In order to help students learn thinking skills more effectively and improve their academic performance, learning styles preferred by students must be identified. The research purpose of this work was to analyse the difference between polytechnic students' learning styles and the level of their higher order thinking skills (HOTS). A descriptive quantitative methodology study was conducted among 368 diploma students studying in three polytechnics in Malaysia. The students' learning styles were identified through the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory while their HOTS level was identified through a set of questionnaires adapted from the Marzano Rubrics for Specific Tasks or Situations. The results indicated that 'Doer' is the most dominant learning style among polytechnic students. The results also showed that polytechnic students perceived their HOTS level to be moderate. The Cramer V analysis showed that there was no relationship between students' learning styles and eight Marzano HOTS levels. There was also no significant difference between the Kolb Learning Styles and the Marzano HOTS levels. This indicated that regardless of the learning style possessed by the technical students i.e. Doer, Watcher, Thinker or Feeler, the level of HOTS of all the students was the same. This suggests that each student has a different learning style but that all of them possess equal opportunity and capability to learn and master HOTS.