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The CCAT: 50 questions in 15 minutes, average score 24

The Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test is the best-documented hiring test there is. Fewer than 1% of people answer all 50 questions, and you are not supposed to. Here is what is on it and how to score higher in the days you have.

Updated October 13, 2026 · by TimedPrep

What the CCAT is and who uses it

The CCAT is published by Criteria Corp. In its Information Brief Criteria says the test measures problem solving, critical thinking and the ability to learn and apply new information, and that it is used mostly for mid- to senior-level roles: managers, sales executives, software developers, executive assistants and analysts.

You take it online, usually at home, with nobody watching, on any device including a phone. The invitation normally comes from a criteriacorp.com address and sends you to ondemandassessment.com with an Event ID. If your email looks different, check which test you got.

Format and rules

The rule that matters most: an unanswered question and a wrong answer are worth the same, zero. So never leave a question blank, and never let one hard question eat a minute. A blind pick among five choices is right one time in five; a pick after you have crossed out two choices is right one time in three.

Question types and how to solve them fast

Criteria reports three areas and gives no counts for them. Prep vendors who have counted practice forms report roughly 17 to 18 verbal, 21 to 22 math and logic, and 11 spatial questions, mixed together rather than in sections, with difficulty drifting upward. Our practice tests follow that mix. The samples below are practice questions written by us in the format of the CCAT.

Verbal: sentence completion

The most common verbal type by vendor counts. Find the signal word (because, although, but, so) and predict the missing word before you look at the choices. With two blanks, test one blank at a time: it removes choices faster.

Verbal: analogies and opposites

Turn the first pair into a sentence and reuse it for the second pair. For "most nearly opposite" questions, the classic trap is a choice that means the same as the word in capitals.

Verbal: attention to detail

Criteria counts attention to detail inside verbal ability. You compare two columns of names, addresses or numbers and count the identical pairs. Compare in chunks of three or four characters. These take longer than 18 seconds for most people; do them, but do not double-check.

Math: word problems

The largest group on the test: percentages, rates, averages, prices, ratios. The numbers are chosen to work without a calculator. Estimate, compare with the spread of the choices, and calculate exactly only when two choices are close. Write intermediate numbers down; holding them in your head is where errors come from.

Math: number and letter series

Look at the differences between neighbors. If they are not constant, check whether the differences themselves grow, or whether every other term forms its own series. For letters, anchor the alphabet in fives (E is 5, J is 10, O is 15, T is 20, Y is 25) and count jumps.

Math: tables and charts

A small table or bar chart and one question about it. Read the question first, then go to the one row or bar you need. Keep a finger on the row.

Logic: true, false or uncertain

Accept the first two statements, judge the third. Draw it. If two different drawings both fit the first two statements and they disagree about the third, the answer is "uncertain".

Spatial: next in the series

Follow one element at a time across the frames: where the dot goes, how the arrow turns, how the shading alternates. Eliminate the choices that get the first element wrong before you look at the second.

Spatial: odd one out

Four figures share something; one does not. Test one feature at a time: shape, shading, count, size. If every figure looks like the same shape turned, look for the mirror image.

Spatial: complete the grid

A 3 by 3 grid with the last cell missing. Solve one feature at a time along the rows (shape, then shading, then number) and combine the three answers. If a matrix has not clicked in 25 seconds, pick the best remaining choice and go.

Scoring: what the employer sees

Your raw score is the number you answered correctly. Criteria's Score Report Guide shows what the employer gets: the raw score, a percentile against Criteria's norm group, and a separate percentile for spatial reasoning, verbal ability, and math and logic.

The norm group is 106,740 working adults and applicants. Its median score is 24 and the standard deviation is 7 (Information Brief). In plain terms: about two thirds of people score between 17 and 31. Prep vendors publish conversion tables that put a score of about 31 near the 80th percentile and about 36 above the 90th.

The report also compares your score with a suggested range for the job. In Criteria's sample score report (dated January 2026) the suggested ranges start at 17 for customer service and sales representatives, 20 for management, 21 for project managers, 22 for analysts and engineers and 24 for legal and data analytics roles; every range runs up to 50. Employers can choose a different range or build their own, so treat these as a floor to clear with room to spare, not a promise. The full table is in good score by job.

One more thing from the Score Report Guide: if a candidate moves through the test unusually fast with no errors, the system labels the result invalid, on the assumption that the person has seen that version before. Another reason to distrust anyone who claims to sell the questions from the test itself. Ours are written by us.

How to prepare in 2 to 3 days

1. Day 1 (30 minutes). Take a full timed test without preparing. Note your score and where you were when the clock ran out.
2. Day 2 (40 minutes). Drill the two question types where you were slowest. Then take a second full test with checkpoints: question 17 by minute 5, question 33 by minute 10. If you are behind at a checkpoint, guess faster on the long questions; do not speed up on the easy ones.
3. Day 3 or test day (15 minutes). Short warm-up only. Then go through the test-day checklist and take the test while you are fresh.

The pacing method, including when to give up on a question, is in how to pace 50 questions.

TimedPrep gives you one full CCAT-format test free, with no sign-up. $29 one-time adds five more full tests with explanations; $49 adds the drill trainer. Access is for 12 months, and there is a 14-day money-back guarantee if you have barely used it.

What else may come with it

Employers on Criteria's platform often send more than one assessment in the same session. A personality questionnaire is the most common companion: Criteria's Employee Personality Profile has 140 items and takes about 10 minutes. It has no right or wrong answers. See the personality section for what it measures. Some employers use a shorter Criteria test that prep vendors describe as 40 questions in 20 minutes (the UCAT); the invitation states the time limit, so read it.

Common questions

How many questions are on the CCAT and how long do you have?

50 multiple-choice questions in 15 minutes: 18 seconds each. Fewer than 1% of candidates answer all 50.

What is a good CCAT score?

The average is 24. Criteria's suggested ranges for different jobs start between 17 and 24, and each employer can set its own. A score in the low 30s puts you well above most candidates.

Is there a penalty for wrong answers?

No. Criteria says there is no penalty and that it is best to guess and move on.

Can you use a calculator?

No. Criteria says calculators are not allowed and no question needs one.

Can you go back to earlier questions?

Prep vendors consistently report that you cannot. Criteria's candidate pages do not say either way, so treat each answer as final.

Can you retake the CCAT?

That is the employer's decision, not Criteria's. Ask your recruiter; many employers allow only one attempt per application.

Related guides

• 50 questions in 12 minutes: a pacing plan that works
• What happens after you submit the test
• CCAT vs Wonderlic vs PI Cognitive Assessment
• What score is good for which job?
• Guess or skip? What each publisher actually says