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Key Takeaways
- There has never been a greater need to think critically, with so much information available to us, not all of it equal in its accuracy.
- Critical thinkers are curious, logical and self-aware.
- High levels of critical thinking include validating your information and analyzing its meaning, before making an evaluation.
Test Your Critical Thinking Skills
Do you consider how to make sense of information you receive? Do you filter out what’s important and what’s not? Do you think objectively and rationally, even when you might have an emotional response to information?
We are surrounded by vast amounts of information and data, all day, every day, and not all of it reliable. How critically we think about the information we are exposed to has arguably never been so important.
We’ve used research from the Mind Tools Impact and Insights Team to create a 14-question assessment tool, to help you assess your recent experiences in exercising your critical thinking skills.
Your Self-Assessment
Coming up are 14 questions that ask how much you've used your critical thinking over the past three months.
There are no right or wrong responses, and you’ll have a chance to review and change your answers before you submit them.
Look at the statements below and choose how much you agree with each by selecting the most appropriate answer.
When you have completed the diagnostic, press “Calculate my total.”
Your Result
Take a moment to think about your result. Does it come as a surprise? Or does it confirm things that you already knew?
Perhaps the results revealed that you already have strong critical-thinking skills. If that’s the case, it’s still a good idea to stay challenged and keep your skills fresh. You may even discover some new critical-thinking techniques that will take you to the next level!
What, in particular, do you want to get better at? Think about where you currently have gaps – but also why it would benefit you to fill them.
Let's Act
Having reflected on your score, pick one of the following areas to take action on in the next week or two:
- Taking a self-regulated approach to communication and problem solving (see questions 1, 2, 3, and 4)
- Seeking information purposefully and proactively (see questions 5, 6, 7, and 8)
- Implementing reasoned decision making approaches (see questions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14)
Take Your Learning Further
Explore the characteristics required for critical thinking
Critical thinkers possess a set of key characteristics which help them to question information and their own thinking.
Some areas for you to explore further include developing your sense of curiosity, how to apply logic to help you solve problems and make decisions. Working on your self-awareness will also help you understand your biases, and appreciate the importance that different perspectives can bring.
Validate, analyze and evaluate
Avoid taking information and data at face value. Regularly apply the steps for effective critical thinking in your day-to-day decision making, and encourage your team to learn this important skill too.
