Watson Glaser test: format, question types and how to prepare
By Prepti Team. Last checked: 16 October 2026. We are not affiliated with Pearson TalentLens or any prep provider. Facts about the test come from Pearson's own pages, linked and dated. Prices and terms for prep options come from each provider's page. Your invitation is the final word on the test you will take. See how we compare and check.
On this page
Quick answer
| Test | Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, published by Pearson TalentLens |
| Format | 40 items, timed, “30 to 40 mins” per Pearson (Pearson TalentLens, checked 16 October 2026) |
| Five skills | Drawing inferences, recognising assumptions, deducing, interpreting, evaluating arguments |
| Delivery | Online, with item-banked questions, per Pearson |
| Languages | UK English, US English, French, French Canadian, Dutch, Spanish, Latin American Spanish |
| Free practice | Pearson has a free practice test in English and Dutch. It is not a live test and is not scored accurately |
| Pass mark | Pearson's page publishes none. The employer decides. Check your invitation |
What the Watson Glaser is
Pearson says the Watson-Glaser assesses critical thinking: “the ability to analyze arguments, evaluate information, and make objective decisions”. It describes the test as a measure of the ability to analyse, reason, interpret and draw logical conclusions from written information (Pearson TalentLens, checked 16 October 2026).
Pearson lists graduates, executives, managers, supervisors and professionals as the people it is used with, and says university selection teams also use it. Employers choose how to use it. Processes differ by country and role. Check your invite.
The five critical-thinking skills
Pearson names five subtests and describes each (same page, checked 16 October 2026):
| Drawing inferences | Rating the probability of the truth of inferences based on the information given |
| Recognising assumptions | Identifying unstated assumptions or presuppositions underlying given statements |
| Deducing | Determining whether conclusions follow logically from given information or data |
| Interpreting | Weighing the evidence and deciding if generalisations or conclusions based on data are warranted |
| Evaluating arguments | Evaluating the strength and relevance of arguments with respect to a particular question or issue |
The worked examples below follow these five descriptions. They are Prepti-written, unofficial, and not copied from Pearson or any prep provider.
Format and timing
- 40 items, timed. Pearson's page says “30 to 40 mins” (Pearson).
- Pearson says the test can be taken remotely and online, and that it suits unsupervised (unproctored) screening as well as supervised completion. Which one you get is the employer's choice. See online proctored assessments.
- Pearson says each test is built from an item bank. It says items are coded by difficulty and by content theme, so each test has a similar mix. Your questions will not be the same as a friend's.
- Pearson's Profile Report gives an overall percentile and percentiles for three areas: Recognise Assumptions, Evaluate Arguments and Draw Conclusions. Number correct, T-score, stanine and sten appear in its technical section. Whether you see a report is up to the employer.
- Retakes and what counts as a pass depend on the employer. Check your invitation or ask them. See retaking an employer assessment.
Worked examples
Five original questions, one per skill. Each is Prepti-written, unofficial. They show the type of thinking, not the real wording, difficulty or layout. Try each before you open the answer.
Example 1: Drawing inferences
Show answer and reasoning
Answer: Insufficient data. The passage says the queue is longer and the opening hours changed. It says nothing about takings. A longer queue may point to more sales, but the passage does not give sales, so you cannot rate the statement true or false from it. Stick to what the text supports.
Example 2: Recognising assumptions
Show answer and reasoning
Answer: Yes, the assumption is made. The reason given is that people read email more reliably. That only works if staff check their email. The statement never says so, but its advice depends on it.
Example 3: Deducing
Show answer and reasoning
Answer: Follows. Anything in Freezer B was collected in 2025. Some samples were not collected in 2025, so those samples cannot be in Freezer B. Use only the premises, even if they do not match real life.
Example 4: Interpreting
Show answer and reasoning
Answer: Not warranted. 60 of 80 is three quarters, so most of the people asked said yes. But all of them already cycle to work. The data says nothing about commuters who drive or take the bus, so it does not support a claim about most commuters in the city.
Example 5: Evaluating arguments
Show answer and reasoning
Answer: Weak. The age of the building has no clear link to whether late fees are a good idea. A strong argument is both important and directly related to the question. This one is not related to it.
Law-firm use
Some law firms state on their own pages that they use the Watson Glaser. We name a firm only where its own page says so.
- Clifford Chance: its early-careers page has a “Watson Glaser Practice Test” section. It recommends practising and says practice attempts are not assessed and the firm will not see your results (Clifford Chance early careers, checked 16 October 2026). Its Dutch-language assessments page says the test is 30 minutes and 40 questions, to be completed within 5 days of the invitation (assessments page, checked 16 October 2026).
- Linklaters: its application page says candidates have a 5-day deadline from the date of application to complete the Watson Glaser online test, and that it strongly advises a practice test first (Linklaters your application, checked 16 October 2026). That is the Hong Kong version of the page. Its UK vacancy page describes the test as approximately 30 minutes (Linklaters vacation scheme, checked 16 October 2026).
Timings, deadlines and stages are per firm, per country and per scheme, and they change. Processes differ by country and role. Check your invite. See Got an assessment invite?
How to prepare
- Learn the five skills. Use the table above. Know what each question type asks, so the format is no surprise.
- Read only what the text says. Most wrong answers come from bringing in outside knowledge. Ask what the passage supports, not what you believe.
- Practise under time. Pearson's range is 30 to 40 minutes for 40 items. Our arithmetic: that is 45 to 60 seconds an item on average. That is Prepti's maths, not a Pearson figure.
- Review mistakes by skill. Note which of the five you miss most and redo those.
- Rest first. See test anxiety.
Plan: 1 day
- Read the five skill descriptions and do Examples 1 to 5 above.
- Take Pearson's free practice test once, untimed, to see the layout.
- Do a second set from a free provider test, timed. Review every miss.
Plan: 1 week
- Day 1: the five skills and Examples 1 to 5.
- Days 2 to 5: one skill a day, about 20 minutes, then check the reasoning on each miss.
- Day 6: a timed set mixing all five skills.
- Day 7: light review and an early night.
Plan: 4 weeks
- Week 1: learn the five skills. Take Pearson's free practice test.
- Weeks 2 and 3: practise each skill in turn, then mixed timed sets twice a week.
- Week 4: two or three full-length timed sets, then review. Stop the day before.
Free Watson Glaser practice
- Pearson TalentLens free practice test (English and Dutch). Pearson says it is not a live test. It says the questions have not been extensively trialled, so it cannot accurately score the test, but on completion you get a report with advice (Pearson practice tests, checked 16 October 2026).
- Your employer's own practice link, if it has one. Clifford Chance and Linklaters both point candidates to a practice test on their pages (see above).
- JobTestPrep's free sample page has sample questions and a guide (JobTestPrep, checked 16 October 2026). It is a prep provider, not Pearson.
Watson Glaser prep options compared
None of these providers is Pearson.
Prices, plans and access are on the provider cards on this page, as displayed on each provider's page. Confirm currency, tax and VAT at checkout.
JobTestPrep's refund terms are on its terms and conditions page. Prepterminal's and Assess.ly's refund terms are not stated here, so check their pages. The 600+ figure is JobTestPrep's pack-level claim, not a count for one plan (checked 15 October 2026). See our JobTestPrep review and free vs paid prep.
Prep options for Watson Glaser
Prices checked 15 October 2026. Amounts are as displayed on each provider's page. Confirm currency, tax and VAT at checkout.
Prepterminal Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Course
What it offers: A long access window for one stated price
Practice questions and lessons.
- $68 USD Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Course, one payment, 90 days of access
Confirm currency, tax and VAT at checkout. Checked 15 October 2026.
Refund terms are not stated on the pricing page.
Provider page (checked 15 October 2026)
JobTestPrep Watson Glaser PrepPack
1 Initial Diagnostic Test, 600+ Adaptive Practice Questions & Simulations, 5 In-Depth Study Guides.
- $79 USD 1 week of access. What it offers: a short window before your test
- $89 USD 1 month of access. What it offers: a month on a single test
- $99 USD 3 months of access, plus free products. What it offers: 3 months of access, plus free products
Confirm currency, tax and VAT at checkout. Checked 15 October 2026.
Refund terms: may be granted if the content does not match your test (full or proportional), a technical problem blocked access, or the product was never used. Request by form, answer within 5 business days. Terms
Provider page (checked 15 October 2026)
Assess.ly Watson Glaser test
What it offers: A one-time purchase with 100+ practice tests, per the provider
100+ practice tests, per the provider.
- EUR 39.95 Watson Glaser test, one-time
Confirm currency, tax and VAT at checkout. Checked 15 October 2026.
Refund terms are not stated on the pricing page.
Provider page (checked 15 October 2026)
How to choose
- A short window: the shortest plan is a week of access at JobTestPrep, or a one-time purchase at Assess.ly (EUR, so compare currencies). Free Pearson practice plus the examples above may be enough to learn the format.
- Want structure: JobTestPrep says its pack has a diagnostic test, adaptive practice and study guides. We have not tested it, so that is what the provider says about itself.
- Free only: Pearson's practice test, your employer's link and these examples cover the format. Paid prep is optional.
FAQ
Is there a Watson Glaser pass mark?
Pearson's page publishes none. Employers set their own bar, and may not tell you what it is. Check your invitation or ask the employer. We publish no benchmark. See What is a good score?
How many questions and how long is the Watson Glaser?
Pearson lists 40 items and “30 to 40 mins”, timed. Employers may state their own time. Clifford Chance's Dutch page says 30 minutes, and Linklaters' vacation scheme page says approximately 30 minutes.
What are the five Watson Glaser skills?
Drawing inferences, recognising assumptions, deducing, interpreting and evaluating arguments, per Pearson.
Is there free Watson Glaser practice?
Yes. Pearson offers a free practice test in English and Dutch. It is not a live test and does not give an accurate score.
Watson Glaser or CCAT: which is harder?
That is our editorial view, and it is not a Pearson or Criteria claim. They test different things. The Watson Glaser is about reasoning from written passages, 40 items. The CCAT is 50 questions in 15 minutes and mixes verbal, math and logic, and spatial. You rarely choose. The employer does. Prepare for the one in your invitation.
Which law firms use the Watson Glaser?
Clifford Chance and Linklaters say so on their own pages (see above). Other firms may too. Check the firm's page and your invite.
Can I retake it?
That depends on the employer. Check your invitation or ask them.
Is paid Watson Glaser prep worth it?
It depends on how rusty you are and how much the job matters to you. Try the free options first. Paid practice mostly buys more questions and explanations.
Are these prep providers affiliated with Pearson?
We did not find a statement of affiliation for any of them. Treat all of them as unofficial.
Sources and last checked
- Pearson TalentLens, Watson-Glaser page and practice tests, checked 16 October 2026
- Clifford Chance, early careers and assessments, checked 16 October 2026
- Linklaters, your application (HK) and vacation scheme listing, checked 16 October 2026
- JobTestPrep Watson Glaser page, checked 16 October 2026; provider pages linked on the provider cards, checked 15 October 2026
Found something wrong or out of date? Tell us.
Related: CCAT test prep, SHL test prep, Which employer test am I taking?, All employer tests.