Have you just been told you’d need to take the CCAT (Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test) exam for your job application, and are now worried about how to score higher in it?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone! As someone who’s been through the CCAT wringer and come out the other side, I’m here to break it down for you in plain English.
My Personal CCAT Score Progressed like this: 27 → 41 → 45 → 48 (across four attempts)
Understanding the CCAT Score System
First things first, let’s talk numbers. The CCAT consists of 50 questions that you need to tackle. The CCAT uses multiple scoring methods to evaluate performance; your employer will share what ranking system they’re using:
Raw Score (0-50)
Simply the number of questions answered correctly
No penalty for wrong answers
Percentile Ranking (1-99)
Shows how you compare to other test-takers
99th percentile requires 45+ correct answers
Scaled Score (100-400)
Standardized scoring system
Allows comparison across different versions
Star Rating (0-6)
4 stars: 35+ correct answers (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
5 stars: 40+ correct answers (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
6 stars: 45+ correct answers (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
But hold your horses! A “good” score isn’t just about hitting the average. It depends on a few factors, which we’ll get into next.
What’s Considered a Good CCAT Score?
Now, here’s the million-dollar question: what’s a good CCAT score?
Score interpretation varies by industry and position, but here’s a general breakdown:
Score Range
Performance Level
Interpretation
Below 30
Below Average
May need additional preparation
30-35
Average to Above Average
Meets basic requirements for many positions
35-40
Well Above Average
Competitive for most positions
40-45
Exceptional
Highly competitive for demanding roles
45+
Top Percentile
99th percentile, exceptional performance
Factors Affecting Score Requirements:
Job position and level
Industry standards
Company-specific requirements
Role complexity
But remember, these are just guidelines. Some roles might require a higher CCAT score, while others might be more flexible.
The Best Way to Increase Your CCAT Score (personal experience)
Practice and simulation. That’s the single most important thing. I have taken SAT-I, SAT-II, GCSE OLevel & ALevel, IELTSs, etc. throughout my academic career and have been in the Top 1% throughout (8A* in OLevels, Best Across 5 state level distinction in ALevels).
Yet my first CCAT Score that I got in a practice test (from a PDF booklet I got for $80 from a very shady website .. so much so that I froze my card after using it there) was 27. I’m not kidding. I printed the test. Turned on the timer on my phone, took the test. And got slapped in the face. The last actual CCAT that I took for an employer, I had 48 out of 50.
My learning from this was that you can read as many “example questions” of CCAT Tests as you like, but until you actually sit down and take a complete timed test to see your “initial base score” that you need to improve. That first test’s results and analytics do 3 things for you:
Which “question types” (verbal/maths/logical) take you the most amount of time to solve
Which “question types” you got wrong the most
And it gives your brain a bit more “experience” with the race against time feeling, plus some preliminary strategies that would work specifically for you
To summarize, if you want to actually get a good CCAT Test Score, do this:
Strategic Preparation
Take practice tests under timed conditions
Focus on identifying and improving weak areas
Learn to manage the 15-minute time constraint effectively
I’ve created a platform where you can take multiple full-fledged timed CCAT tests. And when you do, it gives you analytics about which CCAT question categories you got the most wrong questions from, and where you spent the “most time” (since you need to save as much time as you can). Here’s an example:
Section-Specific Focus The CCAT tests three main areas:
Verbal reasoning
Mathematical & logical ability
Spatial reasoning
If you struggled with a particular section, focus your preparation efforts there. The platform that I shared above actually has topical CCAT practice tests as well, which means if you’re really good at the maths and logical reasoning questions, but get a lot of the verbal reasoning questions wrong – then you need to laser focus on preparing and improving your verbal reasoning skills.
Time management tips
With only 15 minutes for 50 questions, every second counts. Practice answering questions quickly and knowing when to move on if you’re stuck.
Here are a few reviews left by students who took these practice tests in the past:
If you’re preparing for CCAT to apply at Crossover for Work, you will find the below playlist rather helpful to answer more or less all the questions you might have about their hiring process:
💡Youtube Playlist: Step-by-Step Guide to Crossover’s hiring process
Applying to Crossover for a job | Sharing my experience
The Bottom Line
A “good” CCAT score is ultimately the one that gets you to the next stage of the hiring process. Focus on doing your best, preparing thoroughly, and showcasing your skills beyond just the test score. With the right preparation and mindset, you can tackle the CCAT with confidence!
FAQs about CCAT Test
Can I retake the CCAT if I’m not happy with my CCAT score?
Retake policies vary by employer. Some companies (like Crossover) allow retakes every 6 months.
How long is my CCAT score valid?
Typically up to 5 years, but this can vary by employer.
Is it possible to get a perfect score on the CCAT?
While theoretically possible, it’s extremely rare due to the strict time limit.
How much does the CCAT factor into hiring decisions?
It varies by employer. Some companies use it as a primary screening tool with mandatory minimum scores, while others consider it alongside other qualifications. For instance, Crossover has a “mandatory” score requirement that differs based on the role you are applying for – if you score lower than the requirement for the role, you cannot proceed to the next stage.
Are there any accommodations available for test-takers with disabilities?
Yes, many testing centers offer accommodations for individuals with documented disabilities. Contact the test administrator or employer for more information.
Final Thoughts
Remember that while a good CCAT score is important, it’s just one component of your overall job application. Focus on achieving the best score you can while also highlighting your other qualifications and experiences. With proper preparation and a strategic approach, you can achieve a competitive score that helps advance your career goals.
Free Resources
If you’re looking for a few free resources to get started, you can have a look at:
In this post, I have tried to cover the different questions that I get regarding working with Crossover. After you have gone through this article, if you still have questions, please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn with your specific query and I’d be happy to answer it for you. However, please be sure to read this post completely and explore all the resources that have been mentioned in it.
Crossover Available Roles & Crossover Application Process
Navigate to Crossover’s website [Navbar > Join Crossover > Current Openings], you’ll see the different roles that they’re hiring for at the moment.
Go through the titles of the roles, see which ones fit your profile/skillset.
Read the detailed Job Description, specifically the Candidate Requirements section.
If you’re not fully sure that you are eligible for the role, apply for it anyway, as the very first step in your application is the Basic Fit test. It takes 10-20 seconds to fill and within 30 seconds it would let you know if you’re eligible to apply for the role or not.
The next step is the Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT), coupled with a Spoken English Proficiency Test. (More details on the CCAT below).
Other than that, there might be role specific tests , which shouldn’t take more than 30-60 minutes to complete. Note: You only have to complete these tests once and it would apply for all the other roles that you apply to. Note: An additional “Generative AI Assessment” has also recently been added – I will update the article to give tips for that in the coming weeks; for the time being, if you need raw unstructured advice on that, just ping me on LinkedIn.
The next part is Real Work, which would test your domain knowledge. These tasks would be role specific; I’ve seen a minimum of one and a maximum of three real work assignments for different roles over time. Most of these are not timed (from what I’ve seen), and they give you a very nice, long description of what to expect in that particular assignment. So just read through that, see if you’d like/need to revise anything before attempting it, then go ahead and do the assignment.
Once you clear the real work assignment(s), the hiring manager will review your complete profile and if you seem like a good fit, they’d invite you for an interview.
If you’ve cleared all the previous steps on your own, the interview shouldn’t really be much of an issue for you. Just don’t do any major blunders and you should be fine.
Clearing the interview gets you the offer, and before joining you have to re-take the CCAT test, only this time, it would be proctored. So, if you used a calculator, or cheated in any way previously, you’d basically have your offer rescinded.
That’s all! Note: Once you apply for a role, these steps appear on the portal as well.
The best way to crack the Crossover CCAT test is to practice. That’s the only way that works; you need to train your mind about the type of questions you can expect, learn some tricks to “save time” because the limiting factor in that test is time. I believe that if anyone had 60 minutes for the CCAT; they would for sure score 100% marks, because the questions themselves are not hard; it’s just that some of them are “time sinks” and you need some “tricks” or practice to quickly do them, or decide to “skip” them to have a shot at attempting all 50 questions in the given time.
In the last 4 years, 100+ people have asked me on LinkedIn on how to pass the CCAT, so a few months ago I decided to create a course on Udemy for CCAT Practice Tests. It has 5 mock CCAT tests that closely match what you can expect in the actual CCAT test. You can access that via this link : Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) Practice Tests 2024. If you end up taking the course, I would appreciate it if you could drop your feedback on my LinkedIn if you find anything “off” in the course, so that I can correct/improve it for future learners (thank you! 🙂 ).
That said, besides the practice tests, here’s some key points:
You get 12 minutes (IIRC, or maybe 15 minutes – you will know in advance of course) to attempt 50 questions. From what I’ve noticed, this is the rough scale:
4 stars > 35+ marks.
5 stars > 40+ marks.
6 stars > 45+ marks.
Each role would have a different requirement for the number of stars.
Mindfulness and focus really matters in this one. Best to do it on a day and time when you’re fully relaxed and haven’t done any other mind-numbing activity.
Question types include: Basic Mathematics, English & puzzles.
Be fast. Don’t think you know the answer straight away and it’d likely take you more than 30 seconds to get it? Make a guess move on. Try to attempt all 50 questions in the allotted time.
To add to the above point, questions are ordered randomly (not in increasing order of difficulty), so it’s very likely that if you’re only able to attempt 45 questions for instance, the last 5 questions might have been easy but you never got to them because you spent too much time on a hard question (hard = would take more than 30 seconds to solve).
Try to find some generic tips & tricks for ‘quick math questions’. Example: 12 is 20% of what number (x is y% of what number). You can solve that in your head quite quickly by doing x100/y | (12100)/20 = 60. This is just an example. Series, sequences, basic algebra, these are some of the topics that I remember being touched in this exam, so just do a quick 20-30 minutes revision of these.
TAKE the test. The best way to know which areas you need to improve on and what to expect on the test, is to take the test. They let you take it twice before blocking you for the next 3 or 6 months. Once you have taken the test, I’m sure you can pinpoint which areas you struggled in (took more time) and can look for online resources where you can practice similar questions.
I compiled a list of a few free resources for the CCAT Practice Tests here:
Varies from team to team and company to company. But my general observation has been that as long as you’re doing quality work, you would be fine.
Your colleagues are going to be very very smart people (they went through the same challenging recruitment process that you did), so you always have to be delivering your best work to keep your performance levels high.
There is a lot of autonomy – little to no micromanagement. You get constructive feedback/coaching for areas where you can improve by your Manager, if and when needed, in an asynchronous manner.
Shift requirements can vary from team to team, or company to company.
You’re not bothered past your shift timings, for most roles that I know of at least.
If you’re on holidays, there are very low chances that you would be bothered at all. I personally never have been, IIC. Again, I obviously haven’t worked, or talked to people, in all the roles. But one thing that I have observed is that if you are requested to check in on a holiday, it would be for emergency cases only, where you are the only resource that is equipped to handle the situation.
Fully remote – no time wasted traveling.
Compensation is as advertised. If it says $50/hr on the portal, that’s exactly what you would be getting. Payment cycles are weekly, not monthly.
You’re expected to treat this as a full-time commitment (I’ve never seen Crossover advertise a part-time job) , minus any (un)planned holidays.
💡Youtube Playlist: Step-by-Step Guide to Landing Remote Jobs in 2024
Conclusion:
I’ve read some really bad reviews on Glassdoor, but did not really find them to be true for pretty much all the teams that I’ve had a chance to collaborate with, but of course, experiences can vary based on perceptions so feel free to ask other people directly (Plus, most of the reviews on Glassdoor I’d say are by people who basically never really cleared the recruitment round). Lastly, I’ve only covered the basics here, if you have any specific questions, drop them in the comments below or message me on LinkedIn. I’ll either include them in the article so that other people can benefit from them in the future, or see if I can schedule a meeting with you if it requires detailed guidance/can’t be covered properly over text.
P.S: Read the FAQs on their website, they cover a lot of common queries quite well.
I have also covered some other areas that you might have questions about. You can read about it here:
