Psychometric Testing: Watson Glaser Test

Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and enjoying this semester. This blog post is going to be about one type of Psychometric testing that law firms use in particular and how to get good at it! Unfortunately, these are not fun for everyone, and some people will struggle more than others – no this does not mean that you cannot think logically! The chances are your brain just works in a slightly different way. When learning about these tests and practicing, just think of it as learning another skill – practice makes perfect!

I’ve gathered the most useful descriptions and information that I could find and included some of my own tips to help you get to grips with the test.

The Watson Glaser test

This is a name which still haunts trainees to this day (no really, they told me this!). The Watson Glaser test is an assessment used by law firms such as Hogan Lovells to test a candidate’s ability to think critically, think logically, recognise assumptions, analyse and evaluate arguments.

The test usually lasts anywhere from 30-60 minutes and is timed. You will have between 40-80 questions of varying difficulty to answer which is split into sections (described below)

The key to succeeding is to train yourself to shift your mindset between these sections, this does take a look of discipline and awareness.

Assessment of Inferences – These questions focus on one single statement that you must assume is true – do not use any previous knowledge to influence your decision. You will then be presented with a series of inferences relating to the statement which you must decide are either true or false.

Recognition of Assumptions – Here you will be presented with another statement which you must look at, you’re then given some assumptions relating to the statement. It is your job then to decide whether an assumption has or has not been made. An easy way to tell whether the assumption has been made or not is to see if the contrary can be true in the statement.

Deduction – You are presented with a passage and a series of proposed conclusions to the passage. You will need to determine whether the conclusion follows or doesn’t follow the information contained in the passage.

Interpretation – Here you will get some text which you are to presume is true as always. You are presented with a passage in which you assume everything to be true. You must then determine the level of importance of the information provided and apply it logically – analysing whether or not the conclusion follows.

Evaluation – From the information provided, you must be able to decide whether the argument presented is a strong one or a weak one. A strong argument will address the initial statement in some form, this shows that the argument is directly related to the statement and will be relevant. A strong argument will also provide a clear reason for its stance, that argues the original statement (not a similar statement, as this would be weak). If the argument does not fill this criterion, it can be considered weak.

Top tips for the Watson Glaser:

Practice, practice, practice – do all the tests you can, if you can pay for some or can split the cost with a friend, do so! The more experience the better! Also, the earlier you start the better – you will learn better when there is less pressure.
Read the questions properly, ask yourself what the section is actually asking you to do e.g decide whether this assumption can logically be made from the statement.
Don’t assume something which is not explicitly stated. This is not a knowledge test therefore if it is not stated, do not draw on your pre-existing knowledge to help you.
If you get stuck, move on and come to it later. The tests often give more than enough time and it means you can look at it again with fresh eyes once you’ve tackled a different section.

Here are some free practice tests to get you started:

Keep an eye out on the blog and the Instagram page @ussu.lawcareers for more posts soon!

Best wishes,

Chelsea Lewin

Law Careers Officer