Decoding the Watson Glaser Test: Complete Guide & Online Practice Test

Sep 14, 2023

Written By Helena Kudiabor

Just like application questions, interviews and assessment days, the Watson Glaser test is another part of the legal recruitment process. It’s a test that aims to assess your ability to think critically and analyse information, crucial parts of being a successful lawyer. But, what sort of questions does the Watson Glaser include? How can I develop my critical thinking skills? What happens if I fail the test? This article will answer all of these questions and more.

What is the Watson Glaser Test?

Founded in 1925 by American psychologists Goodwin Watson and Edward Glaser, Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Test is now a key part of the legal recruitment process. Most of the UK’s top law firms require candidates to take the test either after answering application questions or as part of an assessment centre. Examples of firms who require the test include: all the Magic Circle firms, Bird & Bird, CMS, DLA Piper, Hogan Lovells and RPC.

The test itself is taken on a computer, and is made up of either 40 or 80 questions. Candidates are given 30 minutes to answer a 40 question test, and 60 minutes to answer 80 questions. The questions themselves are divided into five sections: inferences, assumptions, deductions, interpretations and evaluating arguments. These are all skills you’ll need to be a successful lawyer.

How the Watson Glaser is used depends on the firm. Some firms set a pass mark (typically around 75%) and only shortlist candidates who achieve this score or higher. Other firms consider a candidate’s performance alongside the rest of the cohort. So, they shortlist candidates who were in the 50th or 75th percentile. Some firms consider candidates’ scores alongside the rest of your application, so if you don’t do well in the test you could still be shortlisted if you have a stellar CV. However, law firms rarely disclose how they use the test, so it’s best to aim for as high a score as possible. As a general benchmark, we would suggest 75% (30/40).

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Importance of the Watson Glaser Test in the Legal Industry

The Watson Glaser is so widely used because it assesses critical thinking skills, skills that are a core part of life as a lawyer. Critical thinking is the analysis of facts and information to come to a logical conclusion. Lawyers have to use critical thinking in a variety of ways: reading long precedents and applying the theories to current cases, reading the facts of the case and coming up with a way to resolve the issue, reading the opposing team’s case and coming up with rebuttal arguments. Thus, while your critical thinking skills will improve with age and experience, it makes sense that law firms are looking for people with some grasp of critical thinking.

Overview of the Test Sections

As discussed, the test is broadly divided into the following five sections:

Assumptions

An assumption is something that you accept as the truth, disregarding any evidence. For example, if you go to the supermarket you assume that it will have what you need, without any evidence that it will. With this question, you’ll read a passage and corresponding statements. You’ll need to identify whether an assumption has or has not been made.

The biggest tip for this section is not to rely on your own knowledge, but only on the facts in the passage

Inferences

An inference is a conclusion based on the facts you are given. However, these facts will not be spelt out explicitly, so you’ll need to read between the lines.

In this section, you’ll have a passage of text and a selection of inferences based on the text. Then, you’ll need to decide whether each inference is definitely true (100% sure it’s true), probably true (likely but can’t say for certain), insufficient data (can’t say because the specific information isn’t mentioned in the text), probably false (unlikely the inference is correct, but it could be) and definitely false (100% sure it’s false)

Deductions

Deductions are logically conclusions to a series of statements. For this section, there will be a passage and several conclusions based on the passage. You’ll need to decide whether each conclusion logically follows or does not logically follow the passage.

To maximise your score, you should remember that the information given does not need to be factually correct. For example, if one of the deductions says that there are 500 countries in the world, it doesn’t matter whether this is true or not, it just matters where this logically follows from the passage.

Interpretations

Interpretations are very similar to deductions, except the passage tends to be slightly longer. You’ll receive a passage and some conclusions. You’ll need to decide whether the conclusions do or do not logically follow the passage. Answering these questions requires the same sort of strategy as deductions.

Evaluation of Arguments

Test takers receive a passage, and some related arguments. Based on the passage, you’ll decide whether each argument is strong or weak.

To help you answer these questions, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with what constitutes a strong vs a weak argument. A strong argument is backed up by evidence (typically statistics) and is relevant to the text. Weak arguments lack concrete evidence or contradict the text.

Preparing for the Watson Glaser Test

One of the easiest ways to do well on the Watson Glaser is to start preparing early. This allows you to have enough time to familiarise yourself with the content of the test, do some practice tests (timed and untimed) and go over any questions or sections you struggle with. Starting early (whether it’s weeks or months beforehand) also allows you to balance your preparation time with any other responsibilities you may have. Resources you can use include: our dedicated selection and assessment resources, YouTube videos from people who have taken the test before and online practice tests (more on that later). You can even practise analysing newspaper articles and debates to develop your critical thinking skills.

Benefits of Practice and Familiarisation

Still need a bit more motivation? Here are some of the benefits of regular practice.

Firstly, understanding the test’s format and completing practice tests means you’ll be prepared when it comes to the real test, so you won’t be confronted with a test format you’ve never seen before. This makes for a less stressful test experience.

Timed practice tests are also a really excellent tool. As discussed, the Watson Glaser requires test takers to complete 40 questions in 30 minutes, leaving you with less than a minute to answer each question. You also need to find time to check over your answers at the end. Thus, completing timed practice tests is a great way to get used to the time constraints so you can avoid running out of time for the real thing.

Challenges and Pitfalls

During your preparation, and on test day itself, here are some things to avoid:

Don’t answer questions based on outside knowledge. Focus only on the information provided to you in the text, regardless of whether you think it’s factually accurate.

Avoid spending too much time on one question. With such a stringent time limit, if you’re struggling to answer a question, move on to the next one. You can always come back later and make an educated guess.

Try not to gloss over your mistakes. Instead of just saying you ran out of time or made a silly mistake, try to think about why you ran out of time or why you made a silly mistake. Make a note of what you can do to avoid making similar mistakes again.

Easier said than done, but try not to panic too much about the test. While the test is challenging, not doing as well as you hoped isn’t the end of the world. As long as you take the time to understand where you went wrong and utilise different coping mechanisms (creative hobbies, affirmations, meditation) you will go far. There are so many excellent firms who don’t require the Watson Glaser.

Try our Practice Watson Glaser Test!

Are you applying for a training contract or vacation scheme and need to complete a Watson Glaser test as part of the application process? If so, it’s important to make sure you know what to expect. Try our practice Watson Glaser-style test now to make sure you’re fully prepared.

You can complete a practice test, working through example questions from each section of the Watson Glaser test. We’ll help you to familiarise yourself with the format, and learn what to expect from each question format. You can then find out how you did in comparison to other members of the AllAboutLaw community.

Try the practice test now!

Selection & Assessment