You can make a high score in the CCAT test by serious preparation and taking practice tests to get familiar with the nature of the exam.
This post presents important facts about CCAT, as well as practice questions and answers to enable you solve problems or analyze situations from a critical view point and make a high score in the test.
Please, read on:
What is CCAT?
CCAT or Criteria Cognitive Ability Test is a pre-employment aptitude test that evaluates a candidate’s aptitude or problem-solving ability.
The test also helps you to digest and apply information, learn new skills, and develop a good critical thinking ability.
Employers believe that candidates with high aptitude are more likely to learn quickly and perform greatly on a job than those with low aptitude.
CCAT comprises 50 items with 15 minutes time limit required to complete all 50 items, which is difficult to finish within the time limit.
Having been administered more than 5 million times, CCAT is one of the most popular employment aptitude tests in the United States.
20 Important Facts about CCAT
These facts and tips have been written to help you make a top score if you are preparing to take the CCAT soon:
CCAT numerical reasoning question types
The CCAT numerical reasoning consists of the math and logic questions that have been designed to test your ability to think critically and solve problems.
The CCAT math and logic questions test your vital algebra skills, your ability to understand proportions, and the capacity to work your way through worded problems.
In this part of the CCAT, you will be given some number series and word problems and the questions may comprise decimals, fractions, division, basic algebra, and multiplication.
Ensure you don’t use a calculator when practicing the test because you won’t be allowed to use one during the actual test.
However, a pencil and paper will be allowed to work out your answers.
CCAT verbal reasoning question types
With the CCAT verbal reasoning test, your ability to understand the correct meaning of a word and what words have in common with each other will be evaluated.
The questions to cover include antonyms, syllogisms (any question putting forward two statements and asking the candidate if there are any conclusions they can draw based on the statements), and letter sequence.
CCAT spatial and abstract reasoning
How well you can mentally manipulate random shapes can be assessed using the spatial reasoning segment of the CCAT test.
You will be asked to spin or revolve images in your head, spot outliers, and identify patterns.
The CCAT spatial and abstract reasoning test is used to measure your ability to solve problems, learn, and apply new information accurately.
The test also evaluates your problem-solving ability using visual information.
In this section, you will be provided with different types of inductive reasoning series, matrices, and odd-one-out questions.
How can I best prepare for the CCAT?
Although none of the CCAT questions seem complicated, answering 50 questions in 15 minutes can be exceptionally difficult and stressful.
When practicing, re-examine the questions and ask yourself how you could answer them faster.
Focus on your strengths and learn to earn points without difficulty.
For most positions, a passing score of 28 is essential.
You will need a passing score of at least 32 to reach the top in most jobs.
It’s important to get the correct answer on as many questions as you can within the time limit and focus on questions that are easier to answer quickly and correctly as items requiring greater and longer attention can be time-consuming.
You need to take a little break right after the exam preparation sessions and before approaching your real test.
During this interval of taking a break, you will have the opportunity to go back and continue to improve in the next preparation session.
In each category of the questions, you need to study what you are required to do as the instructions you get in the CCAT may sometimes be a little confusing or ambiguous.
One of your critical goals should be to understand what is required of you in each type of question during preparation.
Practicing full-length tests and applying all the test limitations will make a lot of stress-inducing elements of the test much less scary.
You need to invest in a professional prep course if scoring highly on the CCAT is important to you.
Requirements to take the CCAT
Individuals who wish to take the CCAT must be registered at organizations that have purchased the HireSelect platform from Criteria.
Your exam results and profile report can be assessed immediately by the company you applied to after you have taken the CCAT.
Your exam results will be measured up to the results of other candidates applying for the position you seek and to the HireSelect database.
The recruiter will use the information to determine which profile best matches the job position they are hiring for.
What employers use the CCAT in the hiring process?
You will not get a specific list of customers who make use of the CCAT through Criteria Corp. But names of some known employers have been listed here for your knowledge.
Mindbody
Infoblox
Solera
PowerSchool
Vista Equity
Tibco
Marketo
Cvent
Apptio
Crossover.
CCAT Scores
The first page of your score report displays your raw score and percentile ranking, which is tabularized from the number of questions you answered correctly when you finish taking a Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test.
No points are taken off for selecting the wrong answer. Therefore, if your raw score is 40, you have correctly answered 40 out of 50 questions.
The raw score is converted into a percentile score to compare you to the other candidates who have completed the test. Scoring 24 out of 50 will place you in the average score on the CCAT, which is higher than 50 percent of the population of candidates who took the test before you.
When do you receive CCAT scores?
Your prospective employer will receive a detailed report within moments of your completing the test immediately after your CCAT scores are tabularized.
The second page of your score report displays your raw scores and percentile ranks for each of the three test sections and suggested score ranges for specific categories of positions.
How does the CCAT work?
The CCAT seeks to determine if you have the ability to think critically and solve problems that you may confront in your job.
You have just 15 minutes to complete 50 questions. For that reason, you need to answer the questions quickly to complete all of them before or within the time limit.
The CCAT is a pre-employment test that is commonly offered to candidates applying for a variety of positions.
The CCAT test outline
The important thing to remember about the CCAT tests used for employment selection is that they comprise various question styles without permission for the use of a calculator.
Some of the typical question styles of the CCAT tests include but are not limited to:
Verbal reasoning questions and text dissemination
Numerical reasoning questions having charts or graphs
Logical reasoning questions via abstract symbols
Deductive reasoning questions
Synonyms and antonyms
Number sequences.
The math required for a Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test
The difficulty of GCSE level determines the math required in a CCAT exam. Your own part is to interpret and figure out what calculation is required from the question, and under what time pressure.
You are advised to take a moment to focus your practice on a category of question that has a style you find most challenging.
Also, bear in mind that calculators are not allowed to be used on the test.
The importance of time management on the CCAT exam
If you can possibly use 20 seconds to complete each question, you will have the ability to use 15 minutes to get through 50 items.
Ensure you are not spending too much time on a particular question as you struggle to impress the hiring manager.
Making an educated guess where necessary and moving on to the next question will help you to not spend more than one minute on a problem.
What is an on-demand assessment?
Where you are going to take your CCAT exam, which is Criteria’s online testing platform, is the on-demand assessment.
You may receive an email invitation with a link to ondemandassessment.com and that’s what most candidates do.
Is CCAT an IQ test?
There are some vital differences between the CCAT test and an IQ test, although they have some correlations.
You can never consider the CCAT test an IQ test because while the CCAT measures your cognitive abilities, an IQ test assesses your intellectual quotient.
The four golden rules of time management
These four golden rules of time management will help you as you work towards success on the CCAT exam:
Work very fast in the beginning and slow down later
Beware of attention-deficit
Don’t waste too much time on questions that seem difficult
Do not attempt all the 50 questions.
Seven tips to help you pass the CCAT
These seven tips will help you pass the CCAT exam if you study them very well:
Discover questions that seem difficult to ensure you know what to focus on to achieve the highest score possible
Be on familiar terms with what to expect on the real CCAT
Learn the techniques required for solving CCAT questions in order to manage your time well
Get full-length CCAT practice test simulations
Keep track of your results so that you change your practice focus to the most critical areas as you go and to know the pace of your improvement
Master proper time management
Try as much as you can to learn your most common mistakes.
What if I don’t get the minimum required score?
In this case of not being able to achieve the score sufficient for the position you are applying for, the company will send you a response stating that you are no longer invited to go on through the recruitment process.
Remember most companies won’t reveal the score you’ve achieved.
CCAT validity information
The CCAT validity takes two forms, namely: construct validity and predictive validity.
Construct validity
The CCAT has been revealed to be extremely connected to other leading actions of cognitive aptitude.
Connections with leading employment aptitude tests start from .55 to .8.
Predictive validity
Different studies have proven that CCAT results relate significantly with job performance for a wide array of jobs that require improved abilities in the areas of problem-solving, learning, and critical thinking, as well as verbal and mathematical reasoning.
Software engineers and other technology workers, auditors, managerial positions, financial analysts, and lots of others are cases of jobs for which the CCAT has high predictive validity.
If one didn’t make the desired score, can they retake the CCAT?
It’s up to the employer to decide whether you need to retake the CCAT.
Although it’s usually rare for candidates to retake the CCAT, some employers however allow their candidates to retake the test for justifiable reasons.
How long does it take to achieve the CCAT score?
The CCAT score is calculated without delay after you have completed the test.
Though you will often get a score report with a score breakdown, some employers wouldn’t like to reveal candidates’ score reports.
CCAT Practice Questions and Answers
Have a look at the sample practice questions and answers you will need to study if you want to get familiar with the questions you will encounter during your CCAT exam:
Question One
Sample CCAT Verbal Question:
Choose the word that is almost OPPOSITE to the word, LENGTHEN.
A. abdicate B. truncate C. elongate D. stifle E. resist
Correct Answer: B
The actual meaning of the word “Truncate” is to cut off or make short, and this is the best choice here as the opposite of “Lengthen.”
“Elongate” is a synonym (similar in meaning) of “Lengthen,” but we’re looking for the opposite in meaning (antonyms).
The meaning of these three words (“Abdicate,” “Stifle,” and “Resist”) is to bring something to a halt, but none of them refers to a physical dimension the way that both “Truncate” and “Elongate” do.
Because you want to know the opposite of lengthen, you should rather select “Truncate.”
Question Two
Sample CCAT Math Question
The first two numbers of a group of 3 numbers that have an average of 17 are 12 and 19. What is the third number?
A. 17 B. 19 C. 20 D. 23 E. 30
Correct Answer: C
To explain this answer: The sum of all the numbers in a set divided by the total number of numbers in that set is an average.
Set up a simple equation and solve for X in order to figure this one out, which is (12 + 19 + X) ÷ 3 = 17
If you want to isolate the X, first multiply both sides by 3.
With these figures: 17×3 = 51, the equation becomes: (12 + 19 + X) = 51
You will need to subtract both 12 and 19 from 51 to isolate the variable: X = 20
Question Three
Sample CCAT Spatial
Which of the following does not belong?
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: This is an outlier identification problem. Study all the five options and see what they have in common so as to solve this.
Each choice has three shapes in this instance.
What are those shapes? Each one has a circle, a triangle, and a square, except for Choice B.
It has two squares instead of a triangle.
This is the one that looks odd because it’s the only one that doubles up on shapes.
Question four
Example of Question of Antonyms
See the word in capital letters and select the word from the options that is most nearly OPPOSITE to it.
HILARIOUS
A. shy B. stupid C. fearful D. boring E. joyful
Answer and Explanation
Being hilarious is to be in a state of extreme mirth. Therefore the answer D: “boring” is the closest opposite of this word.
Question five
Example of Questions of Letter Sequences
In the following series, what would be the next group of letters? bd … eg … hj … km? A. ln B. lp C. no D. np E. nq
The correct answer is D.
Each one of the suites that is composed of four elements consists of two letters. Each element is composed of one letter and the letter after the next one, that is, by “omitting” one letter each time: b (c) d … e (f) g …
Therefore, the next element begins with the letter directly going after the last letter of the previous element.
The correct answer is D (“np”) because it follows the same logic: n (o) p.
Question six
Example of Sentence Completion Questions
When put in the sentence to replace the blank or blanks, pick the word or words that best fits the meaning of the sentence.
Since the seventh century, Delft Blue is the _ stoneware that has been produced in the town of Delft.
A. empty B. famous C. beautiful D. tiny E. ancient
The correct answer is B.
‘Famous’, which is the answer B, is the only word that completes the sentence logically.
Question seven
Example of Syllogism
Assume the first two statements are true. Based on the information provided, is the final statement:
(A) True, (2) False, or (3) Uncertain?
Tom is fatter than Jack. Tom is thinner than Joe. Jack is fatter than Joe.
A. True B. False C. Uncertain
The correct answer is B.
In accordance with the statement, Tom is fatter than Jack but thinner than Joe. Now by assumption, Joe is necessarily fatter than Tom, that is, fatter than Jack as well.
Conclusion
When making a hiring decision, your CCAT score is one of the factors an employer may take into consideration.
The best thing you can do is to prepare yourself as much as possible for the test and ensure that you take the exam when you have the time for it, setting aside all other things and be free of distractions.
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