Verbal Ability Tests

   
 

Verbal ability tests are designed to measure your ability to understand concepts framed in words, your ability to find commonalities among different concepts and to manipulate ideas on an abstract level. They assess both your knowledge of English and your reasoning ability.

Most employers who use psychometric tests in the selection process will include a verbal ability test as there are very few careers which don't require the ability to understand, analyse and interpret written information.

Verbal ability tests also give employers the best indication of how you will be perceived by other people, particularly customers and co-workers. This is because most of us make judgements about others based on the accuracy and clarity of the language they use to communicate. Whether you are communicating with customers, suppliers or co-workers, your ability to use words correctly is obvious and will say something positive or negative about you and the organization that employs you.

Verbal ability tests can be divided into tests of simple verbal ability, for example; spelling and grammar. 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, usually consist of 10 to 15 questions which need to be completed in 20 to 30 minutes and are designed to test your reasoning ability rather than your facility with the language. These questions may take the form of comprehension exercises or more complex statements which you need to analyze and understand in order to obtain the correct answer. These are referred to as verbal critical reasoning questions.

Verbal Ability Tests - Application to Roles

The more straightforward types of question (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.

These types of question can be categorised more simply into the 5 groups:

Verbal Ability Spelling
Questions where you have to identify incorrectly spelt words are common in all levels of verbal ability tests. 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. If you work through these papers systematically, which will take about 40 minutes, you should end up with a (hopefully short) list of words that you need to ‘re-learn’ to spell correctly.

1)

A

B

C

D

    

 

missile

misile

missille

misille

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

2)

A

B

C

D

    

 

undoubtedley

undoubtedlly

undoutedly

undoubtedly

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

3)

A

B

C

D

    

 

severly

severeley

severely

severley

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

4)

A

B

C

D

    

 

permisible

permissible

permissable

permisable

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

5)

A

B

C

D

    

 

occasionially

occasionally

occationally

occasionaly

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

6)

A

B

C

D

    

 

guarentee

garuantee

guarantee

garanttee

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

7)

A

B

C

D

    

 

easiley

easely

easaly

easily

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

8)

A

B

C

D

    

 

committee

comittee

commitee

comitee

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

9)

A

B

C

D

    

 

amater

amateur

amatueur

amatuer

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

10)

A

B

C

D

    

 

waether

whaether

wether

weather

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

11)

A

B

C

D

    

 

likely

likley

likelly

likeley

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

12)

A

B

C

D

    

 

impliment

implament

implement

implemment

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

13)

A

B

C

D

    

 

cemetery

cemetary

cemmetery

cemettery

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

14)

A

B

C

D

    

 

miselaneous

misellaneous

miscelaneous

miscellaneous

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

15)

A

B

C

D

    

 

suficient

sufficient

suffisient

sufficeint

    

 

 

 

 

 

    
16)

A

B

C

D

    

 

recieve

recceive

receive

resieve

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

17)

A

B

C

D

    

 

opportunity

opporttunity

oportunity

opportunety

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

18)

A

B

C

D

    

 

necessety

neccessity

necessity

necesety

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

19)

A

B

C

D

    

 

collectible

collectabel

collecteble

colectable

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

20)

A

B

C

D

    

 

defendent

defendant

deffendant

deffendent

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

Answers to verbal ability spelling questions.

Verbal Ability - Word Meanings
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. These questions often use words which have either the same or opposite meanings (synonyms and antonyms) and dictionary definitions.

1)

Which word does not have a similar meaning to - outcome

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

affect

result

upshot

effect

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)

Which word does not have a similar meaning to - comprise

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

Compose

cover

contain

encompass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)

Which word does not have a similar meaning to - energize

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

rejuvenate

strengthen

enervate

uplift

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)

Which word does not have a similar meaning to - populated

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

crowded

packed

populous

populace

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5)

Which word does not have a similar meaning to - condemn

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

critique

disparage

criticize

censure

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6)

Which word means - tuneful; compatible; marked by agreement

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

inclusive

harmonious

saturated

lucid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7)

Which word means - with passionate or intense feelings

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

temperamental

transitory

disconsolate

ardent

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8)

Which word means - to accumulate; to gather

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

abjure

assess

amass

deliberate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9)

Which word means - unjustifiably malicious; immoral; unmanageable 

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

wanton

diffident

barren

trite

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10)

Which word means - continuous; eternal; never ceasing 

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

indistinct

perpetual

vigilant

imperturbable

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11)

Choose the word most similar in meaning to - perplex  

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

dither

affiliate

discomfit 

reiterate 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12)

Choose the word most similar in meaning to - contradict

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

gainsay

oppose

disparage

tarnish

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13)

Choose the word most similar in meaning to - argumentative  

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

strident 

confrontational

irreverent

vociferous

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14)

Choose the word most similar in meaning to - expedite

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

beckon

exterminate

disrespect

facilitate

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15)

Choose the word most similar in meaning to - condescend

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

criticize

usurp

patronize

contribute

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16)

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to - fecund

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

productive

abundant

barren

unfriendly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17)

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to - tawdry

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

prosperous

clean

privileged

tasteful

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18)

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to - pragmatic

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

irrational

impractical

exuberant

realistic

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19)

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to - absolve

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

condemn

pardon

free

exonerate

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20)

Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to - exigent

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

strenuous

light

easy

difficult

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers to verbal ability word meaning questions.

Verbal Ability - Word Relationships
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. These questions test your reasoning ability as well as your vocabulary. These types of question appear in all levels of verbal ability tests.

1)

medicine is to illness as law is to -------

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

anarchy

discipline

treason

etiquette

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)

square is to cube as circle is to -------

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

round

ball

pi

sphere

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)

king is to throne as judge is to -------

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

lawyer

bench

court

trial

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)

nib is to pen as lens is to -------

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

seeing

glass

focus

telescope

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5)

settlement is to injury as pension is to -------

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

pensioner

maturity

retirement

age

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instruction: Identify the relationship between the word pair in the question.
Circle the answer where the word pair shown has the most similar relationship.

 

6)

levee : flood

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

dam : lake

armour : helmet

helmet : injury

water : tide

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7)

color : spectrum

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

verse : rhyme

tone : scale

noise : waves

waves : sound

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8)

extort : obtain

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

purify : strain

steal : borrow

explode : ignite

pilfer : steal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9)

heel : foot

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

beam : ship

hand : palm

stern : boat

cruiser : vessel

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10)

slight : hurt

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

lag : tardiness

sound : noise

time : lateness

blind : light

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instruction: Identify the relationship between the word group in the question.
Circle the answer which fits best with the group.

 

11)

barber, florist, draper

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

flower

cloth

milliner

hair

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12)

alps, pennines, pyrenees

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

rockies

dolomites

urals

himalayas

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13)

throw, volley, sling

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

hurl

grab

seize

catch

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14)

pine, fir, cypress

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

mahogany

oak

spruce

teak

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15)

wool, silk, leather

 

 

 

A

B

C

D

 

 

 

cotton

nylon

linen

fur

 

   

Answers to verbal ability word relationship questions.

Verbal Ability - Comprehension
These tests include a number of short passages of text followed by statements based on the information given in the passage. You are asked to indicate whether the statements are true or false, or whether it is not possible to say so either way. In answering these questions, use only the information given in the passage and do not try and answer them in the light of any more detailed knowledge which you personally may have.

Glaciers begin to form where snow remains year-round and enough of it accumulates to transform into ice. New layers of snow compress the previous layers and this compression forces the icy snow to re-crystallize, forming grains similar in size and shape to cane sugar. Gradually the grains grow larger and the air pockets between the grains get smaller, meaning that the snow slowly becomes more dense. After about two winters, the snow turns into firn, an intermediate state between snow and ice. Over time the larger ice crystals become more compressed and even denser, this is known as glacial ice. Glacial ice, because of its density and ice crystals, often takes a bluish or even green hue.

1)

Glaciers cannot form where snow does not remain all year round.

 

 

 

A

B

C

 

 

 

True

False

Can’t Say

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)

Firn is less dense than snow but more dense than ice.

 

 

 

A

B

C

 

 

 

True

False

Can’t Say

 

 

 

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