Time and Performance on the California Critical Thinking Skills Test

The relationship between total scores on the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and the time taken to complete it was investigated in a sample of 16 high school seniors and 131 college undergraduates. Slower test takers obtained significantly higher scores. With performance on a proxy measure for general cognitive ability, the Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices - Set 2 (APM), as a covariate, slower CCTST test-taking time related to higher CCTST scores but not to higher scores on the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that APMscores, CCTDIscores, and CCTST completion time explained 43%, 6%, and 3% of the independent variance in total CCTST scores. Implications of these findings for college instruction are discussed.