All tests › CCAT › Sample questions

CCAT sample questions with answers: verbal, math and logic, spatial

Every question type on the CCAT in 12 practice questions, each with the answer and a fast method. Tap an answer to check yourself.

Take the free timed test

50 questions, 15 minutes, in the CCAT format. Free, no sign-up.

Written by TimedPrep in the format of the CCAT. These are practice questions, not questions from the real test.

Verbal

Sentence completion

Read the whole sentence and say the missing word in your head first. Words like "although" and "because" tell you which way the sentence turns.

Sample · Sentence completion · by TimedPrep

Choose the word or words that best complete the sentence. The landlord was ___ to raise the rent, since two apartments in the building had already stood ___ for months.

  1. hesitant ... occupied
  2. unwilling ... full
  3. reluctant ... empty
  4. eager ... empty
  5. quick ... vacant

Answer: C. Apartments that nobody has rented for months are a reason to hold back on a rent increase. Fast method: find the signal word (because, although, but, so) and predict the missing word before looking at the options.

Analogies

Turn the first pair into a short sentence ("an author writes a novel") and drop the third word into the same sentence.

Sample · Analogies · by TimedPrep

ANGER is to RAGE as FEAR is to ___

  1. danger
  2. worry
  3. terror
  4. courage
  5. scream

Answer: C. Rage is extreme anger; terror is extreme fear. Fast method: turn the first pair into a short sentence, then drop the third word into the same sentence and test each option.

Antonyms (opposites)

Think of your own opposite before you read the choices. One choice usually means the same as the word: that is the trap.

Sample · Antonyms · by TimedPrep

Choose the word that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to: PRAISE

  1. congratulate
  2. criticize
  3. applaud
  4. flatter
  5. admire

Answer: B. Praise means to express approval, so its opposite is "criticize". Watch for options that mean the SAME as the word: they are the usual trap. Fast method: think of your own opposite before reading the options, then find the closest match.

Attention to detail

Compare in chunks of three or four characters, not the whole line at a glance.

Sample · Attention to detail · by TimedPrep

How many of the five pairs below are exactly the same? $294,929.72 | $294,929.72 $594,700.29 | $594,700.29 $454,287.51 | $454,287.51 $905,823.84 | $905,823.84 $44,390.86 | $44,390.86

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Answer: E. All 5 pairs are identical. Fast method: compare in chunks of 3-4 characters; if nothing is off after one pass, trust it and move on rather than re-reading.

Math and logic

Word problems

Round first and look at how far apart the choices are. Calculate exactly only when two choices are close.

Sample · Word problems · by TimedPrep

How many minutes does it take to drive 32 miles at a steady 40 miles per hour?

  1. 44
  2. 46
  3. 48
  4. 58
  5. 63

Answer: C. Time = 32 ÷ 40 = 0.8 hours = 48 minutes. Fast method: at 40 mph you cover 1 mile every 1.5 minutes; multiply by 32.

Number series

Check the differences between neighbors first. If the numbers jump up and down, read every other number: two series woven together.

Sample · Number series · by TimedPrep

What number comes next in the series? 2, 5, 15, 18, 54, 57, ?

  1. 168
  2. 169
  3. 170
  4. 171
  5. 172

Answer: D. Two operations take turns: ×3 and +3. The next one due is ×3, so 57 becomes 171. Fast method: if neither one gap nor one ratio fits, test 'multiply, then add' in turns.

Letter series

Turn the letters into their places in the alphabet (A = 1, Z = 26) and solve it as a number series.

Sample · Letter series · by TimedPrep

What letter comes next in the series? Z, W, T, Q, N, ?

  1. K
  2. L
  3. M
  4. O
  5. P

Answer: A. Each letter moves back 3 in the alphabet. From N, back 3 is K. Fast method: anchor the alphabet in fives (E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25) and count jumps instead of reciting.

Graphs and tables

Read the question first, then only the part of the chart it asks about. Most need one or two numbers, not all of them.

Sample · Graphs and tables · by TimedPrep

The chart shows units sold per month. What was the total for all five months?

  1. 140
  2. 145
  3. 150
  4. 155
  5. 160

Answer: A. 35 + 25 + 5 + 40 + 35 = 140. Fast method: count grid steps instead of values (7 + 5 + 1 + 8 + 7 = 28 steps of 5).

Logic statements (true / false / cannot tell)

Accept the statements as true, even if they sound odd, and sketch them. If you can draw the situation two ways, the answer is "cannot tell".

Sample · Logic statements · by TimedPrep

Assume the first two statements are true. All welders are committee members. Boris is a welder. Boris is a committee member. The third statement is:

  1. True
  2. False
  3. Uncertain

Answer: A. Everyone in the first group is in the second, and Boris is in the first group. The third statement is true. Fast method: a rule about a whole group lets you move a member of that group forward into the second group, never backward from the second group into the first.

Spatial

Figure series

Follow one element across the frames (a dot, an arrow, a shading), cross out the choices that get it wrong, then check a second element.

Sample · Figure series · by TimedPrep

Which figure comes next in the series?

    Answer: B. The arrow turns 45° clockwise each step. Fast method: follow ONE element across the frames, eliminate the options that get it wrong, then check the second element.

    Odd one out

    Compare the figures two at a time and name what they share. The odd one breaks that rule; look for turns, mirror images and counts.

    Sample · Odd one out · by TimedPrep

    Which figure does not belong with the other four?

      Answer: A. Four figures share the same number of shapes; the odd one differs in number of shapes. The other differences are shared by at least two figures, so they do not single anything out. Fast method: test one feature at a time (shape, shading, count, size) and look for a 4-to-1 split.

      Figure grids

      Read the grid row by row: each row usually applies the same change. Check your rule on a column before you pick.

      Sample · Figure grids · by TimedPrep

      Which figure completes the grid?

        Answer: E. The shape appears once in every row and once in every column. The shading stays the same along each row. The number of shapes grows by one from left to right in every row. So the missing cell has 3 unfilled circles. Fast method: solve one feature at a time (shape, then shading, then count) and cross out options after each.

        Now try them against the clock

        On the real test you get 18 seconds a question, with the types mixed together. Knowing the method is half of it; the other half is the pace.

        Free CCAT practice test. 50 questions on a 15-minute clock, no sign-up. Score, estimated standing and where your time went.

        Start the free test

        More: the full CCAT guide (format, rules, scoring and a plan for the last two days) · the free CCAT practice test.

        Common questions

        Are these real CCAT questions?

        No. They are practice questions written by us in the CCAT format: the same question types and the same number of answer choices. The questions on your test come from the publisher's own bank, which is not public.

        How many questions are on the CCAT and how long is it?

        50 questions in 15 minutes, about 18 seconds a question. Most people do not reach the end, so pace matters as much as method.

        How do I practice these against the clock?

        Take the free CCAT practice test: 50 questions on a 15-minute clock, no sign-up. When the clock stops you see your score and which question types cost you the most time.