How the Woordanalogieën test works
Each item reads like “A - B = C - ?”. The first two words are linked by a relationship. You choose, from five words, the one that has the same relationship with the third word.
NOA keeps the words simple on purpose, so the test rewards reasoning more than a large vocabulary. The difficulty is in the relationship: part and whole, opposites, a maker and what they make, a thing and where it is found.
Woordanalogieën is in the MCT-M, the MCT-H and the adaptive MCT-A, and Harver uses the item type as “Verbal Reasoning (Word Analogies)”.
How to solve a word analogy
Turn the first pair into a sentence, then reuse it:
- Link A and B in a short sentence, such as “a baker makes bread”.
- Put C into the same sentence and see which option completes it.
- If two options fit, make the sentence more exact, including which way round it runs.
- Watch for options that are linked to C in a different way. They are there to catch a rushed answer.
Worked examples
First: thermometer - temperature = clock - ?. Options: wall, alarm, time, minute, watch. A thermometer measures temperature, so a clock measures time. Minute is close but it is a unit, not the thing measured; the answer is time.
Second: seed - tree = egg - ?. Options: nest, bird, shell, yolk, farm. A seed grows into a tree, so an egg grows into a bird. Shell and yolk are parts of an egg, a different relationship.
Tips for the real Woordanalogieën test
- Say the relationship to yourself before you read the options. Reading the options first invites a word that is merely related.
- The words are everyday words. If an item feels hard, the relationship is the problem, not the vocabulary.
- Eighteen seconds an item is enough for the sentence method once it is a habit.
- On NOA’s Talent Portal an answer often takes you straight to the next question, so be sure before you tap.
Practise Woordanalogieën on CogniPrep
Our Word Analogies game gives you 30 items on a 9-minute clock, in NOA’s “A - B = C - ?” layout with five options. The words are English. Your answer moves you straight on, and you can skip. You see your number right and a Lager, Midden or Hoger band against CogniPrep users.