How to pass the Watson Glaser test

The Watson Glaser test is probably one of the most hated tests. Usually you can study for a test by memorising the course material, and practising past papers, and after that you are pretty much good to go. But there is no ‘revising’ for a Watson Glaser test in the traditional sense of the word. In my opinion this is why many people are scared of the test.

I am the complete opposite. I LOVE the Watson Glaser test. The rebel inside of me made it my mission to love the thing that everyone else hates, because I can see the opportunity in mastering a skill that may people will shy away from, and that was one of my secret weapons during the training contract application process. Instead of wincing when I received an email inviting me to do the Watson Glaser test, I rejoiced. And I knew that I was probably in the minority of people doing so, which gave me a distinct advantage.

In this post, I will share with you the techniques I used to score in the 93rd Percentile of a Magic Circle law firm’s Watson Glaser test. This means I scored better than 93% percent of students who participated in the test.

What is the Watson Glaser test?

The Watson Glaser test is a test used by law firms and other companies, often as a gateway test between your written application and reaching the interview stage. I think it is used to filter a lot of people out so that they don’t have to interview so many people. The frustrating thing is, even if your CV or application is AMAZING, you will likely not reach the interview stage unless you pass the Watson Glaser test.

This test worries a lot of people because it is quite hard to get a high score. It doesn’t test you on your knowledge so you cannot revise for the test in the way that you can revise for other exams. Instead, it tests your ability to think critically, but it is also extremely time pressured.

PRACTISE!

Although you cannot revise for the test, you can practise Watson Glaser tests. There are a few free practise tests which I will link below, along with some paid practise tests. Also look for practice BCAT tests as they are basically the same as Watson Glaser tests!

• JobTestPrep

  All About Law

• Clifford Chance’s Practice Test

• Assessment Day

• https://www.thelawyerportal.com/e-learning/free-bar-course-aptitude-test/

• https://www.talentlens.com/about/the-bar-course-aptitude-test-bcat.html

I practised hundreds if not thousands of questions over the timespan of a year using all of the resources mentioned above, both paid and free. This list does contain affiliate links but be assured that I only recommend tools I have personally used, paid for myself, and that helped me to improve my score.

The key thing is to start early. Practising for a week before taking the real test is unlikely to put you in the top scoring percentile unless you are just naturally good at these types of tests.

TIME MANAGEMENT

Time management is key to doing well on the Watson Glaser test. It can be really easy to get stuck on one question and then end up not completing the whole test, but in my view this is not a good strategy as you will end up missing easier points that you could have collected if you just guessed the hard question and moved on to easier questions.

Some tests allow you to go back to unanswered questions, which provides some comfort that you can always revisit questions at the end if you have time, but other tests won’t allow you to navigate backwards, which can be really scary even for the most seasoned test taker.

The main thing to remember is that if you cant answer the question, you need to be strict with yourself when your time for that question is up - select your best guess, and move on.

Top Tip: I found that the more I practiced, the faster I became, which meant that I could spend a bit longer on the harder questions.

STUDY THE TEST

Whilst you cannot study for the test, you can study the test itself. Each section is designed to test different aspects of critical thinking such as:

• Inferences

• Deductions

• Analysing Arguments

• Recognising Assumptions

• Interpretation

Knowing exactly what you’re being tested on in each section and how to switch your brain from one way of thinking to another, will significantly improve your chances of doing well in the test.

A great book that I would recommend is Critical Thinking Test - How2Become - I have used this book during actual tests when I have been stuck on a questions and it has been really helpful.

I hope these tips have been helpful. For some further tips, check out my YouTube video: