Critical thinking and verbal reasoning (Watson Glaser style)
What it tests. Isolating a premise, identifying hidden assumptions and deciding whether a conclusion follows, without injecting outside knowledge.
Worked example. All conference nations have inflation over 8%; some have negative GDP growth; no nation with negative GDP growth may draw from the stabilization fund. Statement: there are nations with inflation over 8% barred from the fund. Answer: True.
Common traps. The most dangerous trap is injecting real-world economic or legal knowledge; treat the passage as a closed universe.
How to handle it. Answer strictly on the text, even if it contradicts reality.
Logical / inductive reasoning
What it tests. Identifying the rules governing abstract relationships and applying them, including conditionals and contrapositives.
Worked example. Only-if and if-and-only-if chains: if the client did not provide schedules, the senior did not approve the index, so the junior cannot review the binder.
Common traps. Confusing only-if with if. A only if B means A implies B, not B implies A.
How to handle it. Do not sketch complex logic trees; map contrapositives mentally and clear each item in under 45 seconds.
Checking and accuracy (attention to detail)
What it tests. Spotting a single case switch, symbol substitution or flipped sequence under extreme time pressure, the cognitive load of proofing a 200-page credit agreement.
Worked example. a%g6F4$a0F5_v77K vs a%g6F4$a0f5_v77K is Different (lowercase f vs capital F).
Common traps. Your brain reads strings as words and skips minor variations (the saccadic eye-movement trap).
How to handle it. Chunk characters into groups of four with an internal rhythm, and use a real mouse, not a trackpad.
Situational judgment (SJT)
What it tests. Professional judgment, communication style and prioritization when handling conflicting demands.
Worked example. A senior associate and a partner give you competing drop-everything tasks due the same morning. Optimal ranking: speak to the senior to assess flexibility and manage the partner expectations, over emailing the partner to reassign, over working all night silently, over silently prioritizing the partner and stranding the senior.
Common traps. Working through the night silently leads to burnout and errors; leaving a senior stranded before a meeting destroys trust.
How to handle it. Prioritize transparent communication up and down the chain, protect client confidentiality, and own your work product.
Personality and workplace values
What it tests. Conscientiousness, stress-response styles and core values (altruism, achievement, autonomy).
Common traps. There is no perfect score; gaming the inventory creates an inconsistent, low-validity profile the system flags.
How to handle it. Answer decisively and authentically; constant neutral answers create a flat, uninformative profile.