What the Watson Glaser really tests and how to approach it

The Watson Glaser can be a deciding factor in whether you progress through a law firm's recruitment process. But what exactly does it assess, and how can you prepare to perform at your best?

Join Lindsey Thompson, a former graduate recruiter at a leading law firm, and Faeqa Chowdhury, who secured a training contract after successfully passing the Watson Glaser for multiple elite law firms. Together, they'll share insights from both sides of the recruitment process to help you prepare more effectively. 

In the first of two connected sessions, you'll explore the five areas of critical thinking assessed by the Watson Glaser: inference, recognising assumptions, deduction, interpretation and evaluating arguments. We'll explain how each section differs, what the questions are asking you to demonstrate and why understanding these distinctions is essential to choosing the correct answer.

We’ll explain how these skills connect to trainee tasks such as legal research, drafting, due diligence and client communication, helping you understand why they matter beyond the recruitment process.

We’ll then begin putting that understanding into practice through worked examples, breaking down how to read the instructions, approach a question and follow the reasoning behind the answer. You’ll explore why precise wording matters and how bringing in your own knowledge or assumptions can lead you away from what a question is asking.

We’ll also explain where the Watson Glaser sits alongside other online assessments you may encounter in the law firm application process.

By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of the test, the skills it measures and how to begin practising with purpose. Join Part 2 to work through further examples across the question types and build on what you’ve learned.