Table 1.

Lower-order and higher-order cognitive skills

Cognitive skill level	Actions required by cognitive skill level
Lower order	Recall (memorize) facts, figures, and basic processes
	Know vocabulary and definitions
	Understand and illustrate information
	Includes Bloom's categories of knowledge and comprehension
Higher order	Use information, methods, concepts, or theories in new situations
	Predict consequences and outcomes
	Solve problems in which students must select the approach to use
	Break down a problem into its parts
	Identify the critical components of a new problem
	See patterns and organization of parts (e.g., classify, order)
	Determine the quality/importance of different pieces of information
	Discriminate among ideas
	Weigh the relative value of different pieces of evidence to determine the likelihood of certain outcomes/scenarios
	Make choices based on reasoned argument
	Includes Bloom's categories application, analysis, and evaluation