Many established companies offer psychometric tests and though the nature of questions might be different, they all help test an individual's cognitive skills and personality attributes. The tests are becoming more common as technology increases and currently, even smaller companies use the tests in their hiring processes.

The CCAT is given during the company’s recruitment process to help measure the strengths of an applicant in terms of aptitude, learning ability, problem-solving skills, and so on. The test is complex and many people fail because they do not learn to avoid common mistakes.

What does the CCAT test measure?

The test is given to any applicant during the pre-employment screening process although the publishers recommend it to be taken by an applicant seeking middle to high-level positions.

It measures several areas of an individual and the main ones are – skills in critical thinking, solving problems, ability to learn, and capacity to grasp and apply fresh information. To help you understand the nature of questions used to measure each skill, it is highly recommended you take the CCAT mock test several times before you take the actual test.

What scores are you expected to get?

The test consists of 50 questions divided into three parts. One part covers the numerical skills questions, the next one the verbal skills, and the final one is the spatial skills questions. The total time allocated is 15 minutes and this is a crucial time that will determine your score level.

The test is scored in two ways- the raw score and the percentile ranking. The raw score is measured against the number of questions you get out of 50. If you get 30 questions correct, your raw score will be 30 out of 50.

The percentile score is your raw score measured against other candidates who took the same test as you. If your percentile score is 40%, it means you outscored 40 percent of all test takers in your group. If your group had more people, it means you would have more people to compete against and your score might be lower.

How do you improve your score?

There are several things you can do to improve your score.

First, learn to answer questions fast to achieve a higher number of total answered questions. Do not repeat mistakes but learn from them and improve on your score. Get several practice tests and do not procrastinate in taking many tests. Do not wait until a day or two to the testing date to begin preparation. Instead, start preparing many days even before you submit your job application.

How to avoid common errors

Common errors mean too many people keep falling into the same trap over and over again but you don’t have to fall into it because you now know what errors to avoid.

Don’t be too fast to answer questions

It is true speed is important when taking the CCAT test, but it’s all about the speed with accuracy. If you rush too fast, you might end up doing too many questions but with wrong answers. The speed with accuracy means you confirm the answer you want to give before you tick or write it down. It’s better you do fewer correct questions than too many wrong ones.

Do easy questions first

The earlier sections of the test are usually easier but they tend to become complex as you advance. With that in mind, move fast in the first sections so that you redeem time for the more complex questions.

If you can answer all questions, the better

Many people do not make it to complete at least 25 questions but you are different because you have spent a lot of time practicing. Statistics show that only about one percent make it to answer all the questions and you should try to be one of the 1%. You just need to be sure of your confidence and you will not only answer all questions but also answer them correctly.

Do not stop, but keep moving on
Remember you have very limited time to finish all the 50 questions and speed matters a lot. Some of the logical questions might seem too complex and you might stop to spend more time thinking on diagram shapes, number serials, or another type of question. If you do that, it means you will spend more time on that one question and this is time you could have probably answered four more questions if you had skipped the question and moved on.