What Is Critical Thinking and How Do You Use It?
Critical thinking helps people examine claims, evidence and assumptions before reaching a conclusion. What should be checked before a conclusion is accepted?
Critical thinking is often described as thinking logically or questioning information. In practice, it involves understanding what is being claimed, examining the evidence, considering other explanations and deciding what the available information supports. Research also includes self-regulation among its core skills: the ability to monitor and correct one’s own thinking. At work, these capabilities matter when information is incomplete, evidence is mixed or a quick conclusion could lead to a poor decision.
What Is Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking means examining information and reasoning before accepting a conclusion or deciding what to do. It involves more than finding errors or disagreeing with another person’s view. A critical thinker asks what the claim means, what supports it, what assumptions are being made and whether the conclusion follows from the available evidence.
An expert consensus study on critical thinking identified six core skills: interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation and self-regulation. Self-regulation involves monitoring and correcting one’s own reasoning rather than only examining the information being considered.
What Does Critical Thinking Look Like When Information Is Unclear?
A workplace example makes this process easier to see. The key is to examine the conclusion rather than accept the first explanation that appears to fit the evidence.
How Does Critical Thinking Work?
The following practices turn the four stages into habits that can be used in everyday work. Each practice focuses on an observable part of taking responsibility for a commitment and its outcome.
Clarify, then Examine, then Test, then Conclude
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Stage 1
Clarify
Critical-thinking questionWhat exactly is the claim, problem or decision?
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Stage 2
Examine
Critical-thinking questionWhat facts, assumptions and evidence are involved?
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Stage 3
Test
Critical-thinking questionWhat else could explain the situation, and does the evidence support the conclusion?
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Stage 4
Conclude
Critical-thinking questionWhat conclusion is justified by the available evidence?
The four stages are connected. A poorly defined question can lead to irrelevant evidence, while weak evidence can make a confident conclusion unreliable. The aim is to make the reasoning behind a conclusion clear enough to examine, explain and revise when necessary.
What Does Research Tell Us About Critical Thinking?
Research shows that critical thinking can be improved through teaching and practice. A large review by Abrami and colleagues looked at 341 study results on critical-thinking instruction. It found that teaching can improve both general and subject-specific critical-thinking skills, as well as the willingness to use them.
The review also found useful results from discussion, real-world problems and mentoring. This suggests that critical thinking is strengthened when people practise examining real questions, evidence and different views, rather than only learning what critical thinking means.
Abrami and colleagues’ study: Strategies for Teaching Students to Think Critically
How Can Critical Thinking Be Practised?
The following practices turn the four stages into habits that can be used when information, explanations or conclusions need closer examination.
Critical Thinking in Practice
Open each practice to see how it works.
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Clarify the Question
Stage: ClarifyBefore examining an issue, define what needs to be decided or understood.
A broad question such as “Why are sales falling?” may need to become a more specific question about the:
- product
- region
- customer group
- period involved
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Separate Facts From Assumptions
Stage: ExamineIdentify what is directly known and what has been inferred from it.
For example:
- Observation“Three employees missed the deadline.”
- Interpretation“The team lacks commitment.” This requires further evidence.
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Check the Evidence
Stage: ExamineAsk where the information came from, whether it is relevant to the question and whether important information is missing.
A number, statement or example can appear convincing without being sufficient to support the conclusion being drawn from it.
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Check Your Own Thinking
Stage: TestCritical thinking also requires examining how personal assumptions may affect a conclusion.
This is self-regulation in practice. When a conclusion feels obvious, ask:
What is making it feel obvious: the evidence being examined, or what was already expected to be found?
This can help identify confirmation bias, where existing beliefs influence which information receives attention. It can also help reveal when a previous decision or investment is making it harder to reconsider the current evidence.
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Consider and Test Other Explanations
Stage: TestBefore accepting the first explanation, consider whether another explanation could also fit the evidence.
This does not mean treating every explanation as equally likely. It means checking whether the available evidence rules out reasonable alternatives.
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State What the Evidence Supports
Stage: ConcludeA useful conclusion should match the strength of the evidence.
Where the evidence is strong, a firm conclusion may be reasonable; where evidence is limited or mixed, the appropriate conclusion may need to remain provisional.
The four stages are connected. A poorly defined question can lead to irrelevant evidence, while weak evidence can make a confident conclusion unreliable. The aim is to make the reasoning behind a conclusion clear enough to examine, explain and revise when necessary.
Decision Checkpoint
Use these questions when evaluating a claim, problem or proposed conclusion:
Where Does Critical Thinking Have Limits?
Summary
Critical thinking means examining the basis of a conclusion before accepting it or acting on it. It depends on relevant knowledge as well as sound reasoning.
- Clarify the question before looking for an answer.
- Examine the facts, the evidence and the assumptions behind them, including your own.
- Test other explanations against the evidence.
- Conclude only as far as the evidence supports.
The practical test is whether a person can explain why the available evidence supports a conclusion and what could cause that conclusion to change.
13 Skill P.A.T.H. Way
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