Wonderlic vs CCAT vs Career Potential Test: How These Hiring Tests Compare

The Wonderlic and the CCAT are hiring tests an employer sends you. Each centers on a speed test of 50 questions in 12 minutes (Wonderlic) or 15 minutes (CCAT), with no calculator. The Career Potential Test (CPT) is a free test you take on your own: 55 questions in up to one hour, with a shareable percentile score.

Below, we compare all three and cover how to prepare for each. We built the CPT, so we're not neutral, but we'll stick to what each publisher says on its own site. For the CPT's sections and how to take it, see how the Career Potential Test works.

Key takeaways

• The Wonderlic and the CCAT are built around a speed test: 50 questions in 12 or 15 minutes, with no calculator.
• Both include spatial reasoning. Wonderlic Select also has untimed motivation and personality sections. The CPT has no spatial section. It covers critical thinking, reading, writing and math.
• The employer picks the Wonderlic or the CCAT and gets your results. You can take the CPT yourself any time, free, and decide who sees your score.
• Wonderlic and Criteria are established publishers. The CPT is new, we haven't published validation studies, and it doesn't replace either test.

What's on this page

• What the Wonderlic, CCAT and CPT are
• Side-by-side comparison table
• Key differences
• How to prepare for each test
• What you can and can't control
• For hiring managers
• Where the Career Potential Test fits
• Frequently asked questions

What Are the Wonderlic, the CCAT and the Career Potential Test?

All three are pre-employment aptitude tests, but they reach you in different ways. An employer sends you the Wonderlic or the CCAT. The CPT is one you can take yourself.

The Wonderlic (Wonderlic Select)

Wonderlic's candidate FAQ answers "What is the Wonderlic Test?" by describing Wonderlic Select, which it says was formerly called Wonscore. Organizations use it as part of their hiring process.

It measures cognitive ability, motivation (vocational interests) and personality. Only the cognitive part is timed: 50 questions in 12 minutes, and Wonderlic says test takers "are not expected to complete all these questions." Most people finish the whole assessment in about 35 minutes.

The cognitive questions cover "simple math, basic logic, language comprehension, spatial reasoning, pattern identification, and more," according to Wonderlic's cognitive ability test page. Wonderlic says it has led the industry in measuring cognitive ability for over 80 years.

The CCAT (Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test)

The CCAT comes from Criteria Corp. Criteria describes it as "a pre-employment aptitude test" that measures your ability to solve problems, digest and apply information, learn new skills and think critically. It recommends the CCAT for mid- to high-level jobs that require problem solving and attention to detail.

Criteria's CCAT page for candidates says the test has 50 questions and a 15-minute limit. The three question types are verbal, math and logic, and spatial reasoning. Calculators aren't allowed, and less than 1% of candidates answer all 50.

The Career Potential Test (CPT)

We make the CPT, and it's 100% free for job seekers and employers. You take it online on a computer with a webcam, in up to one hour. Its 55 questions cover critical thinking (15), reading (15), writing (15) and math (10). There's no spatial section.

You might also spot the CPT in a job posting, where an employer can list it as an optional qualification. Some roles add job-specific tests too, like the ones in what sales aptitude tests cover.

Wonderlic vs CCAT vs CPT: Side-by-Side Comparison

The biggest gaps are in timing, who controls the test and who sees your score. Here's how the three line up, based on each publisher's own pages.

Key Differences Between These Pre-Employment Aptitude Tests

The Wonderlic and the CCAT test how much you can get right, fast. The CPT gives you far more time per question and has a writing section, but it can take longer overall.

Speed vs. depth

On the CCAT, Criteria points out that you have less than 20 seconds per question. The Wonderlic is even tighter: 50 questions in 12 minutes is under 15 seconds each. Neither publisher expects you to answer every question.

The CPT gives you up to one hour for 55 questions, a little over a minute each. It's built to be very hard, though. Missing questions is normal, and there's no way to fail.

What's on each test

• Spatial reasoning: the CCAT and the Wonderlic both include it. Criteria says CCAT spatial questions ask you to rotate or flip images in your head, recognize patterns and identify outliers. The CPT has no spatial section.
• Writing: the CPT has a 15-question writing section on grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, conciseness and organization. Writing isn't one of the CCAT's three question types.

Who starts the test, and who sees the score

For a job, the Wonderlic and the CCAT come from the employer, not from you. Wonderlic says it doesn't "provide individuals with assessments." Criteria's candidate FAQ says assessment results "are only available to the company that administered them."

The CPT works the other way. You take it when you want, see your score right away and choose who gets your results link. You can add it to your resume or LinkedIn, too.

How to Prepare for the Wonderlic, the CCAT and the CPT

Prep for the Wonderlic and the CCAT is mostly about speed and knowing the question types. Prep for the CPT is about core skills and focus over a full hour.

Preparing for the Wonderlic

1. Try the free sample questions. Wonderlic says prep isn't necessary, but it offers free sample questions.
2. Practice without a calculator. Wonderlic says one won't significantly improve your results and might slow you down.
3. Keep moving. Don't spend too much time on any one question, and don't "skip around" hoping to come back, Wonderlic advises.
4. Ask about accommodations early. Wonderlic says the hiring organization handles reasonable accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Preparing for the CCAT

1. Take the free practice tests. Criteria's CCAT page for candidates points you to its free practice tests.
2. Read the instructions slowly. Criteria says rushing through them is the most common mistake.
3. Guess and move on when you're stuck. There's no penalty for wrong answers on the CCAT. If a question takes more than a minute, Criteria says to make an educated guess.
4. Brush up on mental math and spatial puzzles. Math and logic questions include basic algebra, proportions and word problems, with no calculator.

Both publishers agree on one thing: don't get stuck on a single question.

Preparing for the CPT

1. Take it once to get a feel for it. It's free, and you can retake it as many times as you like.
2. Study your weak sections. We recommend the Khan Academy Digital SAT practice course or other K-12 materials.
3. Set up for a full hour. Use a quiet room, a desktop or laptop with a webcam (Chrome or Safari), and a pen or pencil and paper.
4. Retake it when you're ready. Your most recent score is the one shown on your results page.

CPT practice builds reading, math, writing and critical thinking skills that overlap with parts of other aptitude tests. It isn't speed practice, though, and it has no spatial questions.

What You Can and Can't Control as a Candidate

You can't choose which test an employer uses or see a score they don't share. You can control how prepared you are and whether you add a score of your own.

If an employer asks for the Wonderlic or the CCAT, take that test. A CPT score won't stand in for it, but it can give you something extra to show, on your terms.

For Hiring Managers Comparing These Tests

Pick based on what you want to measure and how much candidate time you'll ask for. Wonderlic Select pairs a 12-minute cognitive test with personality and motivation. The CCAT is one 15-minute cognitive test. The CPT is free, takes up to an hour and has no spatial or personality section.

Both publishers say cognitive ability predicts job performance. Wonderlic says cognitive ability is "widely accepted as the single-best general predictor of job performance." Criteria says research shows cognitive aptitude is "one of the most accurate predictors of job success." The CPT is new, and we haven't published validation studies. For the general research, read can aptitude tests predict job performance?

To try the CPT, you can add it to your hiring process in under 5 minutes, for example as an optional qualification in place of a degree or a year of experience. We explain how it works on our CPT page for employers, or see how to add the Career Potential Test to your job postings.

Where the Career Potential Test Fits

The CPT doesn't replace the Wonderlic or the CCAT. It's a free test you can take on your own to show your core skills, even if no employer has asked.

Here's the honest trade-off. Wonderlic has decades of history, and Criteria calls the CCAT one of the most popular employment aptitude tests in the US. The CPT is new, and we haven't published validation studies. Your score is one signal, not a credential.

Where it helps: you don't need an invite, it costs nothing and you own the result. Some employers may accept a CPT score as an optional qualification, sometimes in place of a degree or experience. That's a "may," not a promise.

Wondering if it's trustworthy? Read whether the Career Potential Test is legit, or see how the CPT differs from the SAT or ACT.

Our recommendation: If an employer sends you the Wonderlic or the CCAT, prepare with that publisher's free practice materials and work on speed. If you're job hunting without a degree or much experience, also take the free Career Potential Test, study your weak sections and retake it. Then add your percentile to your resume and LinkedIn. It takes up to an hour, and nobody sees your score unless you share it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the CCAT harder than the Wonderlic?
The publisher pages we checked don't compare the two directly. Wonderlic Select's cognitive part gives you 12 minutes for 50 questions, and the CCAT gives you 15 minutes for 50. Neither publisher expects you to answer every question.

Can you use a calculator on the Wonderlic or the CCAT?
No. Wonderlic says a calculator won't significantly improve your results and might slow you down. Criteria says no calculators are allowed on the CCAT.

What is a good Wonderlic score?
Wonderlic says there's no universal "good" or "average" score for Wonderlic Select. A proprietary algorithm scores it, and the only result Wonderlic makes available to applicants is a Candidate Feedback Report, when one is available.

Do I get to see my CCAT score?
Criteria says your results are emailed directly to the company you applied to, and its support team doesn't have access to them. To learn your score, ask the employer.

Can I retake the Wonderlic or the CCAT?
The Wonderlic and Criteria candidate pages we checked don't promise a retake. Wonderlic says hiring organizations handle their own test invitations, so ask the employer. CPT retakes, by contrast, are free and unlimited.

Is the Career Potential Test the same as the Wonderlic or the CCAT?
No. It's a separate test that we make, with different sections, timing and scoring, and it isn't a substitute for either one. If an employer asks for the Wonderlic or the CCAT, take that test.

Sources

• Wonderlic: Wonderlic Select Test FAQ for Candidates (accessed Oct 2026)
• Wonderlic: Cognitive Ability Test for Hiring (accessed Oct 2026)
• Criteria Corp: What to Expect on the CCAT (accessed Oct 2026)
• Criteria Corp: Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) (accessed Oct 2026)
• Criteria Corp: Candidate FAQs (accessed Oct 2026)
• CourseCareers: Career Potential Test (CPT) (candidate page, accessed Oct 2026)
• CourseCareers: Career Potential Test for Employers (accessed Oct 2026)