Companies that use the CCAT

Seven organisations are confirmed CCAT users by their own pages, Criteria's case studies or news reporting: the U.S. Marine Corps, Crossover, JG Wentworth, Heartland ECSI, Schweiger Dermatology Group, Hack Reactor and Tech Elevator. Many more employers use it without saying so, so the surest sign is your own invitation: a test from Criteria with 50 questions in 15 minutes is the CCAT.

7
confirmed organisations
0
unsourced rows
50 in 15
questions and minutes
24
median score (Criteria)

Last checked · Every row links to its source and gives its date. No guessed names

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By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated · How we check facts · How this is scored

Which companies use the CCAT?

These 7 organisations are confirmed by a source we could read and date: the employer's own page, a case study Criteria published with the customer's name, or a news report.

Confirmed CCAT users. The tag says who published the source; the date is the source's own, or the day we read an undated page.

  1. U.S. Marine Corps

    Military officers · News report

    Replaced the World War II-era General Classification Test with the CCAT for new officers at The Basic School, starting with about 300 students, to inform future job (MOS) assignments.

    SourcedMilitary.com, "Marines swap WWII-era test for one that could change officer assignments" (31 Jan 2020)

    Dated: 31 January 2020 · Also: Criteria, "US Marine Corps switches to Criteria's CCAT to guide officer assignments" (press release, 2020)

  2. Crossover

    Remote technology hiring · Its own page

    Uses the CCAT to shortlist applicants, then repeats it under live proctoring before an offer. Each role has its own target range; a candidate who misses can retake after six months.

    SourcedCrossover, "The Crossover Cognitive Aptitude Test (official CCAT guide)"

    Dated: Undated, read 20 October 2026 · Also: Crossover, "Crossover's selection process"

  3. JG Wentworth

    Financial services · Criteria case study

    Chose the CCAT after validation studies and pairs it with computer-literacy and Excel tests. Criteria reports turnover in 2023 about 20% lower than in 2022.

    Published by the ownerCriteria case study, "JG Wentworth lowers turnover by 25% and increases sales by 17%"

    Dated: Case study, results to 2023

  4. Heartland ECSI

    Call centre · Criteria case study

    Used the CCAT with other Criteria tests and, by Criteria's account, ended 2017 with a 26% turnover rate, 65% lower than the year before.

    Published by the ownerCriteria case study, "Call center reduces turnover by 65% in one year" (Heartland ECSI)

    Dated: Case study, results for 2017

  5. Schweiger Dermatology Group

    Healthcare · Criteria case study

    Pre-hire testing included the CCAT and the Employee Personality Profile; Criteria reports turnover of 26% in 2017.

    Published by the ownerCriteria, "Transforming turnover: insights from five case studies" (2 Nov 2023)

    Dated: 2 November 2023 (results for 2017)

  6. Hack Reactor

    Coding bootcamp admissions · Its own page

    Requires every applicant to take the CCAT as a non-technical admissions step, alongside a one-minute typing test, and explains why on its own page.

    SourcedHack Reactor, "The Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT): why we use it and how you can prepare"

    Dated: Undated, read 20 October 2026

  7. Tech Elevator

    Coding bootcamp admissions · Its own page

    Uses the CCAT as step three of its admissions process; a score inside the range Criteria suggests counts as a pass.

    SourcedTech Elevator, "How to prepare for the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT)"

    Dated: Undated, read 20 October 2026

Two of the seven are coding bootcamps, not employers. They are on the list because applicants search for them by name and they say plainly that they use the test, and the CCAT they send is the same 50-question, 15-minute test.

Why is the confirmed list so short?

Because most employers never say which test vendor they use, and many of Criteria's own case studies hide the customer's name, so any longer list is mostly guesswork.

Criteria publishes several CCAT case studies that describe the customer only by industry: a leading internet domain registrar and web hosting company whose call centre used a cut-off of 24, a consumer lender that tested 105 loan officers, and an insurance company that tested 62 salespeople. Those are real CCAT users. They just are not named, so we cannot name them either.

Lists of 50 or 100 big brands on prep sites usually cite nothing. Some names may be right, but an unsourced row could send you to the wrong practice, which is worse than no row at all. When a new employer page or case study confirms a user, we add it with its date.

How can I tell whether my employer uses the CCAT?

Your invitation tells you: it names Criteria or the CCAT, and the test opens on 50 questions with a 15-minute clock; anything else, such as 40 questions in 20 minutes, is a different test.

  1. Does the email or the test page name Criteria, or say CCAT?

    Yes
    It is a Criteria test. Check the next question for which one.
    No
    Go to question 2.

  2. Does it say 50 questions and 15 minutes?

    Yes
    That is the CCAT. Start with the free CCAT-style practice test and read how to pass the CCAT.
    No
    Go to question 3.

  3. Does it say 40 questions in 20 minutes, or include personality or emotion tasks?

    Yes
    It is another Criteria product, such as the UCAT, the CBST, the EPP or Emotify. The Criteria Corp tests guide tells them apart.
    No
    Go to question 4.

  4. Does it say 50 questions in 12 minutes?

    Yes
    That is a Wonderlic or a PI Cognitive Assessment, not the CCAT. Practise on the 12-minute clock instead.
    No
    Go to question 5.

  5. No test details yet?

    Yes
    Ask the recruiter which assessment the role uses and how long it is. It is a routine question, and the answer decides how you prepare.
    No
    Check with the person or company that sent you the link.

Do any of the employers in our guides use the CCAT?

None of the 149 employers we cover is a confirmed CCAT user on any source we could find; 38 of them point to our CCAT-style test because their own reasoning sections test the same skills.

Our employer guides are mostly UK and Indian graduate and fresher employers, which mostly use other publishers' tests or their own. These guides recommend the CCAT-style test as training for the logic and number-series parts of those assessments, and each one says where the formats differ.

Your employer uses the CCAT. Now what?

Fifteen minutes decides whether you get the interview. 8 full mocks on that clock make it routine.

The CCAT Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 16 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The CCAT Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the CCAT Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked
8
timed mocks
16
topic drills
1
score predictor

What CCAT score do these employers look for?

None of them publishes a cut-off, but Criteria's sample report suggests minimums by role from 17 for customer service to 24 for legal and data roles, and the median of all test-takers is 24 out of 50.

Suggested minimum raw scores by role, from Criteria's sample CCAT report. Guides for employers, not pass marks.
Customer service representative17 or morePublished by the ownerCriteria, sample CCAT score report (PDF)
Customer service manager19 or morePublished by the ownerCriteria, sample CCAT score report (PDF)
Accounting20 or morePublished by the ownerCriteria, sample CCAT score report (PDF)
Software development20 or morePublished by the ownerCriteria, sample CCAT score report (PDF)
Management20 or morePublished by the ownerCriteria, sample CCAT score report (PDF)
Analyst22 or morePublished by the ownerCriteria, sample CCAT score report (PDF)
Legal24 or morePublished by the ownerCriteria, sample CCAT score report (PDF)
Data analytics and statistics24 or morePublished by the ownerCriteria, sample CCAT score report (PDF)

The only cut-off we found in a CCAT case study is 24, from the unnamed domain registrar's call centre, where Criteria says it would have cut training drop-outs by about half. At 18 seconds a question you will not finish, and you are not meant to. See what is a good CCAT score and the CCAT percentile calculator to turn any score into a percentile.

Frequently asked questions

What companies use the CCAT test?

Confirmed by a source we could read and date: the U.S. Marine Corps (officers at The Basic School), Crossover, JG Wentworth, Heartland ECSI, Schweiger Dermatology Group, Hack Reactor and Tech Elevator. Lists of 50 or more big brands on prep sites rarely cite anything, so we left those names out.

Why are big tech companies missing from this list?

Because we could not find a source. Employers rarely name their test vendor, and many of Criteria's case studies hide the customer's name ("a leading internet domain registrar", "a consumer lender"). A name without a source would be a guess, and a guess could send you to the wrong practice.

How do I know if my employer uses the CCAT?

Read the invitation. It will name Criteria or the CCAT, and the test screen will say 50 questions and 15 minutes. If it says 40 questions in 20 minutes, it is Criteria's UCAT; 50 in 12 is the Wonderlic or the PI Cognitive Assessment. If in doubt, ask the recruiter which assessment it is; that is a normal question.

What CCAT score do employers want?

Each employer sets its own. Criteria's sample report suggests minimums from 17 for customer service to 24 for legal and data analytics roles, and the median of all test-takers is 24. See what is a good CCAT score for every role it lists.

Do employers let you retake the CCAT?

Some do, on their own terms: Crossover, for example, lets candidates who miss its range apply again after six months, and re-tests shortlisted candidates under live proctoring before an offer. Ask before you start, and prepare as if you have one attempt.

Know your CCAT score before they do

8 timed mocks, 16 drills and a predictor of your odds of clearing the bar.

The CCAT Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 16 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The CCAT Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

Get the CCAT Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked
8
timed mocks
16
topic drills
1
score predictor

Sources

  1. Military.com, "Marines swap WWII-era test for one that could change officer assignments" (31 Jan 2020)
  2. Criteria, "US Marine Corps switches to Criteria's CCAT to guide officer assignments" (press release, 2020)
  3. Crossover, "The Crossover Cognitive Aptitude Test (official CCAT guide)"
  4. Crossover, "Crossover's selection process"
  5. Criteria case study, "JG Wentworth lowers turnover by 25% and increases sales by 17%"
  6. Criteria case study, "Call center reduces turnover by 65% in one year" (Heartland ECSI)
  7. Criteria, "Transforming turnover: insights from five case studies" (2 Nov 2023)
  8. Hack Reactor, "The Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT): why we use it and how you can prepare"
  9. Tech Elevator, "How to prepare for the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT)"
  10. Criteria, sample CCAT score report (PDF)
  11. Criteria, "Information brief: Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT)" (PDF)
  12. Criteria, "Assessment guide: types of assessments" (2025, PDF)

LifeScore is not affiliated with Criteria Corp. CCAT is a trademark of Criteria Corp. Our practice tests are original questions written in a similar style and timed the same way.

Facts last checked by the LifeScore Editorial Team. How we check facts.