TheoryWatson Glaser
Practice Test
Sharpen inference, deduction, interpretation, and argument evaluation with Watson Glaser-style drills. Improve your score on employer critical thinking assessments.
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30 free Watson Glaser questions
Sampled across every topic area — not just the first page. Try them as a quiz or flip them as flashcards.
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Inference
The firm hired more trainees this year than last year.
Correct — A. A 40% increase in intake directly means more trainees were hired. 'True' is fully supported by the passage. -
Inference
The firm opened a new office outside London this year.
Correct — C. The passage mentions expansion into new practice areas, not geographic expansion. There is no information about new offices. -
Inference
Fee earners worked harder this year than in previous years.
Correct — C. Higher billable hours suggest more work was billed, but this could reflect improved tracking or rate changes rather than harder work. Insufficient data. -
Inference
The firm's total revenue increased this year.
Correct — B. More fee earners and higher billable hours per fee earner both point toward higher revenue, making this probably true, though billing rates and write-offs are unknown. -
Inference
Environmental law was not a practice area at the firm last year.
Correct — C. 'Expansion into environmental law' could mean a new area or a growing existing one. We cannot conclude it did not exist previously. -
Inference
This judge sentences defendants to custody more frequently than the national average.
Correct — A. 62% versus a national average of 55% directly confirms this is true. -
Inference
The court handled fewer cases per judge last year than the year before.
Correct — C. The passage states the caseload rose by 18% but gives no information about the number of judges, so we cannot determine cases per judge. -
Inference
Defendants convicted at this court received shorter sentences on average last year than previously.
Correct — A. The passage explicitly states average sentence length decreased by 3 months across all offence categories. -
Inference
The judge who sentences most harshly also handles the highest volume of cases.
Correct — C. The passage describes one judge's sentencing rate and the court's overall caseload; there is no comparison with other judges' caseloads. -
Inference
The national average custodial sentencing rate is below 60%.
Correct — A. The national average is stated as 55%, which is below 60%. This is directly true. -
Inference
More than half of all surveyed students cited salary as their primary reason for choosing commercial law.
Correct — E. 74% want commercial law; 61% of those cite salary. 61% of 74% ≈ 45%, which is less than half. Wait — the statement says 'more than half of all surveyed'. 45% < 50%, so this is False. -
Inference
Some surveyed students plan to pursue careers outside private practice.
Correct — A. The passage states remaining students were interested in public law, criminal defence, or academia — all outside commercial private practice. -
Inference
The majority of students who want to work in commercial law are motivated primarily by salary.
Correct — A. Of those wanting commercial law, 61% cite salary as primary motivation. 61% is a majority (>50%). -
Inference
UK law schools are producing more graduates than the commercial sector can absorb.
Correct — C. The passage only covers student intentions; it provides no data on capacity in the commercial sector or total graduate output. -
Inference
Fewer than 30% of surveyed students primarily wanted to pursue public law, criminal defence, or academia.
Correct — A. 74% intended commercial law firms, leaving 26% for the remaining fields. 26% is fewer than 30%. -
Inference
Large law firms received fewer upheld complaints than small firms.
Correct — A. Small firms (<10 fee earners) accounted for 68% of upheld complaints, meaning larger firms received the remaining 32% — fewer in absolute terms. -
Inference
Solicitors at small firms are less competent than those at large firms.
Correct — C. Higher complaint rates at small firms may reflect structural issues (no compliance officer) rather than individual competence. The passage doesn't assess competence directly. -
Inference
The total number of complaints against solicitors rose over the three-year period.
Correct — A. A 22% increase in complaints directly means the total number rose. -
Inference
Requiring all firms to employ compliance officers would eliminate complaints entirely.
Correct — E. Compliance officers may reduce complaints at small firms, but the passage gives no reason to think this would eliminate them entirely. This is false based on the available evidence. -
Inference
Most upheld complaints in the data relate to firms with 10 or more fee earners.
Correct — E. Firms with fewer than 10 fee earners accounted for 68% of upheld complaints, so firms with 10 or more accounted for only 32% — not most. -
Inference
The chambers handled more arbitration work than High Court litigation work during this period.
Correct — C. We know arbitration rose 35% and litigation fell 12%, but we have no baseline figures. Arbitration could still be smaller in absolute terms. -
Inference
Clients increasingly prefer arbitration to High Court litigation for commercial disputes.
Correct — B. The trend at this chambers and the head's stated reason support this as probably true, though it is one chambers' data and cannot be generalised with certainty. -
Inference
Confidentiality is not available in High Court litigation.
Correct — C. The passage says clients prefer arbitration partly for confidentiality, but does not state that confidentiality is unavailable in High Court proceedings. Some hearings can be held in private. -
Inference
The chambers' total fee income from dispute resolution increased over the period.
Correct — C. Arbitration rose but litigation fell; without knowing fee rates for each or the initial volumes, we cannot determine net income change. -
Inference
High Court litigation instructions at this chambers fell during the 12-month period.
Correct — A. The passage explicitly states instructions for High Court litigation fell by 12%. -
Inference
A hospital recorded that 78% of patients admitted for heart surgery were over the age of 60. The remaining patients were younger adults between 18 and 59. No patients under 18 were admitted for heart surgery during this period. Proposed inference: 'More than three-quarters of heart surgery patients at this hospital were senior citizens.' — How true is this inference?
Correct — A. The passage directly states 78% of heart surgery patients were over 60. Since 78% exceeds three-quarters (75%), this is directly confirmed by the passage — True. -
Inference
A city's public library system reported a 35% increase in digital book downloads over the past year. Meanwhile, physical book loans decreased by 12% in the same period. The director attributed the shift to a new e-reader lending program launched 14 months ago. Proposed inference: 'Readers are gradually preferring digital formats over physical books.' — How true is this inference?
Correct — B. Rising digital downloads alongside falling physical loans strongly suggests a preference shift. However, other factors (e-reader program novelty, specific demographics) mean certainty is not possible — Probably True. -
Inference
A pharmaceutical company conducted a clinical trial in which 500 patients with chronic migraines received a new drug. After 8 weeks, 61% reported a significant reduction in migraine frequency. The trial did not include a placebo control group. Proposed inference: 'The drug is more effective than a placebo at reducing migraine frequency.' — How true is this inference?
Correct — D. Without a placebo control group, it is impossible to determine whether the drug outperforms placebo. The passage explicitly notes no placebo group was used, so this comparison cannot be made — Insufficient Data. -
Inference
A study of 1,200 university students found that those sleeping fewer than 6 hours per night had an average GPA of 2.8, while those sleeping 7–9 hours averaged 3.4. The study controlled for major, year of study, and part-time employment status. Proposed inference: 'Students who sleep less perform worse academically than those who sleep more.' — How true is this inference?
Correct — B. The controlled study shows a substantial GPA difference by sleep duration. However, reverse causation (academic stress causing sleep deprivation) means certainty is not justified — Probably True. -
Inference
A survey of 400 small business owners found that 82% used social media for marketing. Of those, 67% reported social media was their most cost-effective channel. The survey was conducted online with self-selected respondents. Proposed inference: 'The majority of all small businesses nationwide find social media to be their most cost-effective marketing channel.' — How true is this inference?
Correct — D. Self-selection bias and a small, non-representative sample prevent generalization to all small businesses nationally — Insufficient Data to support the inference.
Watson Glaser sample questions
Tap any question below to reveal the answer and a plain-English explanation.
Inference An environmental agency tested water quality in 15 rivers across a predominantly agricultural region. All 15 showed nitrate levels above the safe threshold. The agency noted intensive fertilizer use throughout the region. Proposed inference: 'Agricultural runoff is the sole cause of elevated nitrate levels in the region's rivers.' — How true is this inference?
A. Probably False ✓
B. Probably True
C. Insufficient Data
D. True
Correct — A. While agricultural runoff is strongly implicated, the passage does not rule out other sources like sewage or industrial discharge. Claiming it is the 'sole cause' contradicts what is typically known about multi-source contamination — Probably False.
Recognition of Assumptions Top law graduates want training contracts at Magic Circle firms.
A. Assumption Made ✓
B. Assumption Not Made
Correct — A. The statement is built on the premise that top graduates expect/want Magic Circle contracts. This assumption is clearly embedded in the reasoning.
Deduction Sarah must complete CPD.
A. Conclusion Follows ✓
B. Conclusion Does Not Follow
Correct — A. All qualified solicitors must complete CPD; Sarah is a qualified solicitor; therefore Sarah must complete CPD. Valid deduction.
Interpretation Completing a vacation scheme significantly increases the probability of receiving a training contract offer from the same firm.
A. Conclusion Follows ✓
B. Conclusion Does Not Follow
Correct — A. A 3.4x higher likelihood is a substantial increase. The conclusion follows directly from the data.
Evaluation of Arguments Yes, because transparency about pay disparities can create meaningful pressure on firms to address systemic inequality.
A. Strong Argument ✓
B. Weak Argument
Correct — A. This argument is directly relevant to the question, identifies a specific mechanism (transparency → pressure → change), and addresses a substantive concern. It is strong.
Real Exam Practice Premises: All employees who completed the advanced cybersecurity training are on the incident response team. Some members of the IT department completed the advanced cybersecurity training. Based only on these premises, which conclusion can be logically deduced?
A. All members of the incident response team are from the IT department.
B. Some members of the IT department are on the incident response team. ✓
C. All members of the IT department are on the incident response team.
D. No one outside the IT department completed the advanced cybersecurity training.
Correct — B. If some IT members completed the training and all who completed it joined the incident response team, then necessarily some IT members are on the response team.
Inference A tech startup hired 45 engineers in its first year. By year three, 38 of those engineers had left. Exit interviews revealed that 28 cited inadequate compensation as the primary reason. Proposed inference: 'Compensation issues were the primary driver of engineer attrition at this startup during its first three years.' — How true is this inference?
A. False
B. True
C. Probably True ✓
D. Insufficient Data
Correct — C. 28 of 38 departing engineers (~74%) cited compensation — making it the dominant stated reason. Self-reported exit data may not capture everything, but the pattern strongly supports this being the primary driver — Probably True.
Recognition of Assumptions All law graduates want to work at Magic Circle firms.
A. Assumption Made
B. Assumption Not Made ✓
Correct — B. The statement specifies 'top graduates', not all graduates. Assuming all graduates want Magic Circle positions goes beyond what is stated.
About the Watson Glaser test
Master the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. Practice all five sections: inference, recognition, deduction, interpretation, and evaluation of arguments. Ideal for job applications and assessments.
You will be tested on
- The core topics and terminology you'll be tested on
- Rules, standards and best-practice procedures
- Real-world scenarios and how to respond
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
How TheoryPractice helps you pass
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Topics in this question bank
The core topics and terminology you'll be tested on
Rules, standards and best-practice procedures
Real-world scenarios and how to respond
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
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