Watson Glaser Test

Sitting a Watson Glaser test is part of the law training contract recruitment process. It’s also likely you’ll have to complete one before securing yourself a place on a vacation scheme.

But what exactly is the Watson Glaser, and how can you do well on the test?

This guide outlines the different parts of the Watson Glaser test and how to tackle the types of questions that are likely to come up.

Read on for top tips and strategies using Watson Glaser practice questions to guide you through your preparation.

You can also prepare for your Watson Glaser with our free Watson Glaser Practice Test!

Go to the Watson Glaser Practice Test

What is the Watson Glaser Test?

The Watson Glaser test is an aptitude assessment used by law practices to test critical thinking ability among other skills.

One of several types of psychometric tests, the Watson Glaser critical thinking test is used by firms to shortlist candidates for training contracts and vacation schemes. This is because it tests for skills required for a career in law.

The Watson Glaser tests a candidate’s ability to:

Think critically
Draw conclusions
Assess strong and weak arguments
Recognise assumptions
Evaluate arguments

What is the Format of the Watson Glaser Test?

The Watson Glaser test consists of around 40 questions split into five sections:

Assessment of inferences
Recognition of assumptions
Deduction
Interpretation
Evaluation

The Watson Glaser test questions follow a multiple choice format.

Candidates normally have 30 minutes to complete the test, however, you will be given a time limit or deadline for completing it by the law firm you’re applying to.

What is a Good Score on the Watson Glaser Test?

What is classed as a good score on the Watson Glaser depends on the firm you are applying to. The Watson Glaser pass mark varies from year to year depending on average Watson Glaser test results achieved from candidates to each firm.

To give yourself the best chance of being selected by the law firm you apply to, aim for a score of 75% or more.

You should never aim to just pass the test because most law firms will use the Watson Glaser test results to decide between candidates who are doing equally well as each other in other parts of the recruitment process, like in their training contract applications.

You can boost your chances of achieving the best score in the Watson Glaser by using our free Watson Glaser online practice test.

Go to the Watson Glaser Practice Test

Watson Glaser Test Sample Questions

1. Assessment of Inferences

In the Assessment of Inference section of the test, the questions are focused around one statement. You must assume that all of the information in these statements is true and not use any outside knowledge to inform your answer.

The statement is then followed by a series of inferences relating to it. You must label each of these inferences as:

True
Probably true
Insufficient data
Probably false
False

In order to do this, you will need to look for clue words in the text and weigh the probabilities logically.

Assessment of Inferences Sample Question

Two hundred students in their early teens voluntarily attended a recent weekend student conference in a city in England. At this conference, the topics of race equality and means of achieving lasting world peace were discussed, since these were the problems the students selected as being most vital in today’s world.

Inferences	Answers	Explanations
1. As a group, the students who attended this conference showed a keener interest in broad social problems than do most other students in their early teens	PROBABLY TRUE	We know that the students ‘voluntarily’ attended so this implies they are interested in the broad social problems. We are also told that the problems discussed were selected by the students themselves. These points do not definitively prove that the statement is true. But they suggest it is likely the case
2. The majority of the students had not previously discussed the conference topics in their schools	PROBABLY FALSE	Had this been the case, it would have been hard for the students to agree upon them as ‘the most vital in today’s world’. But there is nothing to prove that it is definitely false
3. The students came from all parts of the country	INSUFFICIENT DATA	The answer is quite straightforward because the topic isn’t mentioned!
4. The students discussed mainly industrial relations problems	FALSE	Industrial relations problems are not mentioned in the above statement
5. Some teenage students felt it worthwhile to discuss problems of race equality and ways of achieving world peace.	TRUE	It is explicitly stated in the text and we are told that ‘the students selected [these issues] as being most vital in today’s world’

2. Recognition of Assumptions

In the recognition of assumptions section of the Watson Glaser test, you’re given another statement to examine. You are then given a number of assumptions and asked if these have, or have not, been made in the statement.

Recognition of Assumptions Sample question

We need to save time in getting there so we’d better go by plane.

Options	Answers	Explanations
1. Going by plane will take less time than going by some other means of transportation	ASSUMPTION MADE	The initial statement relies on this being true but doesn’t state it
2. There is a plane service available to us for at least part of the distance to the destination	ASSUMPTION MADE	In order to save time by taking a plane, one would need to be available
3. Travel by plane is more convenient than travel by train	ASSUMPTION NOT MADE	Convenience is not mentioned; only time is

Top Five Ways to Improve Your Watson Glaser Test Performance

3. Deduction

With the Watson Glaser’s deduction questions, you are given a passage followed by a number of proposed conclusions to it. You must decide whether or not the conclusion ‘follows’, or ‘does not follow’ the information given in the passage.

Think about the assumptions task above and apply the same logic here. Bear in mind that a conclusion cannot be an assumption.

Deduction Sample question

Statement: Some Sundays are rainy. All rainy days are boring. Therefore:

Conclusions	Answers	Explanations
1. No clear days are boring	CONCLUSION DOES NOT FOLLOW	This is an assumption. Just because all X is Y, it doesn’t mean that Z is never Y
2. Some Sundays are boring	CONCLUSION FOLLOWS	We know some Sundays are rainy and that those days are all boring
3. Some Sundays are not boring	CONCLUSION DOES NOT FOLLOW	We know that some Sundays are definitely boring because they are rainy as stated above. But we cannot assume that Sundays that are not rainy are not boring for some other reason

4. Interpretation

For the interpretation questions of the Watson Glaser test, you need to understand the significance of a piece of information and apply it logically. You are given a short paragraph followed by several suggested conclusions.
Again, you should assume that everything in the passage is true. On this basis, you will assess whether the conclusions given follow on from the information provided.

Interpretation Sample Question

A study of vocabulary growth in children from ages eight months to six years old shows that the size of spoken vocabulary increases from zero words at age eight months to 2,562 words at age six years.

Conclusions	Answers	Explanations
1. None of the children in this study had learned to talk by the age of six months	CONCLUSION FOLLOWS	The passage clearly states that vocabulary is ‘zero words’ at 8 months. With zero words, a child cannot have learned to talk
2. Vocabulary growth is slowest during the period when children are learning to walk	CONCLUSION DOES NOT FOLLOW	It is tempting to make this assumption, because at the 8-month point vocabulary is described as zero, and this may coincide with when many children learn to walk. But this idea doesn’t appear in the statement, and so is an assumption based on outside knowledge

5. Evaluation of Arguments

The aim of the Watson Glaser evaluation of arguments questions is to assess whether you can distinguish strong arguments from weak ones. Strong arguments are highly relevant, realistic and challenge the argument given.

The key to answering these questions is to disregard your personal opinion and think logically.

Evaluation of Arguments Sample question

Should all young adults in the United Kingdom go on to higher education at university?

Arguments	Answers	Explanations
Yes; university provides an opportunity for them to wear university scarves	ARGUMENT WEAK	This is neither very relevant nor an impactful argument
No; a large percentage of young adults do not have enough ability or interest to derive any benefit from university training	ARGUMENT STRONG	This is very relevant and challenges the above argument
No; excessive studying permanently warps an individual’s personality	ARGUMENT WEAK	This is just not very realistic!

The Basic Guide to Passing the Watson Glaser

Watson Glaser Test Tips

Make sure you understand the context of the question before deciding on a conclusion. Read and re-read the question and the passage until you are 100% sure.
Divide the allotted time between the five sections in the test so that you dedicate equal amounts of time to each question.
Read the Watson Glaser sample questions given to you before the real questions to get used to the logic used to answer each of the question types.
Start practising for the test early instead of focusing all of your efforts in the run-up to your test. Long term practice is much more beneficial.

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