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CCAT Sample Questions with Answers and Explanations

These 12 CCAT-style sample questions cover all four question families we practice: verbal, math, logic, and spatial reasoning. Each written question has five options and exactly one correct answer, with a short explanation behind the Answer button.

On the real test you get about 18 seconds per question, so try to answer each one in 20 seconds or less before you check. Then try the timed version below.

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15 CCAT-style questions in 4½ minutes

Same pace as the real test: about 18 seconds a question. Verbal, math, logic and spatial. Instant score and explanations.

What number comes next? 3, 6, 12, 24, ?
A 30B 36C 42D 48E 52
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The timer starts when the first question appears.

How to use these CCAT sample questions

Read the question once, pick an answer, and only then open the explanation. If you got it right but it took you 40 seconds, count that as a question to practice, not a win. Speed is a big part of what the CCAT tests.

Keep a pencil and scratch paper next to you, and do not use a calculator. Criteria says calculators are not allowed on the CCAT, so practicing without one is closer to the real thing.

Verbal sample questions

Question 1: Analogy

BOOK is to READ as FORK is to:

  1. kitchen
  2. eat
  3. metal
  4. spoon
  5. plate
Answer

B. eat. Build a short sentence that links the first pair: "A book is used to read." Then apply it to the second word: "A fork is used to eat." Spoon and plate are related to forks, but they do not complete the same relationship.

Question 2: Antonym

Choose the word most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to SCARCE.

  1. rare
  2. plentiful
  3. costly
  4. hidden
  5. narrow
Answer

B. plentiful. Scarce means in short supply. Plentiful means there is a lot of it. Rare is a trap: it is close in meaning to scarce, not opposite.

Question 3: Sentence completion

Although the first draft was rough, the editor was ______ that the final version would be strong.

  1. doubtful
  2. confident
  3. furious
  4. indifferent
  5. ashamed
Answer

B. confident. "Although" signals a contrast. The draft was rough, but the editor expected a strong result, so the blank needs a positive word. Only confident fits that contrast.

Math sample questions

Question 4: Percentages

A jacket costs $80. It is marked down 25%, and then another 10% is taken off the sale price. What is the final price?

  1. $52
  2. $54
  3. $56
  4. $58
  5. $60
Answer

B. $54. 25% off $80 leaves $60. Then 10% of $60 is $6, so the final price is $54. Answer A is the trap: adding the discounts to 35% would only work if both came off the original price.

Question 5: Ratios

On a project team, the ratio of designers to developers is 2 to 5. The team has 35 people. How many are developers?

  1. 10
  2. 14
  3. 20
  4. 25
  5. 28
Answer

D. 25. A 2 to 5 ratio means 7 equal parts. 35 divided by 7 is 5 people per part. Developers are 5 parts, so 5 × 5 = 25.

Question 6: Averages

A salesperson averaged 30 sales a week over 4 weeks. How many sales does she need in week 5 to raise her average to 32?

  1. 32
  2. 34
  3. 36
  4. 40
  5. 42
Answer

D. 40. Work with totals. Four weeks at 30 is 120 sales. Five weeks at 32 is 160 sales. She needs 160 minus 120, which is 40.

Logic sample questions

Question 7: Syllogism

All of the auditors are accountants. Some accountants work remotely. No accountant is under 21. Which statement must be true?

  1. Some auditors work remotely.
  2. No auditor is under 21.
  3. Everyone who works remotely is an accountant.
  4. Some accountants are not auditors.
  5. Everyone over 21 is an accountant.
Answer

B. No auditor is under 21. Every auditor is an accountant, and no accountant is under 21, so no auditor can be. A is not certain: the remote accountants might not include any auditors. D is not certain either, because all accountants could be auditors. C and E go beyond what the statements say.

Question 8: Number series

What number comes next? 3, 5, 9, 17, 33, ?

  1. 49
  2. 57
  3. 63
  4. 65
  5. 66
Answer

D. 65. The gaps double each time: +2, +4, +8, +16, so the next gap is +32. 33 + 32 = 65. You can also see it as "double and subtract 1": 33 × 2 − 1 = 65.

Question 9: Ordering statements

Five runners finished a race. Ana finished ahead of Ben. Carl finished behind Dev but ahead of Ana. Eli finished last. Who finished second?

  1. Ana
  2. Ben
  3. Carl
  4. Dev
  5. Eli
Answer

C. Carl. Chain the clues: Dev is ahead of Carl, Carl is ahead of Ana, and Ana is ahead of Ben. That gives Dev, Carl, Ana, Ben, and Eli is last. The order is fixed, so Carl is second.

Spatial reasoning sample questions

CCAT spatial questions usually use pictures: a series of figures, a set of shapes where one does not belong, or a pattern with a missing piece. The first two questions below are figure questions. The third is a text version you can solve in your head.

Question 10: Next figure in a series

Which figure comes next in the series?
A
B
C
D
E
Answer

B. The shape turns 45° counterclockwise at each step and its color alternates between dark and white. The fifth figure is turned once more and is dark. Watch out for the mirror image: it looks similar but can't be made by turning.

Question 11: Odd figure out

Four of these figures are the same shape, only turned. Which one is different?
A
B
C
D
E
Answer

E. Four figures are the same shape rotated to different angles. The odd one is its mirror image: you would have to flip it over, not just turn it, to make it match.

Question 12: Rotation and mirror image

An arrow points straight up. It is rotated 90 degrees clockwise. Then it is flipped left to right, as if seen in a mirror standing beside it. Which way does the arrow point now?

  1. Up
  2. Right
  3. Down
  4. Left
  5. Up and to the right
Answer

D. Left. A 90-degree clockwise turn moves the arrow from up to right. A left-to-right flip swaps right and left, so it now points left. Order matters: if you flip first, the up arrow stays up, and the turn then makes it point right. That is trap B.

How the real CCAT is different from a list of samples

Answering 12 questions with no clock is a good start, but it is not the test. The real CCAT has 50 questions in 15 minutes, and Criteria reports that fewer than 1% of candidates answer all of them. Prep sources also describe the question types as mixed together, so you jump from a word analogy to a ratio to a shape series.

That switching costs time. The best way to get used to it is to practice whole tests on the clock, then review the explanations for every miss and every slow answer.

Want more of one type? Read our guides to verbal, math, logic, and spatial questions for more worked examples and shortcuts.

Practice with full timed CCAT-style tests

When these feel easy, move to the real pace. Get unlimited full-length CCAT-style tests: 50 freshly generated questions in 15 minutes, a short explanation for every question, a section breakdown, and an estimated percentile after each test. The percentile is an estimate based on publicly reported CCAT score distributions, not an official Criteria score.

Not affiliated with Criteria Corp: Aptitude Practice is an independent practice site, and CCAT is a trademark of Criteria Corp used here only to describe the test we help you prepare for.

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