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Verbal ability questions measure your ability to spell words
correctly, use correct grammar, understand analogies and analyze
detailed written information. Most employers who use
psychometric tests
in the selection process will include verbal ability questions.
This is because there are very few careers which don't require the
ability to understand, analyze and interpret written information.
verbal
ability questions depend on understanding the precise meaning
of words, idioms and the structure of the English language. If you
speak English as a second language, even if this is at a high
standard, you will be disadvantaged in these tests.
Verbal ability questions can be divided into tests of simple
verbal ability, for example;
spelling ,
grammer,
synonyms and antonyms etc. These tests usually consist of 30
to 40 questions which need to be completed in 15 to 20 minutes.
They are
speed tests in that they don’t require very much reasoning ability. You either
know the answer or you don’t.
Verbal reasoning tests, on the other hand, are designed to measure
your problem solving abilities. These questions may take the form
of
comprehension exercises, which are straightforward (as long as
you remember to read the relevant part of the text carefully) or
more
complex statements where the best tactic is to make notes
about what you can deduce from each part of the text. These tests
are designed to test your reasoning ability rather than your
facility with the language.
In practice, the more straightforward types of verbal ability
questions (spelling, grammar and instructions) tend to be more
applicable to administrative roles and the reasoning and deduction
type of questions are more applicable to graduate and management
roles.
You will usually find questions on the following:
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Spelling
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Grammar
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Synonyms & Antonyms
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Sentence Completion
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Analogies
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Word Groups
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Class Membership
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Following Instructions
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Critical Reasoning
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Verbal Deductions
These types of question can be categorized into the 5 groups:
Spelling Questions
Questions where you have to identify incorrectly spelt words are
common in all levels of verbal ability tests. The test designer
needs to choose words which are in regular use but which are often
spelt incorrectly. If you have been out of the education system
for a while or you are not an avid reader, then you may be
surprised how much your spelling has deteriorated.
If you are concerned that your spelling may let you down then
you should download the practice spelling test which contains the
300 most commonly used words.
Download
sample verbal ability spelling questions
Word Meaning Questions
These questions are designed to measure your vocabulary and
your understanding of word meanings. The questions tend to focus
on the relationships between words and are phrased such that you
need to know the precise meaning of the words in order to
select the correct answer.
Download
sample verbal ability word meaning questions
Word Relationship Questions
These questions assess your ability to identify the relationship
between words and to then apply this verbal analogy. To answer
these questions you need to understand the meaning of the words in
the question and establish what exactly the relationship is
between them. You should then look at the answer options and
decide which answer is the most appropriate.
Download
sample verbal ability word relationship questions
Comprehension Questions
These questions consist of a short passage of text and some
related questions. They will often be about a topic which is
unfamiliar to you, but this is an advantage rather than a
disadvantage because you need to answer the questions based only
on the information that you are given – not using any knowledge
that you already have. These types of question appear in all
levels of verbal ability tests but may be more detailed and
technical in graduate and management level tests.
Download
sample verbal ability comprehension questions
Critical Reasoning Questions
These questions are designed to test your ability to take a series
of facts expressed in words and to understand and manipulate the
information to solve a specific problem. These questions are
usually restricted to graduate and management level tests.
Download
sample verbal ability critical reasoning questions
Everything you need to pass
psychometric tests
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