Assessing critical thinking about argumentative essays: the Critical Reasoning and Inference Test (CRIT)

The ability to think critically about real-world problems is a central goal of higher education. Tests to assess critical thinking typically present test-takers with a short scenario or brief argument for analysis. However, arguments about controversial social problems are typically joined in longer expository texts, presenting a challenge for test design. To close this gap, we developed the Critical Reasoning and Inference Test (CRIT), designed to measure test-takers’ comprehension of an argumentative essay. CRIT contains three versions. Each version requires reading a 1200-word argumentative essay and answering 20 multiple-choice questions about that argument’s reasons, conclusions, objections and rebuttals. We present psychometric properties and correlates of the three CRIT versions. Findings confirm the reliability and validity of each CRIT version. Unlike many instruments assessing critical thinking, CRIT is freely accessible for non-commercial use.