TalentLens by Pearson is best known for the Watson-Glaser critical thinking assessment, which is one of the most well-validated and widely used critical reasoning tools available and remains a strong choice for graduate and professional hiring where analytical thinking is the priority.
The two things that most commonly prompt people to look for alternatives are the narrow range of what's on offer and the price. Pearson's licensing model means TalentLens tends to be expensive relative to the breadth of testing it covers, and some tools require BPS Level B qualifications to administer, a barrier for most in-house teams that want to run assessments independently. If either of those is the issue, here are the alternatives worth considering.
Test Partnership
Test Partnership covers a broader range of cognitive ability, covering numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and inductive reasoning, alongside the kind of higher-order reasoning that Watson-Glaser targets. There is no qualification requirement to administer assessments, and the platform is designed for self-service use by in-house teams.
MindmetriQ extends the offering further with gamified cognitive assessments that measure the same underlying abilities in an interactive format. For teams that specifically value critical thinking as a hiring criterion, Test Partnership's reasoning assessments cover that ground while also giving access to a fuller cognitive picture and a more modern candidate experience.
SHL
SHL is the most natural enterprise comparison if the requirement is a well-validated cognitive battery with deep normative data. The Verify range covers numerical, verbal, inductive, and deductive reasoning, and the evidence base behind these assessments is among the most extensive in the market.
Like TalentLens, SHL sits at the expensive end of the market. But for organisations that need enterprise-scale cognitive assessment with full normative benchmarking and the reassurance of a widely recognised brand, SHL offers more breadth than TalentLens at a similar or lower cost per test at volume.
Criteria
Criteria offers a practical, accessible cognitive assessment (the CCAT) that is well-validated and broadly comparable to what TalentLens provides, but without the qualification requirement or the Pearson pricing model. The platform is self-service and straightforward to set up, and the cognitive test can be combined with personality and skills assessments in the same workflow.
For in-house teams that want reliable cognitive screening they can run independently at reasonable cost, Criteria is one of the most practical options available. The normative data is less extensive than SHL's or Pearson's, but for most hiring use cases it is more than adequate.
Clevry
Clevry offers cognitive and personality assessments in a modern, accessible platform. It is a good option for teams that want cognitive screening alongside personality measurement without the complexity or cost of the larger publishers, and the candidate experience is more contemporary than TalentLens provides.
Clevry won't match the depth of Watson-Glaser's critical reasoning measurement if that specific construct is important to your hiring decisions. But for teams that want a broader cognitive and personality battery in a more modern package, it is worth evaluating alongside the more specialist options.
Conclusion and next steps
If the qualification barrier and cost are the main issues, Test Partnership and Criteria both provide accessible, self-service cognitive assessment without the Pearson licensing structure. For enterprise-scale normative data and brand credibility, SHL is the benchmark. And for a more modern platform with cognitive and personality in a single package, Clevry is a practical option.
You can explore Test Partnership's aptitude tests and gamified assessments, or find out more about why organisations choose Test Partnership.
Sources: TalentLens, TalentLens on G2, SHL, SHL on G2, Criteria, Criteria on G2, Clevry, Clevry on G2.
Joshua Hancock
Digital Marketing Manager at Test Partnership. Over 7 years experience as a writer, content strategist, SEO and digital marketer.
