CCAT test: format, scoring and how to prepare

Quick answer

What the CCAT is

Criteria describes the CCAT as a measure of how well you solve problems, use new information and think critically (Criteria candidate page). Its assessment guide lists the CCAT for higher-level roles that need or prefer a college education, with examples such as project managers, supervisors and accountants, and points to a separate, easier test (the Criteria Basic Skills Test) for entry-level roles (Criteria assessment guide). Which test you get is the employer's choice. See Which test am I taking? and Got an assessment invite?.

Format and timing

• 50 multiple-choice questions in 15 minutes. Criteria says that is less than 20 seconds a question.
• Our arithmetic: 15 minutes is 900 seconds, and 900 divided by 50 is 18 seconds a question on average. That is Prepti's maths, not a Criteria figure.
• Criteria says you can take as long as you like reading the instructions, and that if you spend more than a minute on one question you should make an educated guess and move on.
• If you have a technical problem, Criteria's score report guide says you can return to oda1.com, enter your Test Event ID and continue where you left off (score report guide).
• Retakes, a second session and proctoring depend on the employer. Check your invitation or ask them. See retaking an employer assessment.

What are the CCAT question types?

Criteria says the verbal questions look at a word's precise meaning, how words relate to one another and the role context plays in word choice. Math and logic covers basic algebra, proportions and word problems, and Criteria says no question needs a calculator. Spatial reasoning has you rotate or flip images in your head, recognise patterns and identify outliers (Criteria candidate page).

Criteria's candidate page has one worked sample of each type with explanations. Read those first. They are the only official examples we found.

Worked examples

The questions below are written by Prepti. They are unofficial and are not CCAT questions. They show the type of thinking each family needs. Real items vary. Answers and reasoning are under each set.

Example 1: Word relationships and meaning

Q1. PILOT is to AIRCRAFT as CAPTAIN is to ___ ? (A. ship, B. harbour, C. uniform, D. voyage, E. crew)

Q2. Choose the word most nearly OPPOSITE to SCARCE. (A. plentiful, B. precious, C. fragile, D. hidden, E. recent)

Q3. Choose the word most nearly the same in meaning as REDUNDANT. (A. missing, B. unnecessary, C. careless, D. recent, E. useful)

Example 2: Math and logic

No calculator is allowed. These are built to be done by hand.

Q1. A group of 4 numbers has an average of 15. Three of them are 8, 14 and 20. What is the fourth? (A. 15, B. 16, C. 18, D. 20, E. 22)

Q2. A machine makes 36 parts in 45 minutes. At the same rate, how many parts does it make in 2 hours? (A. 72, B. 90, C. 96, D. 108, E. 120)

Q3. If 3x + 7 = 28, what is x? (A. 5, B. 6, C. 7, D. 8, E. 9)

Example 3: Spatial reasoning

Q1. Each box turns the line by the same amount as the one before. Which line goes in the last box? (A. a horizontal line, B. a vertical line, C. a rising diagonal, D. a falling diagonal)

How to prepare for the CCAT

Criteria's own advice is short: read the instructions, play to your strengths, manage your time and guess rather than stall (Criteria candidate page). The plans below are Prepti's suggestions built on that, not Criteria advice.

• Easy first. With under 20 seconds a question, answer the ones you can do fast and guess the rest. There is no penalty for a wrong answer.
• Give up at a minute. Criteria says to make an educated guess if you have spent more than a minute on a question.
• Play to your strengths. Criteria says most people are stronger at either words or numbers, and that it is fine to guess on the type you find hard.
• Rusty basics. Fractions, percentages, averages and number series come up. Practise them by hand.

Plan: 1 day

1. Read Criteria's candidate page and try its three sample questions. About 10 minutes.
2. Do our worked examples above. About 20 minutes.
3. Take one free timed test from the list below to see your pace.
4. Set up a quiet room and a laptop with a stable connection. See the at-home checklist.

Plan: 1 week

1. Day 1: Criteria's samples, then one free timed test as a baseline.
2. Days 2 to 5: one question type a day against a stopwatch, aiming at about 18 seconds a question.
3. Days 6 and 7: one or two full 50-in-15 runs. Review only the questions you missed or skipped.

Plan: 4 weeks

1. Week 1: baseline test, then fix rusty basics. No calculator on the real test.
2. Weeks 2 and 3: drills by type, then mixed sets. Track your score and the questions you left unanswered.
3. Week 4: full timed runs every second day, practising easy first and guessing the rest.

If the clock makes you anxious, see test anxiety.

Free CCAT practice

• Our free CCAT-style practice test: 50 original questions written by Prepti, timed (15 minutes) or untimed. Unofficial and not affiliated with Criteria; not a predictor of any real result.
• Criteria's candidate page has sample verbal, math and spatial questions with explanations and tips (Criteria).
• JobTestPrep free CCAT practice test: a free full-length simulation with the score, every question marked, and explanations (JobTestPrep).
• Prepterminal free test: 20 questions in 12 minutes, with a score by question type and no account needed (Prepterminal). That is 36 seconds a question, twice the real pace of 18 seconds, so it does not simulate the real timing.
• CCAT Tests free diagnostic: 20 questions in 6 minutes, with a score and a breakdown by question type (CCAT Tests).
• PrepCCAT free sample: 25 questions in 7.5 minutes, with explanations (sign-in with Google) (PrepCCAT).

The third-party tests above are not made by Criteria. The 25-question sample is half the length of the real test, and the 20-question tests are 40% of it.

CCAT scoring: what a score means

Criteria says the employer receives your raw score (the number of questions you get right) and your percentile compared with everyone else who has taken the test (Criteria candidate page). The score report guide says the percentile compares you with Criteria's global norming group (score report guide). Ask the employer whether they will share your score with you.

Criteria publishes no pass mark. Its score report guide shows suggested raw-score ranges for different job families that employers can use as a reference. They are not a hiring guarantee, and your employer decides what it wants. We publish no benchmark for any role. See What is a good score?

CCAT prep options compared

Prices, plans and refund terms are shown on the provider cards on this page, as displayed on each provider's page. Confirm currency, tax and VAT at checkout. The “best for” lines rest on facts shown on the cards, not on a score.

JobTestPrep's FAQ says the CCAT PrepPack covers all the question areas with more than 600 questions. That is a pack-level claim, not a count for any one plan (checked 15 October 2026, JobTestPrep). See our JobTestPrep review and free vs paid prep.

How to choose

• Test this week: JobTestPrep says its plan adapts to your test date, including a test in two or three days. We have not tested it, so this is what the provider says about itself.
• Want timed volume at a lower price: CCAT Tests and PrepCCAT sell timed 50-question papers for about $42 to $50. Try the free test first and judge the questions yourself.
• Facing more than one assessment: JobTestPrep's Premium plan includes two more PrepPacks. Compare that with what the other packs would cost separately.
• Free only: Criteria's samples plus two or three of the free tests above are enough to learn the format. Paid prep is optional.

None of these providers is Criteria. Prepterminal states it is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Criteria Corp. We did not find such a statement for the others, so treat all of them as unofficial.

CCAT vs Wonderlic

Both are short, timed tests with 50 questions that most people do not finish. The CCAT is one 15-minute test. Wonderlic's current test, Wonderlic Select, has a 12-minute cognitive section plus two untimed sections (motivation and personality). The employer chooses which you get. See our Wonderlic test guide.

FAQ

Sources and last checked

• Criteria Corp, CCAT candidate page, checked 16 October 2026
• Criteria Corp, assessment guide and CCAT score report guide, checked 16 October 2026
• Provider pages linked above and on the provider cards, checked 15 October 2026

Found something wrong or out of date? Tell us.

Related: Wonderlic test prep, SHL test prep, Which employer test am I taking?, All employer tests.