--- title: "Apptio CCAT Guide for Inside Sales Applicants" url: https://clevercatprep.com/ccat/apptio updated: 2026-10-13 description: "Prep sites report Apptio uses the CCAT for inside sales roles. What we could and could not confirm, an estimated score range, and verbal speed tips." --- > Clever Cat Prep is an independent CCAT practice site. It is not affiliated with Criteria Corp or any employer. Company guide # Apptio inside sales and the CCAT By [Avi Flombaum](https://avi.nyc) ยท Updated October 13, 2026 Prep sites report that Apptio, now part of IBM, has used the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) to screen inside sales and sales applicants, but we could not confirm current use with the employer. If you get a CCAT invite, we estimate 22 to 25 out of 50 is competitive for sales roles. Ask your recruiter which assessment you will take, since IBM runs its own hiring assessments. ## Apptio and the CCAT at a glance Estimated target score 24 /50 An estimate, not a published cutoff. **Our estimated range** 22 to 25 **Target percentile (estimate)** the 49th to 50th **Criteria floors for these roles** 17, 19, 20 **Evidence it uses the CCAT** Thin evidence A prep site (Prepopedia) lists Apptio as using the CCAT as an early screen for inside sales and sales roles. We could not confirm this with Apptio or IBM. Our estimate, not Apptio's cutoff. The highest Criteria suggested floor among the reported roles is 19 (Sales / Account Executive). We add 3 to 6 points, the margin we use for sales-heavy hiring, to get 22 to 25. ## Where the CCAT sits in Apptio's hiring process 1. ### Application Through the careers site. Since the acquisition, Apptio roles may be posted on IBM's careers site. 2. ### Assessment invite In a typical Criteria flow, an email links to an unproctored online test on Criteria's platform. If the invite comes from IBM instead, it may be a different assessment entirely. 3. ### CCAT and a possible sales or personality questionnaire The CCAT is 50 questions in 15 minutes. Criteria also sells sales-specific and personality questionnaires that employers sometimes add. 4. ### Sales interviews Typically a recruiter call, a hiring-manager interview and sometimes a mock call. Steps are as candidates describe them. Processes change by role and over time. ## Can your pace reach Apptio's target? The numbers below use our estimate for Apptio: a range of 22 to 25 out of 50 with a target of 24. Nothing is saved. If you ask Clever below, it sees your numbers. Projected score 23 of 50: in range - Answer 2 more questions (32 in total) at 75% accuracy. - Or lift accuracy to 80% on the 30 you already answer. The CCAT score is the number you get right. This projection counts no lucky guesses. ## About Apptio Apptio makes software that helps companies track and plan what they spend on technology, from IT budgets to cloud bills. Apptio was a Vista Equity Partners portfolio company before IBM acquired it, which is likely why prep sites list it with other Vista companies. Our Vista Equity Partners page summarizes those reports. Hiring under IBM may follow IBM's own process, so the CCAT reports may describe an earlier period. ## Verbal speed is the inside sales edge Inside sales is a reading and talking job: emails, call notes, objections, follow-ups. The CCAT's verbal items, such as sentence completion, analogies and synonyms, measure something close to that: how fast you pull meaning from a few words. Most sales candidates are not short on vocabulary. They are short on speed. They read every option slowly and second-guess the obvious choice. On a 15-minute test, a verbal item should take 10 to 15 seconds, which leaves time for the math and spatial items that take longer. - Sentence completion: read the whole sentence, predict the word, then find its closest match. - Analogies: name the relationship (tool to user, part to whole) before looking at the options. - Synonyms: if two options mean the same thing as each other, neither is likely the answer. ## Do not let the math eat your clock A sales candidate's score usually falls apart on a few long word problems, not on the verbal section. One stuck work-rate problem can cost a minute, which is three or four verbal answers you never reach. Set a personal rule before you start: if a math question has not clicked within 20 seconds, guess and move on. Then use practice to shrink the list of question types that need that rule. ## Question types to drill first - [**Sentence completion** Close to the reading speed inside sales needs, and quick to improve with practice. Verbal questions with worked examples](https://clevercatprep.com/ccat-verbal-questions) - [**Analogies** Rewards naming a relationship fast, the same skill as framing a customer's problem. Verbal questions with worked examples](https://clevercatprep.com/ccat-verbal-questions) - [**Percentages** Quota, discount and commission math. The most common math gap for sales candidates. Math questions with worked examples](https://clevercatprep.com/ccat-math-questions) ## Roles at Apptio reported to include the CCAT Criteria floors are from Criteria's sample score report. Our estimates are not published cutoffs. | Role | Criteria job family and floor | Our estimate | Note | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Inside sales representative | Sales Representative: 17 | 20 to 23 | The role prep sites name. Phone-based selling rewards fast reading and quick, accurate answers. | | Account executive | Sales / Account Executive: 19 | 22 to 25 | Reported under general sales roles. A higher floor than entry inside sales. | | Sales manager | Sales Manager: 20 | 23 to 26 | Not specifically reported. Shown for comparison if you are interviewing for a team lead role. | ## Tips for the Apptio CCAT - Do verbal drills against a timer set to 12 seconds per question to build a sales-friendly pace. - Set a 20-second skip rule for math before test day and practice it until it feels automatic. - Read sentence completions aloud in your head the way you would read a script: the right word usually sounds right. - If the invite comes from IBM rather than Criteria, ask the recruiter what the assessment is before you prepare for the CCAT. - Take the test at a desk with a mouse if you can; clicking quickly through verbal items matters. ## Practice questions in the same formats These are our own practice questions, written in the CCAT's formats. Apptio does not publish its test questions, and neither does Criteria. For a full timed run, take the [free CCAT practice test](https://clevercatprep.com/free-ccat-practice-test). Question 1 Sentence completion Medium Choose the word or words that best complete the sentence. The instructions were so \_\_\_\_\_\_ that nobody could agree on what they meant. - A. explicit - B. brief - C. vague - D. formal - E. accurate **Show the answer and the fast route** **Answer: C, vague** Instructions open to disagreement about meaning are vague. The fast route Words like although and because tell you whether the ideas contrast or agree. Question 2 Word analogies Medium LADLE is to SERVE as . . . - A. SOUP is to LADLE - B. DRILL is to BORE - C. HANDLE is to LADLE - D. CHEF is to STEW - E. BOWL is to SPOON **Show the answer and the fast route** **Answer: B, DRILL is to BORE** A ladle is a tool used to serve; a drill is a tool used to bore. HANDLE is to LADLE is part to whole, and CHEF is to STEW is worker to product. The fast route Say the relationship as a short sentence; preserve its direction. ## How we estimate Apptio does not publish a CCAT score, so the numbers on this page are our estimate. We start from Criteria's published job-family floors for the roles candidates report, then place them against Criteria's two norm groups, where the median raw score is 24. We adjust for how competitive the applicant pool is, and we use an employer's own published baseline whenever one exists. Percentiles come from a normal model on Criteria's published median and standard deviations, shown as a range across both groups. See the [CCAT percentile chart](https://clevercatprep.com/ccat-percentiles) for the method and [what a good CCAT score is](https://clevercatprep.com/ccat-score) for the published job-family floors. Clever Cat Prep is not affiliated with Apptio or Criteria Corp. Apptio is a trademark of its owner. ## Questions, answered **Does Apptio really use the CCAT?** Prep sites report it for inside sales and sales roles, but we could not confirm it, and Apptio is now part of IBM, which runs its own assessments. Ask your recruiter which assessment you will take. **What CCAT score does Apptio want for inside sales?** Apptio publishes no score. We estimate 20 to 23 for inside sales and 22 to 25 for account executives, from Criteria's floors plus a margin. **Is the CCAT harder for sales candidates?** The test is the same for everyone. Sales roles usually have a lower bar than analyst or engineering roles, according to Criteria's suggested floors. **How long does the verbal section take?** Question types are usually mixed together rather than grouped into sections. Aim for 10 to 15 seconds on each verbal item so you have time left for math. **Do I need to know Apptio's products for the test?** No. The CCAT is a general aptitude test. Product knowledge helps in the interviews, not on the assessment. ## Sources 1. [S1] [Prepopedia: What companies use the CCAT test](https://prepopedia.com/what-companies-use-ccat-test/). Read October 13, 2026. 2. [S2] [JobTestPrep: Vista Equity Partners Criteria test](https://www.jobtestprep.com/criteria-vista-equity-partners-test). Read October 13, 2026. 3. [S3] [Criteria: CCAT sample score report](https://www.criteriacorp.com/files/Criteria-Sample-CCAT.pdf). Read October 13, 2026. ## Keep going - [Company guide: TIBCO Software (target 27)](https://clevercatprep.com/ccat/tibco) - [Company guide: EAB (target 32)](https://clevercatprep.com/ccat/eab) - [Company guide: Finastra (target 28)](https://clevercatprep.com/ccat/finastra) - [Company guide: LogicMonitor (target 31)](https://clevercatprep.com/ccat/logicmonitor) - [Free tool: CCAT score calculator](https://clevercatprep.com/ccat-score-calculator)