Prepare for Criterion Partnership Tests
Outperform your competition and prove that you are perfect for the job by scoring higher on your Utopia and B2C critical reasoning test. JobTestPrep offers online practice allowing you to simulate a real testing environment by taking timed tests. Get prepared for your Utopia and B2C critical reasoning test today and apply with confidence.
- Hundreds of practice questions with answers and explanations
- Study guides, drills, and video tutorials
- Simulates the real test
A-Z guide on Criterion Partnership tests
Criterion Partnership is a consultancy of occupational psychologists who provide employers with online psychometric and ability tests designed to help navigate the recruitment processes. High profile employers who have used the Criterion Partnership's services include ASDA, British Gas, and Wetherspoon. The Criterion Partnership offers online psychometric tests, personality questionnaires, ability tests, and situational judgement tests. Learn more about these tests on this page.
The Criterion Coast Series
All the online tests and questionnaires administered by Criterion run under the Criterion Coast series. The variety of tests includes personality questionnaires, aptitude tests (verbal, numerical, and abstract reasoning) and situational judgement tests. Employers are able to choose the tests they wish to use in their recruitment.
The Criterion Personality Questionnaire
Employers are able to choose from many different dimensions using the CAL (Criterion Attribute Library) thus giving them complete flexibility on the makeup of these tests. There are however, five major groups of assessment. They are:
- Emotional style
- Interpersonal style
- Thinking style
- Motivational values
- Culture-fit values
Using these five core assessments Criterion Coast creates a complete personality questionnaire specific to the company. Knowing how these tests work gives the candidate the ability to answer the questions in a way that the employer wants to hear.
Criterion Ability Tests
In the Criterion ability test bracket, there are a number of different streams that are outlined below. Ability tests are offered at three levels:
- Criterion Utopia - professional graduate tests, including the Utopia verbal, numerical, and abstract critical reasoning series.
- B2C - mid-level, customer service and team leader tests including verbal, numerical, and checking reasoning series.
- Criterion Workforce Series (CWS) - blue collar, production, distribution and engineering professions, including verbal, numerical, and mechanical reasoning.
Criterion Utopia Test
This series comprises three different, high-level tests used in the main for assessing professionals, managers and graduates. The content for the verbal and numerical reasoning questions is based on a fictitious environmental magazine called Utopia. No previous knowledge is needed on Utopia, as you are given media packs on the magazine for each, and the focus of the test is on your reasoning skills.
The three tests in the Criterion Utopia series are:
The Utopia verbal critical reasoning test – On this nine-minute test there are 16 questions, whereas the paper version of this test contains 40 questions to be answered in 30 minutes. You are given reference material in the form of information about the magazine, the publisher, and sample articles from the magazine itself. The test will ask you to evaluate whether a set of statements are true, false, or it is impossible to say using the information in your media pack only.
The Utopia numerical reasoning test – This is an 18 minute test in which you have to answer 16 multiple-choice questions. The paper version of this test contains 30 questions answered in 50 minutes. You may use a calculator on this test. You will be presented with various pieces of numerical data relating to the magazine, including circulation figures, cover prices, advertising rates, and results from a leadership survey. This test assesses your ability to manipulate these figures into correct deductions. Learn more about taking numerical critical reasoning test including how to work with ratios, percentages, calculators, and more with JobTestPrep.
The Utopia abstract reasoning test – There are only 16 questions to complete in this 45 minute test. You will be given a series of diagrams and patterns and have to choose the next shape in the sequence from a set of options. JobTestPrep's abstract reasoning page can explain more about this test and provide practice questions, helping you learn how to spot patterns and complete the sequence.
Please note that JobTestPrep's practice packs are generic packs aimed at helping you prepare for the tests, but they are not based on the Utopia set of tests.
The Criterion Partnership B2C Aptitude Test Series
This set of assessments is used in the recruitment of customer-facing roles, junior management, and administrative roles. Find out more about the assessments in this test series on our Criterion B2C aptitude test series page.
The Criterion CWS Series
The Criterion Workforce Series (CWS) is a series of tests and assessments that are designed to mimic tasks that people in production, manufacturing, and engineering roles face. This set of six tests contains four tests delivered both online and on paper, and two tests (Fault detection and SPC1 Plotting data test) that are only offered in paper-and-pencil format.
CWS verbal test – The online test contains 16 questions to be answered in 10 minutes, the paper and pencil test contains 32 questions to be answered in 20 minutes. In this test you are given material from safety handbooks, training materials, and staff notice boards and are asked to decide whether statements based on this information are true or false. Learn more about JobTestPrep's verbal reasoning tests.
CWS numerical test – On this test you have 16 questions to answer within 17 minutes (or 32 questions to answer in 20 minutes in the paper-and-pen format). You are given tables of numerical information and questions on the data you see. In order to answer questions in this test you need to be able to manipulate information including percentages and basic reasoning. Learn more about numerical reasoning tests, how to prepare for them, and calculators on these tests.
CWS mechanical reasoning test – You have 12 minutes to answer 20 questions on the Coast test, or 20 minutes to answer 40 question on the paper-and-pencil test. You are assessed on your understanding of basic principles of physics such as forces and energy. You will be given illustrations of gears, pulleys, levers, hydraulics, or other mechanical processes, and you have to choose which of the multiple-choice options reflects the operation illustrated. Learn more about mechanical reasoning tests on our dedicated pages.
CWS fault detection test – On this test, you are measured on your visual inspection, spatial ability, and fault finding abilities. Additionally, you are shown the workings of 10 different machines, with questions setting out a process of an object passing through four of the machines. You have to identify whether each machine is working or faulty, based on the output at the end of the process. This is a paper-based test with 30 questions to be completed in a 10 minute time frame.
CWS SPC1 plotting data test – The Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a 15 minute test with numerous questions. Using a calculator, you will be required to calculate totals, averages, and range values for clusters of five measurements following which, the results need to be plotted correctly.
CWS personality questionnaire – This is a personality questionnaire based on 13 different scales. You will be given statements and you have to choose which one of the options fits into your personality makeup. Learn more about personality tests and how to take them with JobTestPrep.
The Criterion SJT
Situational Judgement Tests are scenario based assessments, which examine how you respond to work based situations. The Criterion Situational Judgement Test is delivered through the Criterion Coast platform and is used to assess the following abilities:
- Customer service approach
- Creative problem solving
- Emotional resilience
- Graduate potential
- Leadership judgement
On this test you are presented with a situation and you need to choose a response most suited to both your personality and the work role you are in. The Criterion Partnership customises SJTs to the organisation and role they are recruiting to, allowing you to get a feel for the requirements of the job, and how you might respond to them. SJTs are tests that require you to answer with your “work personality”. Find out more about situational judgement tests including tips on how to approach them and some sample practice questions.
Practising for tests such as these is crucial. Learn about how JobTestPrep can help you prepare for psychometric and aptitude tests.
Criterion Partnership and other trademarks are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with JobTestPrep or this website.