How Ixly Verbale Analogieën works
The words in each question are set out in a square. Two words are given, and you either complete the analogy with two words from the options or find the two options that are related in the same way as the given pair. Ixly’s Verbal Reasoning page puts it simply: choose from six words exactly those that form an accurate analogy with the words given.
In Ixly’s own example the given pair is lopen and voeten: you walk with your feet, so you read with your eyes, and the answer is ogen and lezen. The relations Ixly lists include opposites, synonyms, parts of the same thing, user of, maker of and product of.
Like the other ACT subtests it adapts, gives 45 seconds per question and counts a missing answer as wrong. Your answer is the pair, so both words must be right.
How to solve a two-word analogy
Name the relation first, then hunt for a pair that matches it:
- Put the given pair into a short sentence: "you walk with your feet".
- Name the relation type: tool and user, maker and product, opposite, synonym, part and whole.
- Scan the six words for one that could start a matching sentence, then look for its partner.
- Check the pair in the same order as the given words. A reversed relation is a common wrong answer.
- Words with the same topic as the given pair are often decoys. The relation matters, not the subject.
Worked example
Given: hammer : carpenter. Options: scalpel, hospital, patient, surgeon, operation, cut.
The relation is "tool used by". A scalpel is the tool a surgeon uses, so the answer is scalpel and surgeon. Hospital, patient and operation all share the medical topic but none is a tool of the others, and scalpel with cut is a tool and its action, not a tool and its user.
Tips for the real Verbale Analogieën
- Check the test language. Ixly sets Dutch by default and the employer chooses, and this is the only verbal test of the three.
- If the test is in Dutch, practise Dutch relation pairs, not just English ones.
- Choose both words before the 45 seconds run out. One right word with no partner still counts as wrong.
- Learn the six relation types Ixly names. Spotting the type is most of the work.
Practise Verbale Analogieën on CogniPrep
Our version is in English. Each question gives a word pair and six options, and you pick two, scored as a pair: there are 15 possible pairs, so a guess rarely lands. It adapts over 10 to 14 questions with 45 seconds each, you press Submit with no going back, and the result is a practice percentile shown as a sten.