The CCAT (Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test) is a pre-employment test from Criteria Corp with 50 multiple-choice questions in 15 minutes, covering verbal ability, math and logic, and spatial reasoning. No calculator is allowed and wrong answers cost nothing. It is built so almost nobody finishes: Criteria says fewer than 1% of people answer all 50, and the average test taker gets 24 right. Employers see your raw score and percentile against a range set for the job.
Facts from Criteria Corp's own pages, checked November 3, 2026. Employers can change settings, so your invitation email wins if it says something different.
| Publisher | Criteria Corp |
|---|---|
| Questions | 50, all multiple choice (Criteria's samples have five options, A to E) |
| Time limit | 15 minutes for the whole test, under 20 seconds a question |
| Areas | Verbal ability, math and logic, spatial reasoning |
| Calculator | Not allowed; Criteria says no question needs one |
| Wrong answers | No penalty, so never leave a question blank |
| Average score | 24 correct, the 50th percentile (norm group of 106,740 adults) |
| Who sees the score | The employer. Criteria advises employers not to send score reports to candidates. |
| Where you take it | Online at ondemandassessment.com with the Event ID in your invitation, usually unsupervised |
| Devices | Phone, tablet, laptop or desktop |
| Retakes | Set by each employer; no Criteria-wide waiting period is published |
| Official practice | Criteria's free practice test, about 10 minutes, unscored |
Criteria groups the 50 questions into three areas and does not publish how many of each you will get or in what order. Expect them mixed together.
Pick the word that means the same as, or the opposite of, another word; choose the word that best fills a gap in a sentence; spot how two words relate.
Tip: Read every option before you pick. The near-synonym is often there to catch a fast reader.
Short everyday word problems: averages, percentages, ratios, speed and time, simple algebra, plus statements where you decide what must be true. All without a calculator.
Tip: Round and estimate first to rule out the options that cannot be right, then check the closest one.
Find the shape that does not belong, pick the shape that comes next or completes a grid, or picture a shape after it is turned or flipped.
Tip: Check one change at a time: rotation, then count, then shading. Most patterns change only one or two things.
Your raw score is the number you got right out of 50. Criteria turns it into a percentile against its norm group of 106,740 adults, where the median is 24 correct, and also gives separate percentiles for verbal, math and logic, and spatial reasoning.
There is no universal passing score. Criteria gives employers suggested score ranges for 42 job families, built from more than 700,000 CCAT results, and employers can set custom ranges. The only range Criteria shows publicly is its Management example, 20 to 50. Score charts you see on prep sites are their own estimates.
Results go to the employer, not to you. Criteria's support team cannot see them, and Criteria advises employers not to share score reports with candidates, so most people never learn their exact number.
Criteria's own practice test covers CCAT-style questions, takes about 10 minutes and is unscored. Use it to see the layout and the pace before the real one.
50 questions in 15 minutes is 18 seconds each. Time yourself on mixed sets and get used to moving on: Criteria's own advice is to guess and move on if a question takes over a minute.
Percentages, averages, ratios and speed-time-distance come up often and no calculator is allowed. A few minutes of mental arithmetic every day is easier to keep up than one long session.
There is no penalty for wrong answers, so a blank is a sure zero. In the last 30 seconds, pick an answer for every question you can reach.
The CCAT is usually taken online and unsupervised. Criteria says it draws from a bank of thousands of questions so no two candidates get the same set, limits copy and paste, can lock you out if you leave the test window, and logs time spent per question. A report can show "Invalid Result" when answers come too fast and too accurately for someone seeing the test for the first time.
Employers can add Criteria's paid AI Proctoring, which takes a photo before the test and periodic snapshots, captures the screen on desktop, records audio clips when it hears a voice, and flags a visible phone or leaving the test. You are told before the test if it is on.
Employers can also send the test again, remote or on site, and choose whether that retake is supervised. A big gap between an unsupervised score and a supervised one is something a hiring team will notice.
Not for your test. Criteria draws each CCAT from a bank of thousands of questions, so no two candidates get the same set, and the "CCAT answers" lists online are practice items. The way to get answers to the questions actually on your screen is in real time: OphyAI Aptitude Test reads each CCAT question and shows the answer and a one-line reason in a private popup.
Yes. Every CCAT question is multiple choice, across verbal ability, math and logic, and spatial reasoning, which is exactly what OphyAI Aptitude Test was built for. With Auto on, it answers each question as it loads, and there is no penalty for wrong answers on the CCAT.
Criteria limits copy and paste, can lock you out for leaving the test window, logs your time per question, and marks a result "Invalid Result" when answers look like a repeat of the same version. Employers can add AI Proctoring with photos, desktop screen captures, audio clips and phone detection, and can retest you. OphyAI's popup is hidden from screen sharing and recording, but not from a webcam, a person in the room, proctoring software that inspects your computer, or a supervised retest.
Compare every platform: Can online assessments detect AI?
Aptitude Test mode in the OphyAI desktop app reads each multiple-choice question on your screen and shows the answer, with a one-line reason, in a small popup only you can see.
Use OphyAI Aptitude Test on your real CCAT, not just for practice. Start a test in the desktop app, open the CCAT and turn on Auto: each question is answered as it loads, with the option to pick and a one-line reason, in a popup that macOS and Windows leave out of screen sharing and recording. Or press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A on any question.
It covers all three CCAT areas: verbal, math and logic, and spatial reasoning. Nothing is recorded during a test, and each test uses 15 credits and stays open for 2 hours. Employers can add Criteria AI Proctoring and can retest you, remote or on site.
Which number comes next? 3, 6, 12, 24, ...
Which number comes next? 3, 6, 12, 24, ...
48
Each term doubles the one before it.
Free download. Each test uses 15 credits and stays open for 2 hours. See everything it does
Hiding the popup from screen share does not hide it from a webcam, a person in the room, or proctoring and lockdown software that lists running apps or blocks screen capture.
The CCAT has 50 multiple-choice questions and a 15-minute time limit for the whole test, which is under 20 seconds per question. Criteria says fewer than 1% of people answer all 50, by design.
There is no single good score. The average is 24 correct, which is the 50th percentile. Employers compare your score with a suggested range for the job family; Criteria's public example for Management is 20 to 50; it does not publish the ranges for other jobs.
No. Criteria says no calculators are allowed and that none of the math questions need one.
No. Your score is the number you get right, so answer every question you reach, even with a guess.
Usually not. Results go to the employer, Criteria support cannot access them, and Criteria advises employers not to send score reports to candidates. Some employers send a general Workplace Insights report instead.
Only if the employer sends it again. Retake rules are set by each employer, and by default an employer can reuse a result from the past 12 months instead of testing you again.
The UCAT is Criteria's language-independent version: 40 multiple-choice questions in 20 minutes covering logic, numbers, attention to detail and spatial reasoning, with no verbal section. It is used where candidates take tests in many languages.
No. The Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test, also called CCAT, is a school test for gifted programs. This guide covers the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test that employers use for hiring.
Read on November 3, 2026. Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) is a product of Criteria Corp; OphyAI is not affiliated with Criteria Corp.
Download OphyAI Desktop, start Aptitude Test before your CCAT begins, and see each answer and its reason in a popup only you can see.
