Recognize the hidden biases that affect your decisions. Learn to think more clearly and avoid common thinking traps.
15+ Biases
To recognize
Real Examples
Practical cases
Debiasing
Learn strategies
Explanations
Why it matters
Recognize cognitive biases to improve decision-making and critical thinking.
"What is confirmation bias?"
→ Confirmation bias is when you favor information that confirms what you already believe and ignore contradicting evidence.
Bias Buster is a critical thinking game that trains you to recognize and overcome the cognitive biases that affect all human decision-making. Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky identified these systematic thinking errors that lead otherwise intelligent people to make poor judgments.
This game is essential preparation for MBA aspirants, consulting candidates, and anyone whose career depends on making sound decisions. You'll learn to identify biases in arguments, statistics, and decision scenarios - exactly what's tested in CAT Critical Reasoning, GMAT Integrated Reasoning, and case interviews at top consulting firms.
The game presents real-world scenarios where cognitive biases lead to flawed thinking:
Scenario Types: • Business decisions with hidden biases • Statistical claims that seem convincing but are flawed • Arguments that sound logical but contain fallacies • Investment/career choices affected by bias
Bias Categories Covered: • Memory Biases: Availability heuristic, hindsight bias • Attention Biases: Confirmation bias, selective attention • Decision Biases: Anchoring, loss aversion, sunk cost fallacy • Social Biases: Bandwagon effect, authority bias • Statistical Biases: Survivorship bias, base rate neglect
Each round teaches you to recognize the bias pattern and apply specific debiasing strategies.
Study the presented situation, argument, or decision-making context carefully.
Recognize which cognitive bias is being demonstrated in the scenario.
Understand why this thinking pattern leads to poor decisions or incorrect conclusions.
Learn the debiasing technique that counteracts this specific cognitive error.
Bias Buster develops metacognitive abilities essential for leadership and academic success:
Metacognition: Thinking about your own thinking. The ability to step back and evaluate the quality of your reasoning.
Argument Analysis: Breaking down claims into premises and conclusions, evaluating logical validity.
Evidence Evaluation: Distinguishing strong evidence from weak evidence, recognizing cherry-picked data.
Perspective-Taking: Considering alternative viewpoints and how different framings change conclusions.
Probabilistic Thinking: Understanding base rates, conditional probabilities, and statistical significance.
This game directly prepares you for high-stakes assessments:
CAT & XAT: Critical Reasoning questions often test ability to spot flawed arguments. Bias awareness helps you eliminate wrong answer choices quickly.
GMAT & GRE: Analytical Writing Assessment and Critical Reasoning sections reward those who can identify logical fallacies.
Case Interviews: McKinsey, BCG, and Bain interviewers look for candidates who avoid bias traps in case discussions.
UPSC Essay & Interview: Demonstrating balanced, unbiased thinking is crucial for civil services selection.
Bias Buster is designed for ambitious thinkers:
• MBA Aspirants: Essential preparation for CAT, GMAT, and case interviews • Consulting Candidates: Build the analytical rigor firms look for • UPSC Aspirants: Develop the balanced perspective needed for essay and interview rounds • Business Professionals: Improve decision-making quality in leadership roles • Anyone Seeking Intellectual Growth: Challenge your own thinking patterns
This game is grounded in behavioral economics and cognitive psychology:
Prospect Theory: Kahneman and Tversky's Nobel Prize-winning research on how people actually make decisions (vs. how they should rationally decide).
Dual Process Theory: Understanding System 1 (fast, intuitive) vs. System 2 (slow, analytical) thinking and when each leads us astray.
Debiasing Research: Based on interventions proven to reduce bias, including considering the opposite, reference class forecasting, and pre-mortem analysis.
Transfer Training: Studies show that explicit bias training reduces bias in subsequent decisions, especially when combined with practice.
When evaluating any claim, always ask: What evidence would change my mind?
Look for base rates - most exam questions testing bias involve ignoring base rate information
Remember survivorship bias - success stories dont tell you about the failures you never hear about
Before accepting statistics, ask: How was this data collected? What might be missing?
Practice applying Red Team thinking - actively argue against your initial conclusion
