21 Verbal Reasoning Practice Formats: Examples and Methods

GOV.UK describes the Civil Service verbal test as a passage followed by True, False or Cannot Say statements (candidate guidance). The 11+ examples below use word and letter puzzles. Formats vary between employers and between local 11+ tests, so check the guidance for the specific assessment.

The official materials reviewed for this guide do not provide one national 11+ verbal reasoning type list. This article groups 21 example formats; the count and groupings are an editorial choice, not an exam-board specification or a claim that these are the only formats candidates may meet.

This guide presents 21 practice formats with original examples. Where noted, a format also appears in the official Medway familiarisation booklet. The examples and three broad groups can help organise practice, but they are not a diagnostic or a prediction of a local test.

Myth one: the 21 types are an official specification

They are not. The official Medway Test familiarisation booklet is a useful local example. Medway Council says GL Assessment is its test provider and that the test papers are written specifically for Medway Council.

That booklet illustrates four verbal reasoning formats. It also cautions that some sample types may not appear in the real test and that other types may appear.

GL Assessment explains on its free materials page that local tests may differ from its familiarisation materials in timing, topic mix and question count, and advises families to check with their admissions authority. Local formats differ, so this guide does not claim to list every type a child might encounter.

The four formats illustrated in that booklet are: a four-letter word hidden across two adjacent words; choosing opposite-meaning words from two groups; finding three missing consecutive letters in a capitalised word; and identifying two words that do not belong with three related words. Other examples below are general practice formats, not claims about what any particular board or school will set. Do not treat any type as guaranteed to appear or absent.

The Medway booklet describes the section as testing how candidates apply rules and work out relationships involving words and letters. That is a description of the section's broad focus, not a closed list of question formats.

Myth two: preparation means marching through 21 types

For navigation, the examples below are arranged in three broad groups: word meaning, letters and word building, and codes, sequences and logic. These are convenient headings for this article, not validated skill categories. Performance on one example cannot establish that a child will find other formats difficult.

For one current local example, Medway Council says the Reasoning paper includes spatial/non-verbal reasoning and a 25-minute verbal reasoning timed section, after two verbal practice questions with two minutes allowed. The full marked Reasoning paper totals 45 minutes. The council page does not state the number of marked verbal questions, so do not infer a per-question pace from it. Check the current guidance for your own test.

Family one: word meaning (seven types)

These examples practise word meaning and relationships. A child may meet unfamiliar vocabulary, so use the context and instructions in each question.

1. Closest meaning. (Example format.) Find the two words, one from each group, nearest in meaning: (brisk, damp, sturdy) (fragile, robust, hollow). Sturdy and robust both describe something strongly built, so that is the pair.
2. Opposite meaning. (Confirmed in official materials.) Choose the two opposites: (scarce, gentle, sudden) (plentiful, fragrant, upright). Scarce and plentiful are opposites; the other choices do not form clear opposite pairs here.
3. Odd two out. (Confirmed in official materials.) Find the two that do not belong: harp, violin, trumpet, cello, flute. Harp, violin and cello are stringed; trumpet and flute are blown.
4. Word connections. (Example format.) Bird is to nest as bee is to which of hive, honey, sting? The relationship is "lives in", so hive.
5. Complete the sentence. (Example format.) "The path was so ______ that we had to walk in single file." Choose from wide, narrow, steep. The clue is that single file can be needed when a path is narrow, so the answer is narrow.
6. Double meanings. (Example format.) Find a word linked in meaning to every word in both groups: (case, box, chest) (torso, tree, luggage). Trunk can mean a large case, a box or chest; a person's torso; the main stem of a tree; or a large travel case. Read the intended meaning in each phrase.
7. Word groups. (Example format.) Which word from the second group belongs with the first? First: oak, willow, birch. Second: petal, sycamore, meadow. Only sycamore is a tree.

Try a word-meaning question now: an analogy, where the relationship in the first pair has to be carried across to the second.

Family two: letters and word building (seven types)

These examples use letter patterns and word building. The methods differ, so follow the rule stated in each prompt.

1. Hidden word. (Confirmed in official materials.) Find the four-letter word hidden across a word boundary: "Please give her one more chance." The join of "her" and "one" gives HERO.
2. Three-letter word inserted. (Example format.) "The farmer had to B____D his cattle before winter." The missing three letters must themselves make a word: RAN, giving BRAND.
3. Missing letters removed. (Confirmed in official materials.) Three consecutive letters have been taken from a capitalised word and form a word of their own: S _ _ _ R with PEA gives SPEAR.
4. Insert a letter. (Example format.) One letter ends the first word and starts the second in both pairs: hear (?) ent and boas (?) rain. T gives heart, tent, boast, train.
5. Move a letter. (Example format.) Move one letter from the first word to the second so both remain real words: SPARK and TAR. Moving the S gives PARK and STAR.
6. Compound words. (Example format.) One word from each group joins to make a new word: (car, rain, mud) (bow, book, desk). Rain and bow make the familiar compound RAINBOW.
7. Complete the word. (Example format.) The bracketed word takes the last two letters of the first word and the first two of the second: BRUSH [SHOP] OPEN. Apply it to FRESH [?] OWNER and you get SHOW.

Try a letters question now: one letter has to finish the first word and start the second.

Family three: codes, sequences and logic (seven types)

These examples ask the reader to identify a rule or use information from a prompt. The same label does not mean every question uses the same method.

1. Letter codes. (Example format.) If TIDE is coded UJEF, every letter has moved on one place, so CAT becomes DBU.
2. Letter series. (Example format.) AC, EG, IK, ?, QS. Each letter advances four places from one pair to the next, so the missing pair is MO.
3. Word codes. (Example format.) If TRAIN is coded 51324, then T is 5, I is 2 and N is 4, so TIN is 524.
4. Number connections. (Example format.) In this example, the bracketed number is the product of the two outer numbers: 2 [10] 5 and 3 [21] 7. Apply that stated rule to 4 [?] 6: the answer is 24.
5. Number series. (Example format.) 4, 7, 13, 25, ?. The gaps double: 3, 6, 12, then 24, so the answer is 49.
6. Letters for numbers. (Example format.) If A is 2, B is 3, C is 4, D is 12 and E is 6, then (D divided by B) plus A gives 4 plus 2, which is 6, which is E.
7. Reading information. (Example format.) Tom is taller than Priya. Priya is taller than Sam. Sam is taller than Ben. Who is second shortest? Order them from tallest to shortest, and Sam is second from the bottom.

Some question formats may involve looking for a rule, but this grouping does not make verbal and non-verbal reasoning the same task. See our separate guide to non-verbal reasoning question types.

Try a code question now. Work out the shift first, then apply it.

The alphabet-position method

An alphabet-position aid may help with some letter questions. Check whether the local test provides an alphabet and what working materials are permitted.

At the start of the section, if your test permits rough work in the question booklet, write the alphabet with position numbers beneath it. Learn six anchors by heart: A is 1, E is 5, J is 10, M is 13, S is 19 and Z is 26. From an anchor you count two or three places, not nineteen. For reverse codes, the pairing to memorise is that any letter and its mirror add to 27, so A pairs with Z, B with Y, and M with N.

Check your target school's instructions about rough work and extra paper. If an alphabet strip helps, practise writing it quickly at home so the child can use it without losing focus on the question.

Pace with the room clock and a skip rule

Medway Council's published venue guidance requires a working analogue or digital clock to be clearly visible in the test room and says invigilators provide time reminders (Medway Test guidance). It gives the verbal reasoning section 25 minutes, but does not publish the number of marked verbal questions on that page. Other tests may have different rules; check the current guidance for yours.

There is no sound universal target of 20, 40 or 75 seconds for a named question type. The available time depends on the local paper's question count and mix. At home, time a short set, record which questions took longest, and teach your child to move on when a method is not working. Use the current official familiarisation paper and its stated time limit for a full practice sitting.

Buckinghamshire's booklet advises candidates to move on from a question that is taking too long and return if time remains. That is local guidance; follow the directions for the test your child will sit.

Follow your local answer-sheet instructions

Answer-sheet instructions depend on the test. Buckinghamshire's familiarisation booklet instructs candidates to use a pencil, make a clear mark, rub out changes completely, and not cross out answers. Read and follow the current instructions for your own test.

If your local test uses a separate answer sheet, its official familiarisation material can help your child learn that format. This guide cannot establish which practice resource is most useful for a particular child.

Use a review grid for these examples

Use a short mixed set to review examples you have tried. A small set can show which questions were missed in that sitting; it cannot diagnose a broad skill or predict test performance. GL provides familiarisation materials for several test areas on its free materials page. Our free practice papers with answers page lists further material.

If it helps, make a review grid with three headings: Word meaning, Letters and word building, Codes and logic. Put missed examples under their group using the numbering above, types 1 to 7, 8 to 14 and 15 to 21. Use the list to find examples to revisit, not to infer a broad ability or cause.

• Missed examples in column one. Review the meanings and relationships used in those examples. One result does not show whether vocabulary is a general difficulty.
• Missed examples in column two. Check the exact letter rule in each prompt and try another example if useful.
• Missed examples in column three. Write down the rule you think the example uses, then check it against every part of the question.
• Misses spread across groups. Review the instructions and methods for the specific items. A short set cannot prove a fixed weakness or tell you why an answer was missed.

You may keep a note of questions reviewed and revisit them later if that is useful. This guide does not establish a practice interval or promise a result. Smart Cub Learning's progress tracking is a separate product feature; this article's suggested review grid is manual.

Question formats vary, and the Medway booklet cautions that the real test may include formats not shown in its sample. Practising examples can help a child become familiar with their instructions, but this article's groups do not predict what another test will contain.