Free Verbal Ability Reasoning Tests: Practice Questions, Examples & Strategies to Boost Your Score
Aug 29, 2025
Verbal ability tests are very widely used because most jobs require you to understand and make decisions based on verbal or written information.
However, there is another less obvious reason that these tests appeal to employers.
Verbal tests 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.
To put it bluntly, we assume that people who can communicate clearly and accurately are ‘better’ than those who can’t.
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.
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Verbal tests evaluate your ability to spell words correctly, use correct grammar, understand analogies and analyze detailed written information.
Because they depend on understanding the precise meaning of words, idioms and the structure of the language they discriminate very strongly towards native speakers of the language in which the test has been developed.
If you speak English as a second language, even if this is at a high standard, you will be significantly disadvantaged in these tests.
There are two distinct types of verbal ability questions, those dealing with spelling, grammar and word meanings, and those that try to measure your comprehension and reasoning abilities.
Questions about spelling, grammar and word meanings are speed tests in that they don’t require very much reasoning ability. You either know the answer or you don’t.
Comprehension, reasoning and class membership questions on the other hand, are designed to measure your problem solving abilities.
These questions take the form of passages of text which you need to read before answering a series of questions or of groups of words which share relationships.
These questions measure your ability to understand concepts and ideas expressed verbally.
While these questions are designed to measure reasoning ability rather than educational achievement, it is generally recognized that verbal reasoning test scores are influenced by educational and cultural background.
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Verbal Ability – 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 commonly misspelled words which are in regular use, as it would be unfair to use obscure words which only a small percentage of candidates could be expected to know.
This means that the test designer has a relatively restricted list of words to choose from and you will find that the same words tend to appear in many different suppliers tests.
Verbal Ability – Word Meaning Questions
These questions are designed to measure your vocabulary, specifically your understanding of word meanings.
To achieve this, the questions focus on the relationships between words and the questions are phrased such that you need to know the precise meaning of the words given in order to select the correct answer.
These questions often use synonyms and antonyms (words which have either the same or opposite meanings), dictionary definitions and word pairs.
Verbal Ability – 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.
These questions test your reasoning ability as well as your vocabulary.
These types of question appear in nearly all levels of verbal ability tests.
Verbal Ability – 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.
Verbal Ability – Critical Reasoning Questions
These questions are not so much concerned with measuring your facility with English.
They 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.
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Verbal Ability Reasoning Test Example Questions
Spelling Questions
Identify the incorrectly spelled word.
a) Occurrence
b) Embarrasment
c) Accommodation
d) Harassment
The correct answer is: b) Embarrasment.
The correct spelling is Embarrassment (with two r’s and two s’s).
Which word is spelled incorrectly?
a) Consensus
b) Definitely
c) Priviledge
d) Separate
The correct answer is: c) Priviledge.
The correct spelling is Privilege (no “d”).
Choose the misspelled word.
a) Perseverance
b) Vacuum
c) Recommend
d) Wierd
The correct answer is: d) Wierd.
The correct spelling is Weird (i before e except after c — with exceptions).
Word Meaning Questions
Which word is the closest synonym of ephemeral?
a) Temporary
b) Permanent
c) Important
d) Large
The correct answer is: a) Temporary.
Ephemeral means short-lived or lasting a very short time.
Which is the best antonym for mitigate?
a) Lessen
b) Intensify
c) Delay
d) Ignore
The correct answer is: b) Intensify.
Mitigate means to make less severe; the opposite is to make more severe, or intensify.
Which word best fits the definition “a person who doubts or questions accepted beliefs”?
a) Pessimist
b) Skeptic
c) Realist
d) Optimist
The correct answer is: b) Skeptic.
A skeptic is one who questions or doubts widely held opinions.
Word Relationship Questions
Book : Read :: Fork : ?
a) Cut
b) Eat
c) Sharpen
d) Hold
The correct answer is: b) Eat.
A book is something you read; a fork is something you eat with.
Doctor : Patient :: Teacher : ?
a) School
b) Student
c) Lesson
d) Exam
The correct answer is: b) Student.
A doctor treats patients; a teacher instructs students.
Light : Darkness :: Truth : ?
a) Honesty
b) Lie
c) Justice
d) Fact
The correct answer is: b) Lie.
Light is the opposite of darkness; truth is the opposite of a lie.
Comprehension Questions
Passage:
“Online education has expanded rapidly over the past decade. Advocates argue that it increases access and flexibility, while critics highlight concerns about quality and engagement compared to traditional classrooms. Studies suggest that outcomes vary depending on the subject matter, the student’s self-discipline, and the design of the online course.”
According to the passage, one advantage of online education is:
a) Higher teaching quality
b) Increased access and flexibility
c) Better student discipline
d) Improved classroom interaction
The correct answer is: b) Increased access and flexibility.
The passage explicitly states these as benefits.
The author suggests outcomes of online education:
a) Are always worse than classroom learning
b) Depend on several factors
c) Are consistently better than traditional learning
d) Cannot be measured
The correct answer is: b) Depend on several factors.
The text mentions subject matter, self-discipline, and course design as influences.
Critics of online education are mainly concerned with:
a) Costs
b) Quality and engagement
c) Technology access
d) Time management
The correct answer is: b) Quality and engagement.
The passage identifies these as the key criticisms.
Critical Reasoning Questions
"All successful managers are good communicators. Some good communicators are not confident public speakers. Therefore, some successful managers are not confident public speakers."
a) Valid
b) Invalid
c) Cannot say
d) Circular reasoning
The correct answer is: c) Cannot say.
The premises do not guarantee the conclusion; we don’t know if the subset of good communicators who are managers overlap with those lacking confidence in public speaking.
"Employees who are satisfied at work are more productive. Company A increased satisfaction by 20% and saw productivity rise by 15%. Therefore, increasing satisfaction always increases productivity."
a) Valid argument
b) Invalid argument
c) Sound argument
d) Strong argument
The correct answer is: b) Invalid argument.
The conclusion overgeneralises from a single case. Other factors could influence productivity.
"No engineers are careless. Some careful people are designers. Therefore, some designers are not engineers."
a) Valid
b) Invalid
c) Cannot say
d) Strong
The correct answer is: c) Cannot say.
The premises don’t establish a relationship between engineers and designers.
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If English is Your Second Language
Most of our visitors are USA and UK based and speak English as a native language.
They are also predominantly graduates or managerial level people.
These verbal ability practice questions are aimed at this group.
If you speak English as a second language then you will find these questions very difficult indeed.
By all means try them, but don’t panic if you have problems.
The verbal ability questions you are set may be easier than these ones and the employer or test administrator will almost certainly make allowances for you as a non-native English speaker.
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Final Thoughts
Verbal ability tests are designed to measure more than spelling, vocabulary, and grammar – they show how clearly and accurately you can process and communicate information. At graduate and management level, employers rely on these tests because strong verbal skills translate into better decision-making, clearer reports, and more effective collaboration with colleagues and clients.
Preparation makes a real difference. Practising spelling, word meanings, and analogies will sharpen your speed and accuracy, while working through comprehension and critical reasoning questions will strengthen your ability to evaluate arguments and interpret complex information.
Remember, these assessments are usually timed, so it’s important to balance accuracy with efficiency. Read carefully, avoid assumptions, and base your answers only on the information provided. With regular practice and a calm, methodical approach, you’ll be well placed to achieve a strong score in your verbal ability test.
