Verbal Reasoning

Practice verbal reasoning tests and expert test-taking advice. Test candidates or prepare for your up-coming verbal reasoning test.

Candidates:

Practise verbal reasoning tests and improve
your performance with worked solutions.

Practice Tests includes worked solutions free sample

Companies:

Test job applicants' verbal reasoning ability
and select the right candidate.

Assess Candidates includes profile reports

Many employers ask candidates to take a verbal reasoning test

Do you need to pass a verbal reasoning test? We have all the advice and practice tests you need to pass your test. Our practice tests simulate the tests used by employers, so practise our example questions now to become familiar with their style and format. With familiarity and confidence comes improved verbal reasoning test performance.

Overview of taking a verbal reasoning test

Verbal reasoning tests are a common hurdle to getting the job you want. Why to employers use verbal tests? Put simply: because they are better at predicting job performance than interviews, CVs and personality questionnaires. To quickly get a feel of what a verbal reasoning test looks like, take one of our free practice tests below.

Employers use your verbal reasoning score together with other selection factors such as interview performance to help them decide who gets the job. Verbal reasoning tests used in selection usually take the form of a written passage followed by a series of questions with possible True, False or Cannot Say responses. It is important you know and appreciate the meaning of each response if you are to score highly.

The most common way for employers to use verbal reasoning tests is after they have sifted through the CVs and application forms to find a long-list of hopefuls. Candidates on this long-list then get invited to take a verbal reasoning test (more often than not online). Those who pass this online test then usually get invited to an assessment centre, where the employer may ask them to sit another verbal reasoning test just to check their online test score was indeed achieved by them and not their mates!

The largest test publisher is SHL. You may have been told by your employer which test publisher they are using, for example, SHL, Kenexa, Criterion Partnership, or any one of many more.

So what's the best way to prepare for you verbal reasoning test? Easy: practice our example questions and read the advice on this webpage. If you prepare properly for your test you will have nothing to worry about. Being prepared and knowing what to expect in your verbal reasoning test will go a long way to helping you perform your best.

Free example verbal reasoning tests

Is verbal ability testing fair?

A verbal reasoning test is much more fair on candidates than a subjective form of assessment such as an interview because it presents questions of similar difficulty to all candidates and is objectively scored. The results from verbal reasoning tests also tend to be less affected by background or race, so they are beneficial to both candidates and employers.

How verbal reasoning tests work

The verbal tests used by employers in their selection process aim to measure your ability to read, comprehend and interpret written information.

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What will my verbal reasoning test be like?

By far the most common form of verbal reasoning test is one in which you are presented with a passage of text, then asked whether certain statements relating to that text are true, false, or impossible to say without more information. In older verbal tests, rarely used for recruitment nowadays, you would be asked to identify from a list of statements which one is true, given the information in the passage. Some employers also test things such as word meaning, for example "which word is the odd one out". But again, these are rarely used anymore.

The best way to get a flavour of what recruitment verbal reasoning tests are like it so take one of our free example verbal reasoning tests above. Our practice verbal reasoning tests are very similar to the tests used by graduate employers, and are often encountered at assessment centres or conducted online. These free sample verbal reasoning tests are fairly time-pressured, just like the real thing will be so try to work both quickly and accurately.

Although this particular style of verbal reasoning test is the most common, it always helps to contact the human resources department of the employer and try to obtain any information you can about the actual tests you will be taking. They are normally very good at providing you with information about the test and sometimes even tell you what test publisher they are using.

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What will my verbal reasoning test be testing?

Verbal reasoning tests are designed to test your powers of comprehension and logic. You will be tested on whether you jump to conclusions or you appreciate the limitations of a statement. If a passage says "it has been reported..." it does not follow that the fact is necessarily true, only that it has been reported. Another classic example is: if the lights in a house come on, does that mean there is someone inside the building? Not necessarily. If A is bigger than B, does that mean B is small? Not necessarily. You will be tested to sort fact from inference, a lot like what's required in a real work environment. You can see why lawyers almost always have to pass a verbal reasoning test, or a critical thinking test.

Something which will not be tested by the verbal reasoning tests used by employers is spelling. The employer is trying to gauge your reasoning ability, not your vocabulary or spelling. Recruitment tests are nothing to do with old-fashioned tests such as word association or missing words.

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Do I need to be a fast reader?

It helps, but more important than speed is how well you understand what you are reading, and recognising the difference between fact and inference.

Verbal reasoning tests are normally strictly timed. The assessor will get to see how many questions you attempted and how many of those you got right. So you will need to strike a balance between attempting lots of questions and getting them right. For most verbal reasoning tests you will find it difficult to answer all the questions within the time limit. However some tests allow a lot longer and they are all about your analysis and reasoning ability.

If you think you have a condition which requires adjustment to be made to your verbal reasoning test, such as for dyslexia, tell your assessor in good time before your test and they will help make the verbal reasoning tests fair for all candidates. Some test publishers allow extra time, and some give everyone the same time limit but make a judgement on whether to adjust the raw score.

What's the best technique for these tests?

Through practice you will develop your own technique for answering verbal reasoning questions to the best of your ability, however for most people the best way to approach them is to read the entire passage through once, then turn to the questions. Read the first statement and refer back to the relevant part of the passage to carefully consider if the statement is true, false, or impossible to determine without further information. It will often come down to just one or two sentences within the passage.

Before the test:

Get a good night's sleep before your test so that you stay focused during your test. Arrive in plenty of time so that when you sit down to take your test you are calm and collected.

Make sure you understand the instructions. If your tests is at an assessment centre the test administrator will explain the instructions and you will have the opportunity to ask questions. You usually get to go through a couple of example questions before the test begins for real. You will not be allowed to ask questions once the test has started, so make sure you take this opportunity to understand the test.

Are you comfortable, is your desk wobbly, are you distracted by noise from the next room? Make sure you raise any problems before the test starts with the test administrator.

During the test:

Have an idea of how much time to allow yourself for each question and know when to move on. Concentration is essential, especially when every second counts. Don't let yourself get distracted by other test takers, this will slow you down.

Don't guess. The administrator probably won't tell you if negative marking is being used but rest assured it rarely is in the verbal reasoning tests used by employers. Instead of guessing outright, often it is possible to eliminate one of the possible three answers, thus reducing your options down to two. Beware some tests do have mechanisms for detecting random guessing, and this won't look good when the employer sees that you're a slap-dash risk taker. So don't be tempted to quickly guess the last questions just before the time runs out.

Base your answers on only the information contained in the passage. This is crucial, and if you don't do this you will probably get a lot of the questions wrong. Verbal reasoning tests are not tests of what you know, they are tests of how well you understand written information.

After the test:

Focus on the next test. Employers use a whole series of tests, interviews and assessments to select candidates. The results are used in the whole; it is not the case that a poor result in one test instantly removes you from the running. If you don't think you did particularly well in one test, try not to let this affect your performance in another test.

Ask for feedback. Not all employers have the time or resource to offer this but it's worth asking. If you know how you performed, you can better prepare for that aspect next time.

Online Verbal Reasoning Tests

Most employers use an online form of the verbal reasoning test now. This works very well for the pre-selection stage, after the initial application form, before the assessment centre. Candidates are asked to login to an online testing environment and sit an unsupervised test via a computer. For the employer this saves time and cost as lots of candidates can quickly be assessed this way. For the candidate it means you don't have to travel and you are more likely to feel relaxed and comfortable taking the test.

This is not an opportunity to get your friends to help you though! If the employer likes your application and you score well in your online test they will almost certainly invite you in for an interview and another test but this time supervised. This way they can be sure that your fantastic score was actually achieved by you and not your friend.

For online verbal reasoning tests it is even more important to practice since this will allow you to become familiar with the test interface and test style. If you are familiar with the types of test you have to face, you are more likely to perform your best and maximise your chances of success.

Any comments?

Preparing for an interview can be a daunting prospect, but a lot of people overlook one important aspect - verbal reasoning tests. These tests often comprise a vital part of the interview process and can be whole other challenge that you've got to face, yet far too few people are prepared for them. This can be a big mistake.

Why verbal reasoning matters

In most jobs, verbal skills and the ability to communicate effectively will comprise a huge part of the position. Employers need to know that you have these verbal reasoning skills before they'll give you the job, so it's important you know what you're doing. This means that standardised verbal reasoning tests are often an important part of the selection process, and if you don't want to be overlooked it's important that your verbal reasoning skills are up to scratch.

But, it's the tests themselves that can often cause the most difficulty. Even if you've got exceptional verbal reasoning skills the test environment could easily set you back - the nerves of the day combined with the shock of seeing such a test for the first time could conspire against you, and you might find that your score is less than you were expecting. This can be disastrous because you wouldn't want your attempt at getting that job to be thwarted because you simply weren't ready for your verbal reasoning test, and that's why it's incredibly important that you practice beforehand. That's where verbal reasoning practice tests come in.

Improve your score with verbal reasoning practice tests

If you spend the time to practice before the big test day, you'll be much more prepared and as such much more likely to do well. The higher your score the better your chance of being taken to the next level in the application process, making verbal reasoning practice tests an essential part of interview preparation.

Verbal reasoning practice tests will be in the same format as the ones you'll see on test day, ensuring you don't get a shock when you sit down to take the test. You'll be able to use them to practice not only your verbal reasoning skills but also your speed and accuracy, both of which are vital parts of passing the test. You'll be able to improve your score which can mean you're more likely to stand out from the crowd, hopefully propelling you towards the top of the selection pile. The only consideration could be where to find the verbal reasoning tests that you're looking for, and that's where we come in.

Verbal reasoning practice tests from AssessmentDay

Here at AssessmentDay we want to help you achieve your goal of passing that all-important verbal reasoning test, and that's why we've got plenty of practice options to help you out. Practice makes perfect and when you come to us that's exactly what you'll be able to do, so give yourself the best chance of acing that test by coming to us and seeing what we can do.