Watson Glaser Interpretation
Does this conclusion follow beyond a reasonable doubt from the paragraph? Your ability to weigh evidence and decide whether a conclusion is justified by the information given: reading figures correctly, spotting what the passage does not say, and resisting over-reading.
Interpretation · Example
A library recorded 12,000 visits in January and 15,000 visits in February. In both months, 40% of the visits were by people under 18. The library introduced free Wi-Fi at the start of February.
Proposed statement
There were more visits by people under 18 in February than in January.
Practice tests
Every practice set has 10 questions. Pick one to start.
Every answer option, explained
What you'll actually see
A short paragraph of information, often with figures, that you must regard as true. 3 to 5 proposed conclusions per paragraph. The real test uses exactly these two options: 'Conclusion follows' and 'Conclusion does not follow', and asks you to judge whether each follows 'beyond a reasonable doubt'. Our practice items follow the same format and include both written and numerical paragraphs.
Conclusion follows
The conclusion restates the paragraph, or is a correct calculation or a direct, safe consequence of it. A sensible reader would have no reasonable doubt.
Paragraph: 'A cafe sold 200 coffees on Monday and 250 on Tuesday.' Conclusion: 'The cafe sold more coffees on Tuesday than on Monday.' Follows.
Conclusion does not follow
The paragraph does not support the conclusion beyond reasonable doubt. It may go further than the figures, assume a cause, apply to a wider group, predict the future or change a number.
Paragraph: 'A cafe sold 200 coffees on Monday and 250 on Tuesday.' Conclusion: 'The cafe will sell more than 250 coffees on Wednesday.' Does not follow.
Worked example
A library recorded 12,000 visits in January and 15,000 visits in February. In both months, 40% of the visits were by people under 18. The library introduced free Wi-Fi at the start of February.
Statement 1
There were more visits by people under 18 in February than in January.
40% of 12,000 is 4,800 visits in January. 40% of 15,000 is 6,000 visits in February. Six thousand is more than 4,800, so the conclusion follows.
Conclusion follows
Statement 2
The introduction of free Wi-Fi caused the increase in the number of visits.
The paragraph says that the Wi-Fi was introduced and that visits rose, but not that one caused the other. Other changes, such as the weather or school exams, might explain it.
Conclusion does not follow
Statement 3
The library will receive more than 15,000 visits in March.
The paragraph only gives figures for January and February. Any statement about March is a prediction, not a conclusion from the information.
Conclusion does not follow
Statement 4
Visits by people aged 18 or over rose by more than 20% between January and February.
People aged 18 or over made 60% of the visits. That is 7,200 visits in January and 9,000 in February. The rise of 1,800 is 25% of 7,200, which is more than 20%.
Conclusion follows
Know what is being assessed
How Interpretation works
Each exercise has a short paragraph followed by several suggested conclusions. Treat everything in the paragraph as true.
Your task is to decide whether each conclusion follows beyond a reasonable doubt from the information in the paragraph. It does not have to follow with absolute certainty, but a sensible person should have no real doubt that it is correct.
Choose 'Conclusion follows' if it follows beyond a reasonable doubt. Choose 'Conclusion does not follow' if the paragraph does not support it that strongly, if it goes beyond the information, or if it is contradicted.
Judge every conclusion independently, using only the paragraph and not your own knowledge or opinions.
In the full test you have about one minute per question. Interpretation items with figures often need 45 to 75 seconds. Read the figures once carefully, write down the key numbers and do not recalculate things you have already checked.
Where candidates lose points
- Correlation treated as cause. Two events that happen at the same time or one after the other are not necessarily cause and effect.
- Extrapolating a trend. What happened in the past does not prove what will happen in the future.
- Widening the group. A result for a sample or a subgroup does not automatically hold for everyone.
- Changed or inflated figures. A conclusion may repeat the numbers wrongly, confuse percentages with numbers or turn 'many' into 'most'.
- Importing information from outside. A conclusion may be sensible in real life but rely on a fact that the paragraph does not give, such as prices, motives or other places.
- Rejecting a calculation that is a bit hard. If the figures settle a conclusion, it follows, even if you have to work for it. Do not say 'does not follow' just because the arithmetic is awkward.
A smarter approach
- 01
Read the paragraph once and note the main facts, the figures and what each figure refers to (the group, the period and the unit).
- 02
Read the conclusion and find the exact claim. Check whom or what it is about, and which period it covers.
- 03
Look for the claim in the paragraph. If it is stated or can be calculated, check the arithmetic carefully.
- 04
If the conclusion adds a cause, a prediction, a wider group or a new topic, the paragraph probably does not support it.
- 05
Ask: would a careful, sensible reader have any real doubt? If yes, choose 'Conclusion does not follow'.
Tips for Interpretation
'Beyond a reasonable doubt' is a lower bar than 'must be true' in Deduction, but it is still a high bar
'Beyond a reasonable doubt' is a lower bar than 'must be true' in Deduction, but it is still a high bar. Reasonable guesses and plausible stories do not count.
Do the calculation
Do the calculation. Convert percentages into numbers, check the base (percentage of what?) and compare like with like.
Be careful with percentages
Be careful with percentages. A 10% rise followed by a 10% fall does not return you to the starting point. A percentage of a small group can be fewer people than a smaller percentage of a large group.
A link is not a cause
A link is not a cause. When two things happen together, the paragraph has to say that one causes the other before you can conclude it.
A paragraph about one group, place or period says nothing about another
A paragraph about one group, place or period says nothing about another. Watch for conclusions that widen the group (from respondents to everyone, from one town to the whole country).
Do not extend trends
Do not extend trends. A rise this year does not prove a rise next year, unless the paragraph says so.
Statements such as 'most', 'at least' and 'more than' can often be tested with the smallest or largest case that the figures allow
Statements such as 'most', 'at least' and 'more than' can often be tested with the smallest or largest case that the figures allow. Test the extremes.
Words from the paragraph can be repeated in the conclusion, but check that the meaning has not changed
Words from the paragraph can be repeated in the conclusion, but check that the meaning has not changed. 'Lowest' does not mean 'low', and 'twice as likely' does not mean 'certain'.
If the paragraph does not give a figure you would need, the conclusion cannot follow beyond reasonable doubt.
If the paragraph does not give a figure you would need, the conclusion cannot follow beyond reasonable doubt.
Judge each conclusion on its own
Judge each conclusion on its own. Do not look for patterns in your answers.
Make the format familiar before test day.
Start with a free set, then build up to full-length mock tests.