Why are there new versions of the Watson-Glaser?

The Watson Glaser has a long history as a very useful tool for measuring critical
thinking skills and predicting performance in work or educational settings and the test
is widely used in both selection and development interventions across the world. The
new versions of the test contain updated questions that are more business relevant
and allow more flexible administration. The new versions are:

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal - Unsupervised (UK Version)

• 40 questions
• 30 minutes
• Online
• Suitable for unsupervised administration due to 'item-bank' design whereby questions are randomly selected from a pool of questions and so multiple
  versions of the test are administered
• This version is also suitable for online completion in a supervised environment such as assessment or development centres
• New business-relevant questions suitable for international use

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal - Supervised (UK Version)

• 40 questions
• 30 minutes
• Paper and pencil version only
• Suitable for supervised administration only
• New business-relevant questions suitable for international use

What norms will be available?

Norms derived from previous versions of the Watson-Glaser will still be available. These have been statistically mapped onto the new test and so are still appropriate and equivalent. The following norms are therefore available:

For Selection Purposes:

• Uk general population
• Graduates
• Managers
• Senior Managers
• UK Private Sector Graduates
• UK Public Sector Graduates
• Graduates in Law, Business, Economics or Finance
• Public Sector Managers
• Private Sector Managers  

For Development Purposes:

• Development and outplacement
• Public Sector High Flyer Development programmes

Can I still use our own bespoke / company norm?

Yes, these can be mapped onto the new online tests (unsupervised and supervised tests) for a fee. Please contact the team at info@talentlens.co.uk for further information.

Can I still use the WG UK (80 item) or Form C version?

This version of Watson-Glaser is being discontinued. The UK, 80 item test is a fixed form test and has been taken by thousands of candidates. Since the new questions in the 40 item version have not been exposed to many candidates and the test is not static, the new test is a more secure way of testing.

If you have current WG UK stock then you will be able to use these until they run out but we will not be selling the 80 item version of test after 31st December 2011 nor will be we printing any materials associated with the test.  Any credits for online 80 item tests will be transferred for use with the 40 item test.  If you purchased the 80 item WG from us in 2011 then you will be able to exchange unused and un-opened stock for new stock. Please contact the team if you wish to discuss any itmes relating to using or exahnging old stock: Email: info@talentlens.co.uk Telephone: 01865 314 921 

How can we be sure the candidate has not cheated if they took the test at home, online?

The 'item-bank' design of the new test reduces the chance that candidates will be able
to 'cheat.' The system randomly generated tests from a pool of questions therefore
containing multiple forms of the test.

Candidates are unlikely to have seen the test questions before, know which questions their friends took or take the same test at the same time as their friends in the same computer room;  these are all ways in which candidates can 'cheat' on online ability tests.

However, another common way that candidates can cheat is by asking a friend to help
them to complete the test. Being able to establish authenticity of the test-taker is an
important part of an assessment process. TalentLens offer three ways of doing this:

• Follow up online, unsupervised testing with a supervised test if the candidate is successful on the first test and other methods of assessment. With this there is the option to obtain a second report where the degree of fit to the original test score is calculated.
• Ask candidates to complete the online or paper and pencil test under supervised conditions.  We have a FREE function whereby customers when re-testing can input the raw score derived from the 40 item paper and pencil test in to the platform and the degree of fit with the original test score is calculated. Where the difference in percentile scores is statistically significant this is highlighted.
• Ask candidates to attend a Pearson VUE testing centre where the online test is administered under supervised conditions and ID checked by our assessment team.

Can I still use a paper and pencil version?

Yes, a new paper and pencil version is also available but this should only be used under supervised conditions.  This is also a shorter, 40-item version with new questions that are more business focused and suitable for international use.  the same norm groups are available as for the online version.

Is the 40-item paper and pencil version equivalent to the online version?

Yes the tests have been designed using advanced psychometric theory to be equivalent and are both reliable measures of critical thinking skills. However, if you're using the test to VERIFY scores obtained from the online version, be sure to use the function on our platform to score the 40-item paper and pencil test. All you need do is enter the a candidate's raw score and a report is generated that indicates whether there is a significant difference between the original online score and their paper and pencil results. The online Watson Glaser is scored using advanced psychometric theory techniques and so the 40-item test should also be scored in the same manner to test for differences in scores. 

When I have large numbers of applicants can the online test be linked to an applicant tracking system provider?

 This function is available but there is a fee of around £3,000 per customer for this 

Who do I contact with technical difficulties concerning the platform?

If you or your test takers experience any technical difficulties with setting up a test or taking a test, then please contact online@talentlens.co.uk

Is the new version equivalent to the current UK 80-item version?

A vast amount of research has been completed to look at the equivalence of this new, shorter, online and item-banked test. Analysis has shown that the longer 80 item test and shorter 40 item test are both reliable measures of critical thinking skills. They are also highly correlated (r = 0.96) which shows that a candidate is likely to score the same on both tests. New and older questions have been analysed together using advanced psychometric theory (IRT). This provides more power to ensure that all tests are equivalent to the original versions.

How is this version improved?

The test is improved with new, business-relevant questions that have been written for an international audience. Different language versions will be available shortly. The 'item-banked' design allows the Unsupervised Version to be used online in unsupervised environments.

The Supervised Version has been updated with new questions. Both new versions are shorter than previous versions of the Watson-Glaser, allowing shorter time in assessment whilst still retaining its established Watson-Glaser quality.