The Watson Glaser test is used by some law firms, legal practices and businesses to test the critical thinking skills of their job applicants. If you haven’t yet experienced the test, it’s likely you will at some point throughout your legal career journey and you’ll need to be prepared ahead of time. Read on to find out what the test is, the key sections covered, and how to prepare for the Watson Glaser test.
By Grant Longstaff. Published 24 July 2024.
What is the Watson Glaser test?
Critical thinking involves analysing information, making reasoned judgments and solving problems methodically. Within the context of law, the Watson Glaser test is used to gauge a candidate’s ability to handle complex legal issues, recognise assumptions, deconstruct arguments and make sound decisions under pressure.
The test was originally developed by educational psychologists Goodwin Watson and Edward Glaser to test soldiers critical thinking skills during the First World War. Over time however, the test made its way into many business areas. Now almost a century old, The Watson Glaser test has undergone many revisions and updates, ensuring it’s relevant and reflects the needs of today.
What is the structure of the Watson Glaser test?
The test is divided into five sections with each section focusing on a different aspect of critical thinking. The five areas are deduction, evaluation of arguments, inference, interpretation and recognition of assumptions.
Deduction
In the deduction section you’ll be given a number of facts followed by a number of statements. You’ll need to determine whether or not the conclusions can logically be drawn from the facts provided.
Evaluation of arguments
For the evaluation of arguments section you’ll have to assess how strong or weak a number of given arguments are.
Inference
In this section you’ll be presented with a statement followed by several inferences. You’ll then need to determine whether each inference is true, probably true, insufficient data, probably false, or false. This section tests your ability to draw logical conclusions from the given information.
Interpretation
For this part of the test, you’ll be given a passage and must interpret the meaning. You’ll need to decide whether the conclusions drawn from the passage are correct or not.
Recognition of assumptions
You’ll read a statement and decide whether or not an assumption is made within it. This part of the test is used to analyse your competence in avoiding assumptions.
How long is the Watson Glaser test?
The length of the Watson Glaser test can vary, however they’re generally no longer than an hour. You’ll typically find two variations. If the test contains 40 questions you’ll likely be given 30 minutes to complete the test, and if there are 80 questions you’ll have an hour. The questions on the Watson Glaser test are all multiple choice, and you’ll have between two and five answers to choose from for each question.
Passing the Watson Glaser test
There isn’t a set pass mark when it comes to the Watson Glaser test. Instead, it can be used by employers to grade candidates against one another. With this in mind it stands to reason that the better your score, the more you’re able to stand out to potential employers.
How to prepare for the Watson Glaser test
As a law student, or law job applicant, the test helps assess some of the vital attributes you’ll regularly draw upon throughout your career. They’re also likely to be things you’ll have worked on throughout your studies, but this doesn’t mean you won’t need to do at least a little preparation.
One of the positives of having to take a test with such a long history is that you’ll find a number of Watson Glaser mock tests and sample questions across the internet. Use these to familiarise yourself with the style of questions you’ll face and develop your understanding of the test and practice of taking the real thing.
Once you’ve completed the tests important to reflect and evaluate your answers too. What sections of the Watson Glaser were your strongest? What sections do you need to improve upon? Use the mock tests to identify places you need to apply more work and use the correct answers to help drive your logic and learning.
Time management during the Watson Glaser test is also important and taking mock tests can help with this. Based on the examples above, you’ll have an average of 45 seconds per question so it’s best not to linger too long on those questions you’re having trouble resolving. You can always return to them later in your test once you’ve answered those you feel more at ease with.
With that said, it’s also important to try and read each question thoroughly. Watch out for complicated wording which may be designed to confuse you. Pause and take a breath before rushing your answers. Again, using mock tests can help you get a better idea of the time allotted and how best to manage it.
Also, remember to trust your gut instinct. Your legal education likely provided many opportunities to discuss and dissect the various arguments and challenges you’ll encounter throughout your career. Brush up on fundamental logic principles, such as identifying assumptions and evaluating arguments, draw on your experience and trust your intuition and legal reasoning skills.
Does every law firm use the Watson Glaser test?
Not every law firm or practice will use the Watson Glaser test to assess potential employees. Some firms might adopt an alternative test, others may use a similar style of questioning, but it could be presented as a question during an interview or a question on an application form. There are also firms that won’t use tests designed to evaluate the critical thinking skills of a candidate, preferring other recruitment methods to identify the suitability of a potential employee.
Ultimately, by understanding the test structure, practicing ahead of time and developing your critical thinking skills, you can significantly improve your performance on the Watson Glaser test – or any other critical thinking analysis – you might face during your job hunt.
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