How the Verbale Relaties test works
Each item is one sentence with two words given and two missing: “... staat tot X als Y staat tot ...”, or in English “... relates to X as Y relates to ...”. The first gap pairs with X and the second gap pairs with Y, and both pairs must share the same relation. You pick the first word from one list and the second from another.
LTP says the test measures the ability to find logical relationships between meaningful words, and to structure, discriminate and reason with what words mean. On a Dutch programme the words are Dutch.
The COTAN register lists the test at 40 items. Only correct answers count, and nothing is deducted for a wrong one. When the verbal score needs a retest, LTP uses a different test, the Syllogismentest.
How to answer a double analogy
Because both gaps are open, start from the words you are given:
- Read X and Y and ask how each could relate to another word: part and whole, opposite, cause and effect, tool and use, young and adult, degree.
- Try each word in the first list against X and say the relation as a sentence: “a hand has fingers”.
- Turn the same sentence around Y and look for that word in the second list: “a foot has toes”.
- Check the direction. Whole to part on the left must be whole to part on the right, not part to whole.
- If you are sure of one side, use it to narrow the other. A pair counts only when both words fit.
Worked example
“... relates to finger as foot relates to ...”. First gap: hand, nail, ring, thumb, glove. Second gap: shoe, toe, leg, sock, walk.
Hand and toe: a hand has fingers as a foot has toes, whole to part on both sides. Nail and toe fails on direction: a nail is part of a finger, but a toe is part of a foot, so the sides run opposite ways. Glove and sock fails the same way: a glove covers a finger, but a foot is covered by a sock.
Tips for the real Verbale Relaties test
- Practise in Dutch if your programme is in Dutch. This is the LTP test where language matters most.
- Say every relation as a short sentence. Vague feelings that two words “go together” are what the wrong options exploit.
- Fill both gaps before moving on, even if you are unsure of one. A blank scores nothing.
- Take LTP’s free practice version at the level of your job. It runs 6.5 minutes, which shows you the pace.
- Use a laptop or PC, as LTP asks for its tests.
Practise the Verbale Relaties test on CogniPrep
Our version gives you 40 double analogies on one 26-minute clock, with five words for each gap, from easier to harder. The 26 minutes is ours, because LTP does not publish the live time. You can skip and return. An item counts only when both words are right. Our items are in English.