CCAT at Private Equity Portfolio Companies
Last updated: September 2026
Private equity firms standardized the CCAT across their software portfolios — Vista Equity Partners above all, with candidate reports describing CCAT screens at subsets of Thoma Bravo, KKR, and Insight Partners portfolio companies. If your interviewer is PE-owned, assume a cognitive aptitude screen is in your funnel.
Why PE firms standardize the CCAT
A PE firm holds dozens of operating companies but runs one central playbook: benchmark everything, compare across the portfolio, standardize operations. Hiring is no exception. A single cognitive screen — Criteria's CCAT, 50 questions in 15 minutes — gives the firm a percentile number that means the same thing at every company, which is exactly what a portfolio-level talent team needs. Vista made it the centerpiece of its hiring playbook; others adopted pieces of it.
Vista Equity Partners: the deepest evidence
Vista's portfolio is the largest single block of CCAT employers — candidate reports name 20+ companies, from Finastra to TIBCO to Cvent. Reported bars: a 70th-percentile floor, 80th for product and strategy roles, 85th for executive — and enforced. Prepare for the Vista format even at companies Vista sold years ago; playbooks outlive ownership.
Thoma Bravo, KKR, Insight Partners
Candidate reports and hiring-manager accounts describe CCAT screens in subsets of roles at portfolio companies including Ellucian, Bullhorn, AvidXchange, and Episerver. The pattern is looser than Vista's — some companies, some roles — but the direction is the same: cognitive screens spreading through PE-backed software.
What score do you need?
- Vista portfolio: 70th-percentile floor (80th product/strategy, 85th executive) — enforced
- Other PE portfolios: candidate reports cluster at the 60th–70th percentile
- Crossover (not PE, but the heaviest screen of all): 80th percentile, work-simulations gated behind it
How to confirm your invite includes the CCAT
- Check the invitation for phrases like "cognitive aptitude test" or "CCAT"
- Check the links — criteriacorp.com or ondemandassessment.com means Criteria
- Check the ATS — HireBridge postings frequently bundle the CCAT
- Check the parent company — if it's or was PE-owned, especially Vista, prepare
How to prepare
- Train at full pace. 50 questions in 15 minutes — ~18 seconds per question. Calibration is the entire game.
- Drill mental math without a calculator: ratios, averages, number series.
- Learn the spatial pattern families — rotation, addition, increasing steps.
- Never leave a blank. Guessing is free; there is no going back.
Practice with a free 5-question sample here on TestPrep.me, or run full timed simulations that mirror the format.
Frequently asked questions
Do private equity portfolio companies use the CCAT?
Many do. Vista standardized it portfolio-wide, and candidate reports describe CCAT screens at subsets of Thoma Bravo, KKR, and Insight Partners portfolio companies. The playbook often persists after companies are sold or taken public.
What score do I need at a PE-owned company?
Vista portfolio companies commonly enforce a 70th-percentile floor (80th for product and strategy roles). Candidate reports at other firms' portfolio companies cluster lower — roughly the 60th to 70th percentile.
How do I know if my interview includes the CCAT?
Check your invitation for "cognitive aptitude" language, criteriacorp.com or ondemandassessment.com links, or an ATS like HireBridge. If the employer is or was PE-owned, assume a cognitive screen and prepare.
Preparing for a specific employer? See the full list of companies using the CCAT, or our guides for Crossover, Shopify, and Vertafore.