‘The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is a verbal ability test
and considered to be the industry standard measure of critical thinking
ability.’
What Is Critical Thinking?
As businesses look for new ways to engage, develop, and innovate for the future,
employees who demonstrate good critical thinking skills are sought after. But what is
critical thinking ability and why are organisations keen to assess candidates for this
skill, as part of their recruitment processes?
Critical Thinking is the ability to look at a situation and clearly understand it from
multiple perspectives whilst separating facts from opinions and assumptions; helping a
person to reach the right, rational decisions. It is recognised by the World Economic
Forum as a key 21st Century skill and is a job requirement for many roles.
Research supports the fact that Critical
Thinking is an excellent predictor of job
performance, making the difference
between a good leader and an excellent
leader. Assessing critical thinking ability can
help employers from a recruitment and
development perspective.
One of the most widely used psychometric assessments is the Watson-Glaser Critical
Thinking Appraisal, from TMCO. The Watson-Glaser offers a hard-skills appraisal and is
used primarily in the context of recruitment to measure critical thinking ability levels
in job, university, and business school applicants.
Each Watson-Glaser test is composed of scenarios similar to those typically found in a
variety of settings, including the workplace, the school, and other organisational
settings. Other organisations use the Watson Glaser assessment and resulting
Development Report to identify where an individual’s strengths and development areas
lie and provide suggestions for coaching activities and exercises.