 2: Math without a calculator: percentages, reverse percentages and ratios, using our percentage and ratio guides.
• Day 3: Number series and deductive statements, with the number series guide and syllogisms guide.
• Day 4: Your first full CCAT-style mock: 50 questions in 15 minutes. Review every miss.
• Day 5: Verbal and spatial drills: analogies, sentence completion and shape sequences. Practice the 30-second cut-off rule.
• Day 6: A second full mock. Compare where you were at the 5-minute mark with day 4.
• Day 7: Rest, check your invitation and device, and sleep well.