True critical thinking is higher-order thinking. In order to think critically, one must be able to evaluate and formulate their own beliefs. Critical thinking involves the evaluation of existing beliefs and the formulation of new ones based on logical standards. Critical thinking is important because our life decisions are defined by what we believe, and what we believe is guided by our thinking. Do you think you are a critical thinker? Try these sample critical thinking test items to find out.
A critical thinker is someone who explores and considers as many possibilities as he/she can. A critical thinker also has the ability to understand a new concept and build upon prior knowledge without guidance. Critical thinking encourages students to think for themselves and develop, question, and test multiple hypotheses against known facts. Thus, critical thinking can be described as the scientific method applied by ordinary people to the ordinary world. Critical thinking is not automatically known. In order to understand critical thinking fully, one must be taught how to think, not what to think. Please spend some time looking at the material on critical thinking.