How to pass a Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT)

Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT)

The Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) is a pre-employment aptitude test that measures your ability to solve problems, use and interpret new information, and think critically. Employers are interested in these skills because they refer to your ability to process information, learn quickly, and apply new information to solve problems. In other words, how well you do on the test gives employers important information on how easily you can pick up training for your new possible role within the organization.

Some of the companies that use the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) are Summit CPA, First Bankers Trust Company, Ameridial, Go Capital, ClearOne advantage, Allstate, Blackboard, Domino’s Pizza, Adventure Harley-Davidson, and Accruent. However, several educational institutions such as La Sierra University and the University of North Florida uses their tests as well. In the public sector, they count, amongst others, the US Department of Agriculture and the county of Sacramento among their clients.

What does the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) look like

The CCAT has 50 questions and you’ll have 50 minutes to answer as many questions as you possibly can. However, less than 1% of candidates answer all 50 questions within the given time. There are three categories of questions, being verbal, math and logic, and spatial reasoning. During the test, there are no calculators allowed.

Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) - Verbal

The verbal questions evaluate your vocabulary size, and if you can figure out a word’s meaning and how words relate to each other. In this part, you will encounter tests such as antonyms, syllogisms, and letter sequences.

Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) – Math & Logic

The CCAT math and logic questions are included because your numerical reasoning skills and your number sense are directly related to your ability to think critically and solve problems. This test measures your basic algebra skills, ability to determine proportions and work your way through word problems. A calculator is not permitted during the test. Therefore, make sure you don’t use one while practising. In this part, you will encounter number series and word problems.

Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) – Spatial Reasoning

The Spatial Reasoning part of the CCAT test measures if you can mentally manipulate random shapes by having you rotate or flip images in your head, recognize patterns and identify outliers. This test focuses on how well you’ll be able to learn, solve problems, and make use of new information correctly. In this part, you will encounter several types of inductive reasoning series, matrices, and odd-one-out questions.

How to prepare for the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT)

To help you ace your Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) we put together a preparation package, tailor-made for CCAT Assessment. These tests contain similar questions you can expect in your actual CCAT Assessment and will help you sharpen your skills in solving the questions quicker, more confidently and effectively. The CCAT Assessment Preparation Package consists of the following tests: 

• Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) Math & Logic
  • CCAT – Number Sequences
  • CCAT – Word Problems
• Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) Spatial Reasoning
  • CCAT – Inductive Reasoning
  • CCAT – Matrices
  • CCAT – Odd-One-Out
• Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) Verbal Reasoning
  • CCAT – Antonyms
  • CCAT – Letter Sequences
  • CCAT – Syllogisms

All practice tests come with worked solutions and an explanation on how to get to the right answer. Our Personal Progression System will help you track your progress and give a detailed view of your performances. Assessment-Training is more than just a training platform. We are here to help you!

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Tips to pass the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT)

Here are some tips to make sure you ace your Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT):

Practice, practice, and practice some more

Through practice, you will see that you will gain confidence and you will work through the questions more efficiently because you are familiar with the test formats and you know what you need to look for.

Read the instructions

Even though this seems logical, often, candidates miss out on very important information. Multiple-choice tests use so-called ‘distractors’ as answer possibilities. These distractors are answer options that are deliberately similar to the right answer; in other words, the answer possibilities are designed to test if you read the question and provided information property. 

Time management 

Take into consideration that you only have 15 minutes to try to finish 50 questions. This is, on average, less than 20 seconds per question. Remember that you don’t spend too much time on one question. It might come in handy to use a timer. If you see that you spend more than 1 minute on one single question, take your best guess and move on to the next one.

Test-taking strategy

Some people are better at math and spatial reasoning, while some have better verbal skills. Usually, people are not as strong in all different aspects. Therefore, as you need to make as many questions as possible in the given 15 minutes, it might be a strategy to focus on the areas you’re good at. This means that in case you’re encountering a question in an area you’re not particularly strong in, try to make an educated guess and move on to questions you’re more likely to get right. Also, we advise you to practice. Through practice, you will see that you will make progress in solving questions quicker and more efficiently.