Verbal Reasoning Test Methodology
Read all the instructions before beginning the verbal reasoning test. Take note of how many questions you will have to answer and how long you have to complete the test. Calculate how many questions per minute you should be aiming to answer. Verbal reasoning tests typically last 15 – 20 minutes and you usually have approximately 1 minute to answer each question.
Some tests have a number of questions per passage of pros. Others have a new passage for each question. You probably won’t know this until you get onto the second question so make sure you stick to timings, don’t spend ages on the first question, banking on the fact that if you immerse yourself in the passage more questions will follow relating to that passage of text.
Only use information provided in the passage to answer the questions. Do not use any personal knowledge even if you are a subject matter expert and you disagree with what the passage says. Just use information provided in the passage and do not make any assumptions based on your own personal knowledge. Stick to the facts stated in the passage. The major test publishers such as SHL and Kenexa will advise you to do the same in the instructions before you begin your assessment.
False and cannot say the hardest category to differentiate between. The only way to improve at this is to practice verbal reasoning questions prior to sitting your real assessment. This will help you to improve through experience.
If you get stuck move on, easier questions may follow. It’s very important to stick to timings and move on. Some assessments allow you to go back and review / amend answers at the end. If you finish early go back and review the answers to the questions you flagged earlier. It’s useful to have some rough paper with you so you can make note of the questions you want to go back and review at the end.
Tips for improving your verbal reasoning performance
Practice as many verbal reasoning questions as possible before sitting your real assessment (e.g. your SHL or Kenexa assessment). This is the best way to improve your speed, accuracy and timings.
Practice verbal reasoning questions under exam conditions, this means completing practice tests in one sitting and to time. Do not practice in an environment where you are easily distracted and not fully engaged. This will maximise the efficiency of your preparation time.
Focus on reviewing the questions you get wrong at the end of each verbal reasoning test. Review the solutions and try to understand why you got the answer wrong. You will learn more the questions you got wrong than those which you got correct.
When reading news or magazine articles practice reading them quickly but carefully and understanding the key themes and messages.
Make sure you get a good night’s sleep before your assessment it’s surprising how much this can affect performance.
Just before you start your real assessment and if you get in a panic during your assessment take a deep breath, this will help calm your nerves.
Make time for practicing verbal reasoning tests, no one enjoys spending time preparing for them but think of this as an opportunity to get really well prepared and differentiate yourself from the competition.

Last edited by husnain (2014-10-05 06:33:29)