How Understanding the IPT Rubric Can Help You Do Better on the IPT
What do I need to know about critical thinking to do better on the IPT?
• The first element on the IPT is Critical Thinking. It is also called CT.
• CT has to do with whether the information in one of the IPT documents is correct and
believable. Prompt 1 asks you to find examples of incorrect, unbelievable, or misleading
information in one of the documents in the booklet. For each example that you find, you
must also explain why the information is incorrect, unbelievable, or misleading.
• If you find many examples of incorrect, unbelievable, or misleading information and
explain why each example is incorrect, unbelievable, or misleading, you should be scored
at Level 3 or Level 4. Responses are scored at Level 1 for CT1 when students say they
believe everything in the document that Prompt 1 tells them to look at.
What do I need to know about problem solving to do better on the IPT?
• On the IPT, Problem Solving, called PS, has to do with making a choice and giving reasons
for the choice. The last prompt asks you to write a letter or a recommendation
explaining your choice and supporting your choice with important reasons.
• To be scored at Level 3 or Level 4 for PS, you need to:
 Recommend only one of the choices—do not recommend more than one choice.
 Give many reasons for why you recommended your choice—look at your answers to
the other prompts to help you think of some of the reasons for your choice.
 Explain why each reason supports your choice.
 Use information from the IPT booklet in one or more of your reasons—you can also
give reasons that were not in the booklet that you thought of.
• Responses that do not clearly recommend one of the choices or do not include any
important reasons that support one choice are scored at Level 1.
What do I need to know about written communication to do better on the IPT?
• Written Communication, or WC, has to do with how well you write the information and
your ideas in your response to the last prompt.
• Do not worry about spelling or how well you type—these are not scored on the IPT.
• To be scored at Level 3 or Level 4 for WC, you need to:
 Organize the information in your response to clearly support only one choice.
 Use transition words and phrases so that ideas and sentences flow in your response.
 Use complete ideas and do not repeat any information except when summarizing.
 Use a variety of sentence lengths and beginnings.
 Use appropriate words to write for the intended audience.
 Responses that are unclear, disorganized, have no transition words or phrases, include
incomplete ideas, and are not written for the intended audience are scored at Level 1.
Updated 8/26/14