In educational settings the CCTST is recommended for evaluating program applicants, advising individual students, learning outcomes assessment, program evaluation, accreditation and research. In the workplace settings it is recommend for similar purposes and is often used to assess a job applicant's reasoning skills as part of a comprehensive and cost-effective employment process.

The CCTST provides an objective measure of critical thinking skills. CCTST questions engage the test-taker's reasoning skills. Different questions progressively invite test-takers to analyze or to interpret information presented in text, charts, or images; to draw accurate and warranted inferences; to evaluate inferences and explain why they represent strong reasoning or weak reasoning; or to explain why a given evaluation of an inference is strong or weak. Thus, the CCTST permits test-takers to demonstrate the critical thinking skills required to succeed in educational or workplace settings where solving problems and making decisions by forming reasoned judgments are important.

The CCTST is not one test. It is a family of tests- different versions for different age levels or professional fields. The instruments in the CCTST Family of Critical Thinking Skills Tests are designed for use with persons at different educational levels -- elementary school through doctoral degree holders. Some versions use question content attuned to everyday concerns and general education. Other versions focus question content on the interests and concerns of specific professional fields, e.g. health sciences, business, law and government, or military and defense. Specialized information needed to respond correctly in a given case is provided within the questions themselves.

Insight Assessment skills tests provide scores on these  CCTST scales: Analysis & Interpretation, Inference, Evaluation & Explanation, Inductive Reasoning, Deductive Reasoning, and Total Critical Thinking Skill Score.