Critical Thinking Assessments for Higher Education

Validated, research based critical thinking assessments for academic disciplines

California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) – All disciplines and fields
Business Critical Thinking Skills Test (BCTST) – Business disciplines and related fields
Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) – Health sciences and health care related fields (graduate and undergraduate); HSRT – Associate Degree (HSRT-AD) – Health care related fields (Associate Degree)
STEM Thinking Skills Test-Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics related fields
College Student Success (CSS) – First year undergraduate, college level transfers and adult re-entry students
Test of Everyday Reasoning (TER) – All disciplines and fields
Legal Studies Reasoning Profile (LSRP) – Law and legal studies, government and public policy related fields
Military and Defense Critical Thinking Inventory (MDCTI) – undergraduate/graduate level enrollees or applicants to military education programs and colleges
California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) – All disciplines and fields
Business Attribute Inventory (BAI) – Business disciplines and related fields
CCT-G835 – Challenging graduate and professional programs
Quant Q – Mathematically oriented disciplines

Objectively measure college thinking skills

Insight Assessment offers critical thinking test instruments designed specifically for undergraduate and graduate students. Our higher education thinking assessments are being used in over 30 languages at colleges and universities across the world. Critical thinking data is widely used for a number of educational purposes such as:

student learning outcomes assessment,
program evaluation,
accreditation,
admissions,
advising,
identifying students’ educational needs and strengths, and
predicting the students’ future success in achieving professional licensure.

Importance of assessing critical thinking skills and habits of mind

Critical thinking is a process which requires strong skills. It also requires a strong motivation to apply those skills to achieve goals. In order to deliver this comprehensive assessment of critical thinking, Insight Assessment offers pairs of critical thinking tools that measure college thinking skills and habits of mind (mindset).

Whether the assessment is focused on the general education requirements or the evaluation of the learning outcomes of a particular program or major, we deliver high quality research-based higher education thinking assessments and scoring support services.

Insight Assessment group & individual metrics include norm comparison percentile scores against external college level critical thinking level standards. Click on the Norms tab of any individual assessment page to see available external criterion groups for that instrument.

Critical Thinking Online Training

Next steps? The CCTST reveals higher education applicants that are proficient along with those requiring further development in critical thinking skills. The Keys & Strategies Critical Thinking Course Pack is available for students requiring intervention to gain this necessary competency for study and the future of work. In addition to 20 modules, proven to build their critical thinking skills and their lifelong learning mindset to apply those skills, a post-course assessment is included to measure both individual and group improvement.

Select the right assessments for undergraduate and graduate students

We recommend the following companion measures:

CCTST and the CCTDI

CCTST: The California Critical Thinking Skills Test has been called the “gold standard” of college level critical thinking tests. The CCTST has been used in the USA and in authorized translations worldwide with graduate student populations, executive level adult populations, and undergraduate students in all fields. It is a discipline-neutral measure of reasoning skills.
CCTDI: The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory is an internationally known instrument used to measure attributes associated with excellence in critical thinking. Strong critical thinking disposition is endorsed by many employers as a desirable trait in employees across working environments.

HSRT and the CCTDI

HSRT: The Health Science Reasoning Test is a test of critical thinking designed for health sciences and health care professional preparation programs. Items require no health science knowledge but are set in health related contexts. 4-yr undergraduate and graduate school norms are available. Scores on this instrument have been found to predict successful professional licensure and high clinical performance ratings.
CCTDI: The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory is the most widely used companion measure to both the HSRT and the CCTST.

BCTST and the BAI

BCTST: The Business Critical Thinking Skills Test is designed for undergraduate and graduate business students. Items require no business knowledge but are set in familiar business related contexts.
BAI: The Business Attribute Inventory contains a battery of scales that assess critical thinking disposition as well as the mindsets and values desired in today’s business professional. This tool, or the CCTDI, can be used as a companion to the BCTST to obtain a fuller profile of a student’s critical thinking.

STEM Thinking Skills Test and the CCTDI

STEM Thinking Skills Test: measures quantitative reasoning skills at the college level. It is used to evaluate student skills in educational contexts where demonstrated ability to apply quantitative reasoning is valued.
CCTDI: The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory is an internationally known instrument used to measure attributes associated with excellence in critical thinking.

TER and the CCTDI

TER: The Test of Everyday Reasoning, used widely in USA 2-yr colleges, is a test calibrated to measure the critical thinking skills of community college students. Local test scores can be compared to national 2-yr college norms and to norms gathered from working professionals in entry level workplace positions. The TER is also used in 4-year colleges and universities in freshmen studies programs.
CCTDI: The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory is an internationally known instrument used to measure attributes associated with excellence in critical thinking.

College Student Success (CSS) Parts 1 & 2

The College Student Success (CSS) is a two part nationally normed assessment instrument that targets the specific reasoning skills and personal mindset known to be predictive of success as a first year undergraduate, transfer or re-entry student. College Success Mindset assesses seven personal attributes which are predictive of academic persistence and success. College Success Reasoning Skills measures the strength of the applicant’s critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills.

LSRP, Parts 1 & 2

The Legal Studies Reasoning Profile is a two part tool designed for students in legal studies professional programs, law school, government and pre-law programs, and paralegal programs. It measures critical thinking skills as well as the dispositions and personal attributes associated with academic and professional success. Part 1 of the LSRP is a measure of habits of mind and personal attributes related to critical thinking, legal studies, and professional practice. Part 2 is a measure of core critical thinking skills.

MDCTI, Parts 1 & 2

The Military and Defense Critical Thinking Inventory is an academically oriented assessment intended for students and applicants in military education programs and colleges. Part 1 measures 10 mental disciplines associated with successful leadership preparation. Part 2 measures core reasoning skills used in thoughtful decision for leadership responsibilities at every level.

Quant Q

The Quant-Q is a challenging test of skill in reasoning and in the proper application of basic mathematical concepts in order to solve the problems presented. It is a clever tool to assess integration of critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills.

CCT G835 and the CCTDI

The CCT G835 is used to measure the critical thinking skills of personnel who have been selected, or are being selected, for positions that require strategic decision making, and for working professionals, scientists and technologists with strong educational preparation.
CCTDI: The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory is an internationally known instrument used to measure attributes associated with excellence in critical thinking. Strong critical thinking disposition is endorsed by many employers as a desirable trait in employees across working environments.

Strength in critical thinking predicts student success in higher education

Cost-effective and easy to administer to individuals or groups online, these higher education thinking assessments provide actionable results for immediate advising and counselling.