- Sep 9, 2024
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Hi @AS24! So my top two tips for succeeding in the WG are the following:Just received the CMS WG invite, I applied on Saturday morning.
@Andrei Radu and @Ram Sabaratnam do you have any tips on how to succeed with this devil test?
I recently completed the Linklaters WG and although I answered more than half of the questions correctly, I still got 45 percentile.
It is so frustrating!
- Pay attention to the technical meanings and rules of the specific concepts employed in each section and limit your reliance on purely intuitive judgement. Read carefully the instructions for each section and note them down in a number of short bullet points, which you can then go back to when having difficulty during the assessment. The biggest mistake I've seen people make with the WG is to treat it as a general critical thinking (IQ style) test and therefore rely too much on intuition when choosing the answer. I have found that an intuitive answer could be right in some sections and not in other. I have tended to score quite highly on the WG and my focus has been on the precise boundaries of the criteria given for each section - what can be assumed vs what can be inferred vs what can be deducted all have slightly different meanings, just as 'true', 'probable', 'beyond reasonable doubt' and 'logically certain' all have slightly different meanings. The difference between the candidates who score highly and those who score at our under average will likely depend on an ability to notice those fine distinctions.
- Practice tests and courses: I think that while the WG certainly has an element of critical thinking/verbal reasoning skills, this does not mean that you cannot prepare for it and improve your chances. Just like you can prepare for other assessments that have critical thinking elements (like basically every university subject), you can prepare for the WG. Moreover, I would argue that critical thinking and verbal reasoning are not innate fixed attributes, but abilities that you can hone. In my own experience, I significantly improved my performance over time. As such, I would advise you to definitely do a few practice tests. Also, consider completing TCLA's excellent course on the WG here.