Watson Glaser Test: How to Prepare & Improve Your Score
If you are applying for a vacation scheme or training contract at a leading law firm, there is a good chance that you will encounter the Watson Glaser test at some stage of the recruitment process. Designed to assess critical thinking rather than legal knowledge, the test asks candidates to analyse information carefully, recognise assumptions, assess arguments and determine whether conclusions are supported by the evidence available. This can make the Watson Glaser deceptively difficult. There is very little conventional “revision” to do, and being academically strong does not necessarily guarantee a high score. Instead, successful preparation involves understanding exactly what each question is asking and learning the particular rules of the test. In this guide, we explain what the Watson Glaser test is, what each section assesses and how to prepare effectively for the Watson Glaser as a law applicant.
Contents:
What is the Watson Glaser Test?
Who uses the Watson Glaser Test?
What Does the Watson Glaser Test assess?
What are the Five Sections of the Watson Glaser Test?
Is the Watson Glaser Test Difficult?
How to Prepare for the Watson Glaser Test
How Long Should You Prepare for the Watson Glaser Test?
Can You Improve Your Watson Glaser Score?
How U2 Tuition Can Help With Watson Glaser Preparation
Watson Glaser Test FAQs
What is the Watson Glaser Test?
The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) is a psychometric test designed to assess critical-thinking ability. It is particularly well established within legal recruitment, where employers use it to assess skills that are closely related to the work lawyers undertake: interpreting written information, evaluating arguments, identifying unsupported assumptions and reaching logical conclusions.
The assessment is not a test of legal knowledge. You will not need to know particular cases, legislation or legal terminology in order to answer the questions.
Instead, the challenge is to reason accurately from the information you are given.
This distinction is important. In many Watson Glaser questions, you may know something from your own experience or general knowledge that appears relevant. However, unless that information is contained within the question, it may have no bearing on the correct answer.
Learning to distinguish what the evidence actually tells you from what you happen to believe or know already is therefore one of the foundations of good Watson Glaser preparation.
Who Uses the Watson Glaser Test?
Many global law firms use the Watson Glaser Test as a component of their recruitment process.
Examples of law firms known for using the Watson Glaser test:
A&O Shearman
Baker McKenzie
Clifford Chance
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Dentons
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
Hogan Lovells
Linklaters
Norton Rose Fulbright
Slaughter and May
U2s Watson Glaser tutors are successful law firm applicants themselves, with our wider law mentoring team holding offers from leading Magic Circle and US firms including Linklaters, Freshfields, White & Case and Latham & Watkins.
Through individual Watson Glaser tutoring, candidates can identify weaknesses in their critical reasoning and receive detailed feedback on how to improve both their accuracy and speed.
What Does the Watson Glaser Test Assess?
At its core, the Watson Glaser assesses whether you can approach information logically and objectively.
Strong candidates need to be able to:
distinguish between what is stated and what is merely implied;
recognise assumptions hidden within statements;
evaluate whether conclusions follow logically from evidence;
judge the strength and relevance of arguments; and
avoid allowing personal opinions or general knowledge to influence their answers.
This last point is particularly important. In everyday life, we naturally draw on our existing knowledge when interpreting information. In the Watson Glaser, however, you are generally required to work within the boundaries of the information you have been given.
Learning to make that distinction is one of the most important parts of Watson Glaser preparation.
What Are the Five Sections of the Watson Glaser Test?
There are 5 basic question types you will come across in the test. These 5 abilities are:
1. Deduction
Deduction questions test whether you can determine if a conclusion logically follows from the information you have been given.
You will typically be presented with a statement or set of statements followed by a conclusion. Your task is to decide whether that conclusion necessarily follows from the original information.
The key word here is necessarily. It is not enough for the conclusion to sound reasonable or to be likely to be true. You need to establish whether it can logically be reached on the basis of the information provided.
A useful question to ask yourself is:
“If everything in the statement is true, must this conclusion also be true?”
One of the most common mistakes is to introduce outside knowledge. Even if you know something to be true in real life, you should base your judgement on the information contained within the question.
2. Inferences
Inference questions assess your ability to determine how strongly a conclusion is supported by a piece of information.
You will usually be given a longer statement followed by a possible inference. Rather than simply deciding whether the inference is right or wrong, you may need to judge it on a scale such as True, Probably True, Insufficient Data, Probably False or False.
This makes inference questions particularly nuanced. You are not simply asking whether something could be true; you are assessing the degree to which the available evidence supports it.
Pay close attention to the distinction between certainty and probability. If the evidence makes something likely but does not establish it conclusively, for example, Probably True may be more appropriate than True.
3. Interpretation
Interpretation questions test whether a particular conclusion or generalisation is justified by the information provided.
They can initially appear very similar to deduction questions because you are again given information followed by a proposed conclusion. The distinction lies in what you are being asked to establish.
With deduction, the question is whether a conclusion follows logically and necessarily from the premises. With interpretation, you are considering whether the conclusion is reasonably supported by the information and whether the generalisation being made is justified.
Precision in language is particularly important here. Look carefully at words such as all, some, most, always, never, likely and only. Evidence that supports a limited conclusion may not justify a much broader one.
4. Recognition of Assumptions
Recognition of assumptions questions test whether you can identify something that has been taken for granted within a statement or argument.
You will be given a statement, often expressing a view or recommendation, followed by a possible assumption. You then need to decide whether that assumption is implicit in the original statement.
The important distinction is between an assumption and something that is simply related to the argument. An idea may be sensible or relevant without actually being necessary to the speaker's reasoning.
One useful technique is to reverse the proposed assumption:
“If this assumption were not true, would the original statement still make sense?”
If the argument depends upon that assumption being accepted, it is likely to be an underlying assumption.
5. Evaluation of Arguments
The final question type assesses your ability to judge the strength of an argument.
You will typically be presented with a question or statement followed by a possible argument. You need to determine whether that argument is sufficiently relevant and significant to support the position being considered.
This section is not asking whether you personally agree with the argument. In fact, allowing your own views to influence your answer can make these questions more difficult.
Instead, consider the argument objectively. Ask whether it is directly relevant to the question, logically connected to the issue and important enough to affect the decision being made.
A strong argument should make a meaningful contribution to the case being considered. A weak argument may be broadly related to the topic but irrelevant, insignificant or insufficiently connected to the actual question.
Is the Watson Glaser Test Difficult?
The Watson Glaser can be challenging, particularly for candidates encountering this style of reasoning for the first time. Even academically strong applicants can find the test requires a different approach from the essays, examinations and problem-solving exercises they are used to.
One of the main difficulties is that several answers may initially appear plausible. The test requires you to distinguish carefully between what could be true, what is probably true and what can actually be established from the evidence provided. Candidates also need to resist relying on their own knowledge of assumptions when these are not supported by the information in the question.
Time pressure can add another layer of difficulty. Candidates need to read accurately while also making decisions efficiently, so simply understanding the principles of critical reasoning is not always enough.
The encouraging point is that Watson Glaser performance can improve with focused preparation. Becoming familiar with the question types, developing a consistent approach and, crucially, understanding why you are making mistakes can make the assessment considerably more manageable.
For applicants targeting competitive vacation schemes and training contracts, 1-1 Watson Glaser tutoring can provide a more targeted approach to preparation. Our experienced tutors can identify the particular question types or reasoning habits holding you back, work through difficult questions with you and develop a personalised preparation strategy ahead of the test.
Find out more about U2 Tuition’s one-to-one Watson Glaser preparation here
How to Prepare for the Watson Glaser Test
1. Understand What Each Section Is Testing
Before completing large numbers of practice questions, make sure you understand the reasoning required by each of the five Watson Glaser sections.
This is particularly important because the distinctions between question types can be subtle. A deduction question, for example, asks whether a conclusion necessarily follows from the information provided, whereas an inference question asks you to assess how strongly the available evidence supports a particular conclusion. Applying the wrong standard can lead to repeated mistakes even when you have understood the passage itself.
Begin by practising each question type separately and make sure you can explain why an answer is correct before focusing heavily on speed. The aim at this stage is to develop a reliable method that you can later apply instinctively under timed conditions.
If you find that you understand the questions but are still making repeated errors, one-to-one Watson Glaser tutoring can be particularly useful at this stage. U2 Tuition's law application mentors can work through each question type with you and help you develop a consistent approach before moving on to full timed tests.
2. Learn to Separate Evidence From Assumptions
One of the most important habits to develop for the Watson Glaser is learning to distinguish between what the information actually establishes and what you are assuming because it seems plausible.
When approaching a question, ask yourself:
What do I actually know from the information provided?
Then ask:
What am I adding because I think it is probably true?
Candidates often lose marks by making perfectly sensible real-world assumptions that are not justified by the passage. The Watson Glaser rewards disciplined reasoning, so something being likely in everyday life does not necessarily mean you have sufficient evidence to accept it within the test.
When practising, try identifying the precise sentence or piece of evidence that supports your answer. If you cannot find one, consider whether you have introduced an assumption of your own.
3. Practise Under Timed Conditions
Accuracy should come first when you begin preparing. Once you are comfortable with the different question types, however, timed Watson Glaser practice becomes increasingly important.
You need to develop a pace that allows you to analyse the information carefully without spending disproportionate amounts of time on a single difficult question. Rather than immediately attempting every practice test under strict conditions, begin with untimed questions, progress to timed sections and eventually complete full practice assessments under realistic conditions.
Afterwards, look at how the time pressure affected your performance. Did you make reasoning errors because you did not understand the question, or did you understand it but rush your answer? The distinction matters.
This is another area where personalised Watson Glaser preparation can be valuable. U2 Tuition's tutors can use timed exercises and detailed feedback to identify whether you need to work primarily on critical-reasoning technique, accuracy or pacing, rather than simply recommending that you complete more practice tests.
4. Analyse Your Mistakes
Completing more Watson Glaser questions is not necessarily the same as improving your Watson Glaser score. Some of the most valuable preparation happens after you finish a practice test.
Review every question you answered incorrectly and identify why you made the mistake. For example:
Did you introduce information that was not provided?
Did you confuse something being possible with it being logically necessary?
Did you overlook an important qualifier such as some, all or most?
Did your personal opinion influence your evaluation of an argument?
Did you understand the reasoning but make a mistake because you were rushing?
Keep a record of recurring errors. If most of your incorrect answers involve recognising assumptions, for example, there is little value in dividing your preparation equally across all five sections.
This is one of the principal advantages of working one-to-one with an experienced Watson Glaser tutor. It can be difficult to diagnose your own reasoning habits, particularly when an incorrect answer initially appears logical to you. U2 Tuition's law application tutors can identify these patterns, explain where your reasoning has gone wrong and concentrate subsequent preparation on the areas most likely to improve your performance.
5. Build Your Critical Reasoning Skills More Broadly
Watson Glaser preparation does not have to consist solely of practice questions.
Reading editorials, academic articles and analytical journalism can help you become more attentive to how arguments are constructed. As you read, consider:
What conclusion is the writer reaching? What evidence supports it? What assumptions does the argument rely upon? How strong is that evidence? Could a different conclusion reasonably be drawn?
Law applicants can take this one step further by applying the same approach to legal, political and commercial developments. Choose a current issue and examine the arguments on either side rather than simply learning the facts.
This can have benefits well beyond the Watson Glaser. The ability to interrogate an argument, respond thoughtfully to unfamiliar information and form an evidence-based view can also prove valuable when developing commercial awareness and preparing for vacation scheme and training contract interviews.
For applicants who want more structured support, U2 Tuition's Vacation Scheme and Training Contract Tutoring can combine Watson Glaser preparation with wider application mentoring, including commercial awareness, written applications and interview preparation. Working with mentors who have successfully navigated applications to leading UK and US law firms can be particularly useful for understanding how these different elements of the recruitment process fit together.
How Long Should You Prepare for the Watson Glaser Test?
There is no single preparation period that will suit every candidate. How long you need will depend on your existing critical-reasoning skills, familiarity with the Watson Glaser format and performance when you first attempt practice questions.
A useful first step is to complete a diagnostic practice test. Rather than focusing solely on your overall score, look at your performance across the different question types. If deduction is consistently strong but recognition of assumptions is causing difficulty, for example, your preparation should reflect this.
Try to avoid leaving the majority of your preparation until the day before the assessment. Short, focused practice sessions spread across several weeks are generally more useful than completing a large number of tests in quick succession. This gives you time to understand your mistakes and then test whether you can apply what you have learnt to new questions.
If you have an upcoming Watson Glaser assessment and are unsure where to focus your preparation, U2 Tuition's one-to-one Watson Glaser tutors can help you identify your weaker areas and create a targeted preparation plan around your test date. This can be particularly useful when you are balancing Watson Glaser practice with multiple vacation scheme or training contract applications.
Ultimately, the quality of your preparation matters more than the number of practice tests you complete. Aim to reach a point where you understand not only which answers are correct, but why they are correct and which reasoning process you should apply to each section.
Can You Improve Your Watson Glaser Score?
While the Watson Glaser is designed to assess critical-thinking ability, the skills it tests can be strengthened with focused and consistent preparation. Candidates can become more accurate at recognising assumptions, weighing evidence, distinguishing between probability and certainty, and determining whether a conclusion is genuinely supported by the information provided.
Improvement comes partly from becoming familiar with the particular style of reasoning the Watson Glaser requires. With practice, you begin to recognise common traps more quickly: introducing outside knowledge, overlooking qualifying language or accepting a conclusion because it sounds plausible rather than because the evidence supports it.
The key is deliberate practice rather than repetition for its own sake. Simply working through large numbers of questions is unlikely to be the most effective approach. Instead, review incorrect answers carefully, understand where your reasoning went wrong and then apply that lesson to new questions.
This is also where one-to-one Watson Glaser tutoring can accelerate your progress. An experienced tutor can identify patterns in your mistakes that may be difficult to recognise independently, explain the reasoning behind more challenging questions and focus your preparation on the areas where you have the greatest scope to improve. For applicants facing competitive vacation scheme and training contract processes, this targeted approach can make preparation considerably more efficient.
How U2 Tuition Can Help With Watson Glaser Preparation
Preparing for the Watson Glaser independently can take you a long way. Practice questions will help you become familiar with the format and understand the basic principles behind each section. However, it can be harder to identify why you are repeatedly losing marks, particualrly when your reasoning feels correct to you.
At U2 Tuition, our law application mentoring can provide personalised support throughout this process. Rather than simply working through generic question banks, your tutor can identify patterns in your performance, pinpoint the question types you find most difficult and build your preparation around the areas where you have the greatest potential to improve.
Learn From Tutors Who Have Successfully Navigated the Process
Our Vacation Scheme and Training Contract mentors are recent graduates and trainees who have successfully secured offers from leading UK and US law firms, including Linklaters, Freshfields, White & Case, Latham & Watkins, Baker McKenzie, Clifford Chance and Slaughter and May.
This means that your preparation is informed by tutors with first-hand experience of highly competitive law-firm recruitment. Our team includes mentors who specialise specifically in Watson Glaser preparation, critical reasoning and assessment-centre coaching, alongside wider vacation scheme and training contract applications.
Target the Areas Where You Can Actually Improve
No two candidates struggle with the Watson Glaser in exactly the same way.
You might be highly accurate on deduction questions but consistently introduce outside assumptions when tackling inference. Alternatively, your reasoning may be strong when practising independently but become less precise when you are working against the clock.
Our tutors can use your performance to identify these patterns and make your preparation more focused. One-to-one support can include:
targeted critical-reasoning training;
focused work on weaker Watson Glaser sections;
practice under timed conditions;
detailed analysis of incorrect answers;
strategies to improve speed without sacrificing accuracy; and
guidance on firm-specific testing formats.
The aim is not simply to complete more questions. It is to help you understand how you reason, where that reasoning is going wrong and what you need to do differently next time.
Prepare for the Watson Glaser as Part of Your Wider Law Application
For most candidates, the Watson Glaser is only one stage of a much broader recruitment process. You may be preparing for the test while simultaneously researching firms, writing vacation scheme applications, developing your commercial awareness and preparing for interviews or assessment centres.
U2 Tuition can support you across this entire application journey.
Alongside Watson Glaser preparation, our mentors can help with strategic firm targeting, CVs and written applications, commercial awareness, assessment centres and realistic mock interviews covering competency, motivational, commercial and partner-style questions.
This joined-up approach can be particularly valuable if you are targeting competitive Magic Circle and US firms. Rather than treating the Watson Glaser as an isolated hurdle, you can work with a mentor to develop the critical thinking, commercial reasoning and application strategy that you will need throughout the recruitment process.
Get Matched With the Right Watson Glaser Tutor
Whether you have just started preparing or have an assessment approaching and want to improve a particular area, we can match you with a tutor suited to your applications, experience and goals.
Some candidates use two or three sessions for targeted preparation, while others choose ongoing mentoring throughout the vacation scheme and training contract application cycle. Your support can therefore be shaped around what you actually need.
Book a complimentary consultation with U2 Tuition to discuss your applications and get matched with an expert Watson Glaser tutor.
Watson Glaser Test FAQs
Do you need legal knowledge for the Watson Glaser test?
No. The Watson Glaser is a critical-thinking assessment rather than a test of substantive legal knowledge. Candidates are assessed on how they interpret information and evaluate arguments.
Can you practise for the Watson Glaser?
Yes. Practice can help you become familiar with the different question types and improve your ability to distinguish evidence, assumptions and logical conclusions.
What is the best way to prepare for the Watson Glaser?
Begin by understanding the reasoning behind each question type. You can then move on to targeted practice, careful review of mistakes and timed assessments.
Should you guess on the Watson Glaser?
Your approach should depend on the instructions and scoring system of the particular assessment you are taking. Read the instructions carefully before beginning and make sure you understand how the test is marked.
How early should you start preparing?
Ideally, give yourself enough time to complete an initial practice assessment, identify weaker areas and work on them before attempting full timed tests. For many candidates, beginning several weeks before important application deadlines provides a more comfortable preparation period.
Is Watson Glaser preparation useful for law interviews?
The skills overlap considerably. Being able to evaluate arguments, challenge assumptions and reach evidence-based conclusions can be valuable in law firm interviews and other stages of the recruitment process, particularly when discussing commercial or legal issues.