Cognitive Reflection Test Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Cognitive Reflection Test facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Assuming an attractive, confident person is also competent illustrates which trap? → Halo effect
2. What is a 'sub-goal' in problem decomposition? → An intermediate target that moves you toward the final goal
3. Which of the following actions is most critical for developing the skill of metacognitive self-correction? → Actively questioning the assumptions behind your first, intuitive answer.
4. Relying on your gut, fast, automatic response is associated with which mental system in dual-process theory? → System 1
5. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? → $0.05
6. Only noticing successful companies while ignoring failed ones is which bias? → Survivorship bias
7. If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? → 5 minutes
8. A test-taker changes an answer after re-reading the question. Under what condition is changing answers usually beneficial? → When re-reading reveals a genuine misread or error
9. Which system is more prone to producing cognitive biases and intuitive errors? → System 1
10. When you solve a smaller version of a problem first to understand the pattern, this strategy is called: → Solving a simpler related problem
11. A fair coin is flipped 5 times and lands heads each time. What is the probability the next flip is heads? → Exactly 50%
12. In a race you pass the person in 2nd place. Decomposing the positions, what place are you now in? → 2nd place
13. A bat and ball cost $1.10; the bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. What does the ball cost? → $0.05
14. Cognitive reflection is best described as the ability to do what? → Doubt and check a first answer that feels obviously right
15. If 3 chefs can bake 3 cakes in 3 hours, how long do 9 chefs take to bake 9 cakes? → 3 hours
16. If a machine array of 100 machines makes 100 widgets in 100 minutes, how long for the same rate per machine to be understood correctly? → 100 minutes
17. A snail climbs a 10-foot wall, going up 3 feet each day and slipping 2 feet each night. On which day does it reach the top? → Day 8
18. Worker A completes a job in 10 days; Worker B completes the same job in 15 days. How many days does it take them working together? → 6 days
19. How long would it take 100 machines to produce 100 widgets if it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to produce 5 widgets? → 5 Minutes
20. When decomposing a word problem, what should you identify first? → The knowns, unknowns, and the relationship between them
21. The tempting wrong answers on CRT items are examples of what kind of thinking bias? → Attribute substitution, answering an easier question than asked
22. A clock shows 3:15. What is the angle between the hour and minute hands? → 7.5 degrees
23. Assuming a quiet, book-loving person is more likely a librarian than a farmer, despite far more farmers existing, reflects which bias? → Base-rate neglect
24. Dual-process theory suggests the best decisions often come from: → Using System 1 speed but letting System 2 check important judgments
25. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 together. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? → $0.05
26. A farmer has 17 sheep and all but 9 die. How many sheep are left? → 9
27. A magazine and a banana together cost $3.30. The magazine costs $3.00 more than the banana. How much does the banana cost? → $0.15
28. What is the risk of always trusting your first instinct on reasoning problems? → Intuitive answers can be systematically wrong on tricky items
29. A key reason the CRT is difficult is that each question: → Has an intuitive answer that is wrong
30. A clerk at a butcher shop is 5 feet 10 inches tall and wears size 10 shoes. What does he weigh? → Meat