CCAT Sample Questions: 10 Real Examples Walked Through

The honest answer about CCAT sample questions is that reading the answer key teaches you nothing. The CCAT is a speed test; what you need to internalise is the solving method that fits inside 18 seconds. These 10 sample questions cover the four CCAT sections (verbal, math, logic, spatial) in roughly the same ratio as the real test, with worked solutions that show the rule and the pacing, not just the right letter. Treat each one as a 25-second exercise. If you cannot land the answer in 25 seconds, you are still doing untimed practice, which the CCAT does not reward.

Quick takeaways

• Real CCAT: 50 questions in 15 minutes. That is 18 seconds per question, no calculator, no scratch paper unless you bring your own.
• This article gives you 3 verbal, 3 math, 2 logic, and 2 spatial questions, matching the real CCAT mix (roughly 30/30/20/20).
• Each walkthrough shows the rule, not just the answer. The rule is what compounds across 50 questions.
• The average raw score is 24 out of 50. A score of 32 places you around the 82nd percentile, which is the typical software engineering target.
• Crossover documents a 35/50 floor for almost every role. Vista Equity portfolio companies cluster at 40-plus.
• Skip-and-guess is strictly better than blank. With four options, a blind guess scores 0.25 expected raw points per question. 12 blanks at the end is 3 expected points donated.

How to use these sample questions

These are not "look at the answer, feel smart, move on" questions. They are timed drills. Set a stopwatch for 25 seconds on each one. Attempt the answer, then read the worked solution. If you got it wrong, read the rule, write it down in your own words, and re-attempt the question 24 hours later cold. That is how the pattern recognition compounds.

The point of working through 10 questions is not the 10 questions. It is the 4 rules you internalise: how analogies map, how percent-change problems set up, how syllogisms collapse to true/false/uncertain, and how spatial matrices hide a small rotation rule under a busy picture. Once you have those four rules, the next 60 questions go 3x faster.

Verbal questions, 3 of 10

The verbal section on the real CCAT runs analogies, antonyms, and sentence completion. The patterns are limited; once you have drilled 60 questions, the categories cap out.

Question 1: Analogy. OAK is to TREE as:

A. SCALPEL is to TOOL B. NITROGEN is to ATOM C. SEDAN is to TRUCK D. PLANT is to OAK E. VELOCITY is to RUN

The rule is "specific instance is to general category." Oak is a specific kind of tree. A scalpel is a specific kind of tool. The correct answer is A. Trap option D inverts the relationship (PLANT is the category, OAK is the instance), which is why fast readers pick it. Trap option E mixes categories (velocity is not a kind of run). The pacing target on analogies is 12 to 15 seconds; if you have the rule, this is closer to 8.

Question 2: Antonym. AGITATE means most nearly the opposite of:

A. provoke B. excite C. soothe D. disturb E. stir

Agitate means to disturb or excite. The opposite is to soothe. The correct answer is C. The trap on antonym questions is that two or three options are synonyms of the prompt word, which feels disorienting under time pressure. The rule: skim for the one option that points the other direction, even if you cannot name the exact antonym. Pacing: 12 to 15 seconds.

Question 3: Sentence completion. The committee voted to ___ the proposal because the data was incomplete.

A. ratify B. table C. publish D. endorse E. promote

The rule is the conditional in the second clause: "because the data was incomplete" implies the committee did NOT move forward. Of the five options, only "table" means to set aside for later. The correct answer is B. Trap options A and D both mean to approve, which is the opposite of what the sentence implies. Pacing target: 15 to 18 seconds. Use the second half of the sentence to constrain the first half.

Math questions, 3 of 10

The CCAT math section tests pre-algebra and basic arithmetic under time. No calculus, no trigonometry, no geometry beyond perimeter and area. Where candidates lose points is setup speed, not arithmetic.

Question 4: Word problem. A delivery driver receives 8 packages per hour during her shift. How many packages does she handle over a 12-hour double shift?

A. 80 B. 84 C. 96 D. 100 E. 108

8 packages per hour, 12 hours: 8 * 12 = 96. The correct answer is C. Pacing target: 15 seconds. The trap here is that the question's phrasing ("double shift") suggests a multiplier; the 12 hours is already the doubled shift, so do not multiply by 2 again. Read the sentence twice before setting up.

Question 5: Percent change. A subscription service grows from 250 customers to 320. What is the percent increase?

A. 22 percent B. 26 percent C. 28 percent D. 28 percent (rounded from 28 percent) E. 30 percent

Change = 320 - 250 = 70. Percent change = 70 / 250 = 0.28 = 28 percent. The correct answer is D (the rounded option, since 70/250 lands at 28.0 percent flat). Pacing target: 20 seconds. The rule on percent-change questions is to divide the change by the ORIGINAL value, not the new value. Candidates who divide by 320 land at 21.875 percent and pick A.

Question 6: Rate and time. Maya can complete a report in 6 hours. Jordan can complete the same report in 4 hours. Working together, how long do they take?

A. 1.6 hours B. 2.4 hours C. 3.0 hours D. 4.0 hours E. 5.0 hours

The rule on rate-time-work problems is to convert to rates per hour, add them, and invert. Maya's rate is 1/6 reports per hour. Jordan's rate is 1/4. Combined: 1/6 + 1/4 = 2/12 + 3/12 = 5/12 reports per hour. Time = 12/5 = 2.4 hours. The correct answer is B. Pacing target: 22 to 25 seconds. This is the highest-difficulty math pattern that still appears regularly on the CCAT. If you can land it in under 30 seconds, you are running at the top of the score curve.

Logic questions, 2 of 10

Logic on the CCAT shows up in two main forms: syllogisms (true/false/uncertain) and number series. Both reward pattern recognition over reasoning.

Question 7: Syllogism. Assume the first two statements are true.

Statement 1: Priya solely handles all enterprise contracts at the firm. Statement 2: All enterprise contracts at the firm require legal review. Final statement: Priya reviews every enterprise contract at the firm legally.

Is the final statement true, false, or uncertain?

A. True B. False C. Uncertain

Priya HANDLES the contracts. The contracts REQUIRE legal review. The final statement claims Priya REVIEWS them legally herself. Handling a contract and performing the legal review on it are not the same. The rule is "does the conclusion follow strictly?" In this case no. The correct answer is C, Uncertain. The trap is that the conclusion sounds plausible; the question is whether it strictly follows. Pacing target: 20 seconds. Read the verbs carefully.

Question 8: Number series. What is the next number in this series?

2, 5, 11, 23, 47, ?

A. 71 B. 95 C. 91 D. 89 E. 76

The rule: each term is double the previous plus 1. 22+1 = 5. 52+1 = 11. 112+1 = 23. 232+1 = 47. 47*2+1 = 95. The correct answer is B. Pacing target: 22 seconds. The trap is treating it as a simple geometric series (multiplying), which leads to 94 (close to B) or to 91 (option C, which is a near-miss designed to catch candidates who calculate 47+44). Number series follow a small list of patterns: constant difference, geometric, second-difference, alternating, and the "double plus a constant" family above. Once you have drilled 60, the eighth one resolves in 5 seconds.

Spatial questions, 2 of 10

Spatial questions look like art problems but solve like logic problems. The rule is almost always a small transformation (rotate, reflect, drop one element). Look for the rule before you stare at the picture.

Question 9: Matrix completion. A 3-by-3 grid shows shapes in 8 cells with one cell empty. The first row shows: triangle pointing up, triangle pointing right, triangle pointing down. The second row shows: square pointing up, square pointing right, square pointing down. The third row shows: pentagon pointing up, pentagon pointing right, then the empty cell.

A. pentagon pointing up B. pentagon pointing left C. pentagon pointing right D. pentagon pointing down E. square pointing down

The rule: each row rotates 90 degrees clockwise from cell to cell, and each row preserves the shape. The third row is pentagons, and the missing cell is the third position, which rotates the second cell (pointing right) by 90 clockwise to pointing down. The correct answer is D. Pacing target: 18 seconds. Trap: option B (pointing left) is what a counter-clockwise reader picks. Identify the direction of rotation in the first row, then apply it.

Question 10: Odd one out by symmetry. Five shapes are shown. Four of them have a single line of mirror symmetry running through the middle. One shape has no line of symmetry. Which one?

A. an isosceles triangle B. the letter H C. a five-pointed star with one shorter point D. a heart shape E. a butterfly outline

The rule: four shapes have either vertical or horizontal mirror symmetry. A five-pointed star with one point altered breaks the symmetry. The correct answer is C. Pacing target: 18 to 20 seconds. Trap: spatial questions invite over-analysis of the picture. The rule (line of symmetry) is the entire question; once you have the rule, the answer pops out.

The reference table for these 10 questions

The table below summarises the type, topic, difficulty, target time, and answer for all 10 questions. Use it as a check while you are drilling.

What candidates miss when drilling samples

Most candidates use sample questions wrong. They read the question, glance at the options, peek at the answer, and feel a small surge of confidence. That confidence does not transfer to the real CCAT. Three habits ruin sample-question drilling:

The first habit is no stopwatch. Without a timer, you are not practicing the actual constraint. The CCAT is a speed test. A question solved in 50 seconds is a wrong-answer question at the cutoff. Set a 25-second timer per question and respect it. If the timer runs out, mark the question and move on.

The second habit is reading the explanation before attempting the answer. The explanation is calibration, not instruction. If you read it first, you are reading a worked solution, not training your own. Always attempt the question cold, even if you are uncertain, then read the worked solution.

The third habit is treating the answer as the lesson. The answer is a letter. The lesson is the rule. When you get question 8 wrong, the lesson is not "the answer was 95." The lesson is "this series doubles plus a constant." Write that rule in a notebook. Re-attempt the question 24 hours later cold. That is how the speed compounds.

Where these questions sit on the real CCAT difficulty curve

These 10 questions span the middle of the CCAT difficulty range. The real test has both easier opening questions (single-step arithmetic, simple analogies) and harder closing questions (multi-step word problems, denser logic). Roughly speaking, if you can solve 7 to 8 of these 10 inside the target times, you are tracking toward a raw score of 32 to 35 on the full 50-question test. If you solve 9 or 10 inside the target times, you are tracking toward 35 to 40, which clears Crossover's documented floor and approaches the Vista Equity portfolio range.

The honest framing is that these 10 questions are a calibration tool, not a full practice run. A real CCAT practice session is 50 questions in 15 minutes, not 10 questions at your own pace. Treat this article as a primer for the rules, then run full timed practice with question banks that match the real difficulty curve.

FAQ

Are these the actual questions on the CCAT?

No. Criteria Corp does not release live CCAT questions. These are sample questions written to match the format, difficulty, and patterns of the real CCAT, with worked solutions that show the rule. The point is to internalise the solving method, not to memorise specific questions.

How many sample questions should I work through before the real CCAT?

Two to three hundred across a week. The first 60 build the rule library. The next 100 build pacing. The final 60 build the full-test stamina (you should be able to focus for 15 unbroken minutes on 50 questions without your attention drifting). Working through more than 300 in a week tends to be lower-yield than reviewing the wrong-answer set.

What is a good CCAT score?

The average CCAT score is 24 out of 50, which is the 50th percentile. A "good" score depends on the role. Entry-level operations roles target 24. Sales and account exec roles target 29. Software engineering roles at most employers target 32. Crossover documents 35 as a floor. Vista Equity portfolio companies cluster at 40-plus. Set your target by role, then add a 3 to 5 raw point margin to absorb test-day variance.

Should I memorise the CCAT answer patterns?

There are no exploitable answer patterns. The CCAT shuffles question order and answer positions per administration, so memorising "the answer to question 8 is B" gets you nothing. What works is memorising the solving method per question type (analogies, percent change, syllogisms, number series, matrices). Method memorisation compounds; pattern memorisation does not.

How do I practice the spatial section without a question bank?

Use real-world objects as drill material. Look at a household item and ask: what is the line of symmetry? Rotate it 90 degrees in your head; what does it look like? The spatial section is largely about training your visual short-term memory to hold transformations. Question banks help, but mental rotation drills with everyday objects work too.

What is the right way to skip a question on the CCAT?

Mark it (most testing platforms have a flag), guess one of the four options, and move on. Never leave it blank. With four options, a blind guess scores 0.25 expected raw points per question. If you finish the test early (rare; most candidates do not finish), you can return to flagged questions for a more careful attempt. Do not stall on the first attempt; stall costs three to five other questions at the end.

How is the CCAT scored?

Raw score equals the number of correct answers out of 50. Wrong answers and unattempted questions both score zero, but Criteria Corp's published norms make clear that unattempted questions also count as "items not attempted," which some employers see in the report. Aim to attempt all 50 even with guesses. Percentile is derived from the raw score against Criteria Corp's reference distribution; the average raw score of 24 maps to the 50th percentile.

Does the CCAT change between administrations?

Criteria Corp rotates question banks across forms, so two candidates taking the CCAT on the same day at the same employer can see different specific questions. The format (50 questions, 15 minutes, four sections), the difficulty distribution, and the scoring formula stay constant. Preparation calibrated to the format generalises; preparation calibrated to specific questions does not.

Related on PrepClubs

• Pillar. The CCAT in 2026: format, score, and how to prepare. The full brand-level overview of the test.
• Deep practice. CCAT practice with the Pass Guarantee. $39 one time. Pass Guarantee.
• Prep plan. CCAT Prep: A 7-Day Plan for the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test. The day-by-day version with drill volume and target raw by day.
• Difficulty. How hard is the CCAT, really. The honest answer about where the difficulty actually sits.
• Practice walkthrough. CCAT Practice Test 2026: Free Sample with Walkthroughs. Real questions with the solution method laid out.

Practice on PrepClubs

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