Top tips for the Watson Glaser Test

Don’t worry if you get these wrong; they’re quite often designed to ensure you make silly mistakes before you get into the real test. Use them as a sort of athletic warm up exercise that helps you understand what you have to do and get in the mood to do your best.

Don’t spend too long on any one question. Some tests get harder as they go on, some easier, some ask questions randomly. So, you can always go back to questions that are holding you up.

Be careful how you confirm your answers and make sure you know how to move onto the next question and how to go back to previous questions.

• in multiple choice tests, rule out the obviously untrue answers and concentrate on those that are left.
• spend a while at the beginning looking at the amount of time you have and the number of questions you have to answer. Check as you go along.
• BUT, if this sort of structured working is not natural to you, don’t force it. You’ll end up feeling unsure of yourself and won’t perform optimally.

If there’s time at the end, go back over your answers.

Like athletes and actors, you’ll do your best if there’s some adrenalin in your system, so don’t worry about worrying. In fact for ability tests, where there are right or wrong answers, be ‘up for it’ – ready to do your best. Remember, these sorts of tools are designed to help you display your best performance.

You should also be aware that you may be asked to sit another test at a later stage – especially if you are asked to take an ability test as part of the recruitment process. Don’t get someone else to do it for you – you may get found out later on if you need to complete another ability test by us.

Ensure that you have a quiet area or at least somewhere where you are able to consider your responses for surveys and can finish in one session.

Above all, keep reasonably calm – and enjoy the experience and the feedback you’ll receive. The majority of people find they enjoy assessment; it helps them find out about themselves.