Learning, thinking and reasoning skills focus on how you acquire, process, and apply knowledge to solve problems and make decisions.
Learning skills help you acquire new knowledge effectively and reflect on your experiences. Thinking skills enable you to analyse information systematically and approach problems from different perspectives. Reasoning skills allow you to draw logical conclusions, evaluate arguments, and reach well-informed conclusions.
You can see a full list of the skills included in this category at the bottom of this page.
These skills are fundamental to academic success at Cambridge and beyond. They enhance your ability to engage deeply with complex ideas, conduct rigorous research, and develop original insights. As the world becomes increasingly complex and information-rich, these skills are essential for navigating uncertainty, solving problems, and expressing your opinions in your studies, future career and personal life.
Think about which of these skills you are developing through your study and activities using the list at the bottom of the page, and use the Skills Discovery Tool to evaluate your skills.
Easy ways to get started
You will be actively developing these skills through your academic study. Push them further by:
- Reflecting on your learning process. Consider what is working well, what is challenging, and how you might use different learning strategies. Try using the Reflective Practice Toolkit to help with this.
- Asking deeper questions during supervisions - instead of just clarifying content, explore "why" and "how" questions to develop critical thinking.
- Explaining complex concepts to friends from different subjects. This helps you identify gaps in your understanding and develop clearer reasoning.
Skills development opportunities
There are many opportunities to develop and evidence these skills. Here are some suggestions to help you develop your skills in this area:
- Take a look at CamGuides for detailed guidance on academic skills including critical reading, research methods, and self-directed learning for undergraduate, masters and PhD students.
- Learn a new language through the Language Centre to enhance cognitive flexibility and different ways of thinking. Many Colleges will offer grants to contribute to the course fees.
- Attend talks, lectures and seminars beyond your course to broaden your knowledge and encounter new perspectives. You can find these through your departmental mailing list, on College and University websites, or via student societies. Check the SU societies directory, and filter by 'Academic Life' to find topics that spark your interest.
- Submit an academic article or essay to a student journal or competition. Some examples include the Cambridge Journal of Political Affairs, Cambridge Journal of Science and Policy, and the Cambridge Law Review. Many subject societies run their own journal, blog or magazine that you could contribute to. Colleges and trusts hold competitions where you can win money for your essays - keep an eye out for posters advertising these around College.
- Take part in workshops or programs on topics that interest you, such as the Cambridge Long View Initiative's 7-week Futures Fellowship, Cambridge Climate Society's Idea-thon, Cambridge University Robotics' Unibots competition. This is a great way to learn and apply your skills to new challenges.
- Write opinion articles for a student newspaper to build skills in reasoning and evaluation of arguments. Find out how to get involved on the Theatre, Film & Arts page.
- Take part in consultancy projects through student societies to apply analytical thinking to real-world problems. You can find out more on the Professional Development page.
- Use the Self-Reflection Toolkit to develop your critical thinking skills through analysing your own experiences.
Check out the activities pages for more ideas on how to get involved and develop your skills in this area.
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Skill |
Definition |
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Ability to learn |
The ability to acquire new knowledge and skills by engaging in both formal educational programmes and informal learning opportunities. |
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Ability to reflect |
The ability to engage in introspection, evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses, and seek feedback from others. |
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Achievement orientation |
The ability to concentrate on achieving one's goals and developing or modifying plans to achieve them. |
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Active learning and learning strategies |
The ability to utilise new knowledge and skills to meet present and future requirements, while choosing appropriate training methods to match the specific situation or goal. |
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Adopting a different perspective |
The ability to consider a situation, idea, or problem from a new or alternative point of view. |
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Agile thinking |
The ability to understand, react and adapt quickly and effectively to changing circumstances. |
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Analytical thinking |
The ability to systematically gather and analyse data and then utilise that information to support decision-making and problem-solving. |
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Applying appropriate learning strategies |
The ability to identify the most efficient learning strategy (e.g., visual, multisensory, collaborative learning, etc.) to acquire and retain new skills or knowledge. |
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Asking the right questions |
The ability to ask insightful, relevant, and purposeful questions to obtain information, clarify a point, or explore difficulties other people may have. |
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Computational and algorithmic thinking |
The ability to analyse real-world problems by breaking them into smaller and logical steps and creating models that are easily executable by a computer. |
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Creativity and imagination |
The ability to generate ideas, products, or ways of working that are original, new, and valuable. |
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Critical thinking |
The ability to systematically and rationally evaluate information and situation to form an impartial judgement or option. |
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Debate |
The ability to analyse, justify, and articulate comprehensive arguments during a discussion with others while demonstrating respectable manners and engaging in a polite disagreement. |
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Deductive Reasoning |
The ability to use general and universal statements or facts to form a conclusion. |
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Emotional intelligence |
The ability to have awareness over and to control one's emotions and their expression in order to handle interpersonal relationships thoughtfully and empathetically. |
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Entrepreneurial thinking |
The ability to be self-motivated, innovative, and capable of developing a compelling vision while being aware of potential future risks and challenges. |
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Environmental awareness |
The ability to understand the interdependence between humans and nature and recognise the impact of human activity on the planet. |
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Evaluation of arguments |
The ability to critically assess the validity, coherence, and persuasiveness of presented claims and reasonings, based on supporting evidence. |
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Fluency of ideas |
The ability to brainstorm or quickly generate a large number of ideas, concepts, or possibilities within a topic or a context. |
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Foreign language |
The ability to learn and communicate in a foreign language through speaking, writing, listening, and reading. |
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Grit and persistence |
The ability to pursue a long-term task, mission, or journey in spite of obstacles and discouragements. |
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Inference |
The ability to make a guess or form an opinion on the basis of available information. |
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Information seeking |
The ability to identify missing information and assess the most efficient place or resources where to look for answers. |
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Initiative |
The ability to take a lead in a project or offer a fresh approach to something. |
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Interpretation |
The ability to uncover and determine, or attribute, significance or meaning to various information or situations. |
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Learning to learn |
The capacity to take personal responsibility for one's own learning; the ability to pursue and persist in learning, to organise one's own learning |
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Logical reasoning |
The ability to draw conclusions, make judgements, and accept or reject certain information based on logical evaluation of facts and arguments. |
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Numeracy |
The ability to understand, reason with, and apply simple mathematical concepts in everyday life. |
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Originality |
The ability to independently generate new or fresh ideas, methods or thoughts. |
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Reasoning, problem solving and ideation |
The ability to identify a problem and its causes and find opportunities or means of solving it. |
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Recognition of assumptions |
The ability to recognise beliefs or assumptions which may not be necessarily true. |
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Research |
The ability to conduct a systematic and detailed study to discover (new) information or (new) understanding of a subject. |
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Seeking relevant information |
The ability to identify missing and relevant information and the most effective resource or medium where to find it. |
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Structured problem solving |
The ability to solve complex problems by breaking them into parts, identifying the root causes of each issue, and applying analytical techniques to find solutions. |
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Synthesizing messages |
The ability to communicate a complex or large amount of information and data simply and insightfully. |
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Transferring knowledge to different contexts |
The ability to apply experience and skills from one area into other contexts to create ideas, understand new topics, or solve a problem. |
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Understanding biases |
The ability to recognise when pre-existing patterns affect one's thinking process or judgement, often in an unconscious or unfair way. |