How Is the CCAT Scored? Raw Score, Percentile, and Benchmarks

Your CCAT result comes down to two numbers: a raw score out of 50 and a percentile. This page explains what each one means, why guessing never hurts you, and how employers compare your score with a range for the job.

Most of what follows comes from Criteria Corp's own published material about the test and its score reports. Where a fact comes from somewhere else, we say where.

Your raw score: the number you got right

The raw score is simple. It is the number of questions you answered correctly, out of 50. A score of 24 means 24 correct answers, no matter how many questions you reached.

The test has 50 questions and a 15-minute limit, and it is designed so that most people do not finish. Criteria reports that fewer than 1% of candidates answer all 50, and that the average test taker gets 24 right. In other words, a score in the mid-20s is normal, and nobody expects a perfect test.

No penalty for guessing

Criteria states plainly that there is no penalty for wrong answers on the CCAT. A wrong answer and a blank both add zero to your raw score. That makes guessing the right move whenever you are stuck.

Criteria's own tip for candidates is to make an educated guess and move on if you have spent more than a minute on a problem. If you can rule out one or two options first, your guess has a better chance. If you cannot, guess anyway and spend the time on the next question.

Your percentile: how you compare with others

The percentile compares your raw score with a large group of people who took the test before you. Criteria calls this its global norming group. A percentile of 70 means you scored higher than 70% of that group.

In Criteria's sample score report, a raw score of 24 corresponds to the 50th percentile. Criteria's information brief describes its original normative sample: 106,740 adults, made up of job applicants and current employees, with a median score of 24 and a standard deviation of 7. The brief also says the test has been given more than 4 million times since then.

The percentile matters because raw scores are hard to judge on their own. A 30 out of 50 sounds like a failing grade on a school test, but on the CCAT it is clearly above the median of 24.

Section percentiles: verbal, math and logic, spatial

The CCAT measures three areas: verbal ability, math and logic, and spatial reasoning. On the score report, each area gets its own percentile, shown next to your overall result.

These section scores show an employer where your strengths are. For you, they are a practice guide: if one area is clearly behind the others, that is where extra work is most likely to pay off.

What the CCAT score report shows

Criteria's score report guide describes what an employer sees after you finish:

• Your name, the position you applied for, the test date, and a test event ID.
• A results summary with your raw score out of 50 and your percentile.
• A graph of the normal distribution of CCAT scores with your raw score marked on it.
• If the employer linked the test to a job, a shaded band showing the suggested score range for that role.
• Your percentiles for the three areas.
• A table of suggested score ranges by position, showing whether you are within, above, or below each range.

Who sees your score

Criteria's candidate FAQ says results are emailed directly to the company you applied to, and that Criteria's support team does not have access to them. Some employers do not share scores at all. Crossover's support page, for example, says it cannot provide CCAT scores or feedback to candidates.

How employers use your CCAT score

Suggested ranges by position

Criteria gives employers suggested score ranges for many positions. Its score report guide says these ranges are calculated from the results of more than 700,000 CCAT assessments. Employers can also create their own ranges, for example from the scores of people already doing the job.

No single passing score

Because employers can use Criteria's ranges or build their own, there is no single passing score. Each employer decides what range it wants for each role. Criteria also tells candidates that the CCAT score is just one of many factors an employer considers when it makes a hiring decision. See CCAT scores by job for the ranges in Criteria's current sample report.

Why memorizing answers does not help

Criteria says the CCAT draws on a dynamic bank of thousands of items, so no two candidates get the exact same set of questions. Its score report guide also describes an "Invalid Result" flag. The system uses this when a candidate's speed and accuracy suggest they have already seen that version of the test.

The useful kind of preparation is learning the question types and building speed, not hunting for a list of real questions. That is why every Aptitude Practice practice test is freshly generated.

How Aptitude Practice practice scores work

After each full practice test, you see a score out of 50, a breakdown by section, and an estimated percentile. The percentile is an estimate based on publicly reported CCAT score distributions, such as the median of 24 above. It is not an official Criteria score, and your real CCAT result can be different.

Use your practice scores to track direction over several tests and to find your weakest section. A single test can vary, so look at the trend.

Practice under real scoring conditions

The fastest way to understand CCAT scoring is to see your own number. Get unlimited full-length CCAT-style tests with 50 questions in 15 minutes, explanations for every question, and a section breakdown after each test.

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.