How to improve at verbal reasoning

Know the question types

Verbal reasoning usually mixes analogies (A is to B as C is to ?), odd-one-out, synonyms and antonyms, word patterns and code-style puzzles, and short logical-deduction problems. Recognising the type tells the student what kind of relationship to look for.

Crack analogies by naming the relationship

The key to an analogy is stating the link in words — 'a kitten is a young cat, so a foal is a young …'. Once the relationship is named precisely, the answer usually follows. Watch for the direction of the relationship, which the distractors often reverse.

Grow vocabulary deliberately

A strong vocabulary underpins most verbal reasoning. Reading widely helps, but so does keeping a list of new words with their meanings and a sentence of your own. Learning common prefixes, suffixes and roots lets a student decode unfamiliar words during the test.

Use context for meaning

For synonym and vocabulary-in-context questions, read the whole sentence — the surrounding words pin down which sense of a word is intended, which may not be the most common one.

Practise the right way

• Do timed sets of mixed verbal question types.
• Review every wrong answer and name the relationship you missed.
• Keep a growing personal vocabulary list.