Abstract: There are defects such as sampling disturbances and inadequate test depth in conventional test methods of determining undrained shear strength of clayey soils, so test method based on cavity expansion theory were suggested and applied to result interpretation of pressure meter test and cone penetration test for granite residual clayey soils, diabase residual clayey soil and granite residual sandy clay, and the cu values derived from these two tests were compared. The results show that the assumptions of pressuremeter theory resulted in higher cu values compared with that derived from cone penetration test. In particular, The calculation process of iso-volumetric shear method is sensitive to drilling disturbances and strain value, so the results obtained from this method are easily fluctuated; while cu values obtained by direct traditional method, usually 1.2 times of cone penetration test value, are in agreement with the soil properties and depth of testing points because its sensitivity to initial disturbances is less, demonstrating that direct traditional method is a simple and effective method in determination of undrained shear strength of clayey soils.