Criteria Assessment Tests: CCAT, UCAT, CBST, EPP and More

Most candidates know Criteria Corp because of one test: the CCAT, fifty questions in fifteen minutes. But the invitation in your inbox may say something else entirely. UCAT. EPP. CBST. Cognify. Emotify. Criteria sells a whole family of assessments, and employers mix and match them, which is why two people applying to the same company can sit completely different tests.

This guide explains the Criteria product family as Criteria itself describes it: what each test measures, the timings Criteria publishes, who uses it, and how to prepare. It includes practice questions of our own for the aptitude and skills tests, and worked examples for the personality and emotional intelligence tests, where there are no right answers to practise.

Who Is Criteria Corp?

Criteria is a pre-employment assessment company based in Los Angeles. It grew in the US with online aptitude and personality tests for employers of all sizes. In 2020 it acquired Revelian, an Australian company known for emotional intelligence and game-based assessments, and in 2022 Revelian was rebranded as Criteria. That is why Revelian products such as Cognify and Emotify now carry the Criteria name. Criteria groups its assessments into aptitude, personality, emotional intelligence, risk and skills, and also offers structured video interviewing.

The Criteria Test Family at a Glance

Criteria's current assessment portfolio lists the tests below. Timings are as Criteria publishes them; your invitation may combine several.

Test	Type	Time (Criteria)	What it measures
CCAT	Cognitive aptitude	15 min	Problem solving, learning ability, critical thinking (verbal, maths and logic, spatial)
UCAT	Cognitive aptitude	20 min	Language-independent aptitude: logic, numerical reasoning, attention to detail, spatial reasoning
CTRS	Cognitive aptitude	4 to 20 min	Adaptive, customisable; CTRS Express takes about 4 minutes
Cognify	Game-based aptitude	10 min + tutorials	Problem solving, numerical reasoning, verbal knowledge via three games
UCognify	Game-based aptitude	7 min + tutorials	Language-independent version of Cognify with two games
GAME	Game-based aptitude	5 to 6 min	Mobile-first, three short games
CMRA / WTMA	Mechanical aptitude	15 min / 30 min	Ability to learn to use and maintain machinery
MRAB / CAST	Attention and processing	35 min / 10 min	Attention, working memory, sustained focus
CBST / CBST2	Basic skills	20 min / 4 to 20 min	Maths and verbal skills for entry-level roles
CLPT	Language proficiency	7 to 28 min	Workplace English reading, listening, writing
Excel, Word, PowerPoint 365	Skills	About 5 to 7 min	Office software proficiency
Typing Test / Ten Key	Skills	1 min / 5 min	Typing speed and accuracy; numeric data entry
Emotify	Emotional intelligence	20 min	Perceiving, understanding and managing emotions
EPP	Personality	10 min	12 work-related traits
Illustrait	Personality	5 to 10 min	Selected behavioural competencies
WPP / WSP	Risk	7 min each	Counterproductive behaviour risk; safety attitudes

Below are the tests candidates meet most often.

CCAT: Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test

The CCAT is Criteria's best-known test: 50 questions in 15 minutes, mixing verbal, maths and logic, and spatial reasoning. Criteria says most candidates do not finish. It is used widely for mid- to senior-level roles and graduate and trainee schemes. We cover it in full, including scoring and eight practice questions, in our CCAT test guide.

UCAT: Universal Cognitive Aptitude Test

The UCAT measures the same broad construct as the CCAT, general cognitive aptitude, but without verbal questions. Criteria's information brief says candidates complete up to 40 questions in 20 minutes, and that it assesses four abilities: logic and analysis, numerical reasoning, attention to detail and spatial reasoning. Because it does not depend on language, Criteria positions it for international hiring and for roles that need little verbal ability. Criteria also publishes suggested score ranges for job families such as accounting, analyst, IT support, management and manufacturing.

Note: this Criteria UCAT has nothing to do with the University Clinical Aptitude Test used for UK medical school admissions. If you are applying to medical school, you need a different guide.

CBST and CBST2: Basic Skills

The Criteria Basic Skills Test is aimed at entry-level clerical, administrative and customer service roles. Criteria's help centre says it has 40 questions in 20 minutes, gets harder as you go, and measures grammar, spelling, maths and language skills. You receive a raw score out of 40 and a percentile. The newer CBST2 lets the employer choose modules (mathematical, abstract, verbal and critical reasoning, and checking accuracy), each with 10 questions. Our clerical aptitude test guide covers the item types in more depth.

CLPT: Criteria Language Proficiency Test

The CLPT is an adaptive test of workplace language skills. According to Criteria's information brief, the modular version measures reading, writing, listening and speaking, takes about seven minutes per skill area and has up to 42 items, while CLPT Express takes about seven minutes in total with 12 items. Results can be mapped to CEFR levels. It is used for customer service, contact centre and international roles.

Cognify and Emotify: Game-Based Tests from Revelian

Cognify is a game-based cognitive aptitude test with three short mini-games by default, covering problem solving, numerical reasoning and verbal knowledge, in about ten minutes plus tutorials. Our Revelian Cognify guide explains each game.

Emotify is an ability-based emotional intelligence assessment. Criteria describes it as measuring a candidate's ability to perceive, understand and manage emotions through three interactive assessments, in about 20 minutes, for roles where interpersonal interaction matters. Because it is ability-based, it scores how accurately you read emotions rather than asking how emotional you think you are.

EPP and Other Personality Tests

The Employee Personality Profile (EPP) is a ten-minute personality questionnaire. Criteria lists 12 traits: achievement, assertiveness, competitiveness, conscientiousness, cooperativeness, extroversion, managerial, motivation, openness, patience, self-confidence and stress tolerance. The report gives employers a job-match percentile for a range of roles.

Illustrait is Criteria's newer, competency-based personality assessment. The employer selects competencies relevant to the job and candidates only answer questions related to those. Criteria also offers the Criteria Personality Inventory (based on the Big Five), sales and customer service profiles, and risk assessments for integrity and safety.

Practice Questions

These are our own items in the style of the Criteria aptitude and skills tests. They are not real Criteria questions.

Practice question 1 (CCAT-style, verbal)

Choose the word most similar in meaning to METICULOUS.

A. careless
B. thorough
C. quick
D. generous

Answer: B. Meticulous means showing great attention to detail, so thorough is closest. Careless is the opposite, a typical trap for people reading too fast.

Practice question 2 (CCAT-style, maths)

A team of 4 people processes 120 forms in 3 hours. How many forms do 6 people process in 2 hours at the same rate?

A. 100
B. 120
C. 160
D. 180

Answer: B. Rate per person per hour: 120 ÷ 4 ÷ 3 = 10. Then 10 × 6 × 2 = 120. Reducing to one person and one hour solves most rate questions quickly.

Practice question 3 (UCAT-style, number series)

What comes next? 3, 6, 5, 10, 9, 18, ?

A. 17
B. 19
C. 27
D. 36

Answer: A. The pattern alternates: multiply by 2, then subtract 1. 3 × 2 = 6, 6 − 1 = 5, 5 × 2 = 10, 10 − 1 = 9, 9 × 2 = 18, 18 − 1 = 17.

Practice question 4 (UCAT-style, attention to detail)

How many times does the pair "7 3" (a 7 directly followed by a 3) appear in this string?

7 3 1 7 7 3 9 3 7 3 3 7 1 3 7

A. 2
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5

Answer: B. Reading positions in order: 7-3 at the start, then 7-7-3 contains one 7-3, then 3-7-3 contains one more. The final 3-7 is reversed and does not count. Three in total. Mark each match with a finger or cursor rather than counting by eye.

Practice question 5 (CBST-style, grammar)

Which sentence is correct?

A. Each of the managers have signed the form.
B. Each of the managers has signed the form.
C. Each of the managers have sign the form.
D. Each of the manager has signed the form.

Answer: B. The subject is "each", which is singular, so the verb is "has". "Of the managers" does not change the subject. D wrongly makes "managers" singular.

Practice question 6 (CLPT-style, reading)

Email: "The training originally planned for Tuesday will now take place on Thursday at the same time. Please bring your laptop. Lunch is no longer provided." What does the email tell staff?

A. The training is cancelled.
B. The training has moved to Thursday and lunch will not be provided.
C. The training time has changed.
D. Staff no longer need a laptop.

Answer: B. Only the day changes, the time stays the same, and lunch is no longer provided. C contradicts "at the same time". Workplace reading items test exactly this kind of careful reading of short messages.

Worked example: EPP-style statements

Personality questionnaires such as the EPP present statements and ask how much you agree. For example: "I prefer to finish one task completely before starting another." There is no right answer. An item like this relates to traits such as conscientiousness or patience, and an employer looking at a role with constant interruptions might value a different profile from one hiring for detailed project work. Honest preparation means thinking in advance about how you actually behave at work, then answering consistently. Candidates who try to present a "perfect" profile often end up with inconsistent answers, which is more of a problem than any single trait score.

Worked example: Emotify-style task

Criteria describes Emotify as ability-based, so expect tasks with better and worse answers. An illustrative task in that spirit: you see a short scenario in which a colleague learns their project has been cancelled after months of work, and you rate how likely they are to feel disappointment, relief or anger. Strong answers come from reading the situation carefully rather than projecting how you would feel. We do not claim to know the exact task formats; read your invitation and complete any official tutorial.

How Criteria Tests Are Scored

Across its aptitude and skills tests, Criteria reports results mainly as raw scores and percentiles compared with a norm group. For the CCAT and UCAT, Criteria provides employers with suggested score ranges for job families, based on large samples of applicants and employees. Personality tests produce trait profiles and, for the EPP, job-match percentiles. Employers can combine results in a summary report. There is no universal pass mark: the employer decides.

Common Mistakes

Preparing for the wrong test. Check the invitation. CCAT preparation does not help much with Cognify or a typing test.
Treating speed tests like exams. The CCAT and UCAT are built so that most people do not finish. Skip and move on.
Faking the personality test. Inconsistent answers stand out.
Skipping the tutorials on game-based tests. In Cognify and Emotify, the tutorials are your practice.

A One- to Two-Week Preparation Plan

1. Days 1 to 2: identify your tests

List every test named in the invitation and look up its format in this guide. Take a timed baseline for each aptitude or skills test.

2. Days 3 to 8: practise the weakest format

For the CCAT or UCAT, do short timed sets daily, mixing number series, word problems and spatial items. For CBST, work on mental arithmetic and grammar. For skills tests, practise the software or keyboard you will use.

3. Days 9 to 12: full timed simulations

Do at least two complete timed runs. Review every error.

4. Days 13 to 14: personality and EI

Reflect on real work situations so you can answer the personality questionnaire consistently, then rest before the test.

For broader timed practice, our all-tests package covers numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning in the formats Criteria uses. If the tests are part of a wider online process, our overview of online aptitude tests explains where they fit.

Practical Tips for Test Day

Use a laptop or desktop unless the test is designed for mobile (such as GAME).
Have scratch paper ready; Criteria's cognitive tests generally do not allow calculators.
Choose a quiet time slot. Most Criteria tests are short, so a single interruption costs a large share of the time.
Note your Test Event ID if one is shown, in case you lose your connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Criteria test will I get?

The employer chooses. Invitations usually name the tests, for example CCAT, UCAT, EPP or Cognify. Many employers combine one aptitude test with one personality test, and sometimes a skills test such as Excel or typing.

What is the difference between the CCAT and the UCAT?

Both measure cognitive aptitude. The CCAT includes verbal questions and lasts 15 minutes. The UCAT is language-independent, does not test verbal ability, and according to Criteria takes 20 minutes with up to 40 questions.

Can I prepare for the Criteria personality test?

You cannot practise for right answers, because there are none. You can get familiar with the format, think about how you really behave at work, and answer consistently and honestly. Trying to guess the ideal profile tends to backfire.

Is Criteria the same company as Revelian?

Criteria acquired the Australian assessment company Revelian in 2020, and in 2022 Revelian was rebranded as Criteria. Revelian products such as Cognify and Emotify are now part of the Criteria portfolio.

Do Criteria tests have a pass mark?

No universal one. Criteria gives employers percentiles and suggested score ranges for different job families, and each employer decides what score it needs for a role.

About the author

Ingmar van Maurik is a specialist in test and interview preparation who helps candidates perform better in recruitment processes.

References

Criteria Corp, Assessment Portfolio: https://www.criteriacorp.com/files/Criteria-AssessmentPortfolio.pdf Criteria Corp, UCAT Information Brief: https://www.criteriacorp.com/files/Criteria-InfoBrief-UCAT.pdf Criteria Corp, CLPT Information Brief: https://www.criteriacorp.com/files/Criteria-InfoBrief-CLPT.pdf Criteria Corp, Criteria Basic Skills Test (CBST): https://criteriacorp.helpdocs.io/article/qji3g539j5-criteria-basic-skills-test-cbst Criteria Corp, CBST2: https://criteria.helpdocs.io/article/ty5mn9raog-cbst-2 Criteria Corp, Criteria acquires Revelian (press release, 2020): https://www.criteriacorp.com/press-releases/2020/criteria-corp-backed-by-sumeru-equity-partners-acquires-revelian-the-leader Criteria Corp, Revelian enters 2022 with new brand identity as Criteria: https://www.criteriacorp.com/press-releases/2022/revelian-enters-2022-new-brand-identity-criteria

Criteria Assessment Tests: CCAT, UCAT, CBST, EPP and More