TestGorilla Verbal Reasoning Test: Analogies, True or False Statements and Tips

TestGorilla’s Verbal Reasoning test gives you 15 questions in 10 minutes: word analogies first, then short texts with a statement to mark True, False or Cannot be determined.

Practise TestGorilla Verbal Reasoning

TestGorilla Verbal Reasoning is in the TestGorilla unlock: £15 for all 17 tests, one-time payment, no subscription. Or try TestGorilla Numerical Reasoning free first.

What you do

Pick the word pair that matches an analogy, then judge statements about short texts as True, False or Cannot be determined.

Skills

Finding analogies; understanding premises and inference.

Questions

15, drawn at random from a bank of 95. Four options for analogies, three for statements.

Time limit

10 minutes for the whole test, 40 seconds a question.

Pass mark

None. Your result is a percentile against everyone who has taken the test; the employer sets its own bar.

Adjustments

Extra time on request at setup: 20% if you are not fluent in the test language, 50% for a condition affecting memory or concentration, 70% for both.

How the Verbal Reasoning test works

The test comes in two parts, always in this order. First, analogies: a pair of words in bold and four more pairs, and you pick the pair whose words are related in the same way. The relationships include synonyms and opposites.

Second, statements: a short text of a few sentences, then a statement, with three options that never change: True, False and Cannot be determined. You judge the statement on the text alone.

All 15 questions share one 10-minute clock, one per screen. Once you press Next, that question is closed for good.

How to answer analogies and statements

Two different skills, so two different routines:

Analogies: say the bold pair’s relationship as a sentence (“a seed grows into a tree”), then put each option into the same sentence. Only one fits exactly.
If two options seem to fit, make your sentence more specific until one drops out.
Statements: find the sentence in the text that proves the statement (True) or proves the opposite (False). If neither exists, the answer is Cannot be determined.
Do not fill gaps with what you know. A statement that is true in real life but not stated in the text is Cannot be determined.

Worked examples

An analogy. Thermometer : Temperature. Options: Scale : Weight; Clock : Wall; Ruler : Straight; Oven : Heat.

A thermometer measures temperature. The only pair that fits “a ___ measures ___” is Scale : Weight. Oven : Heat is the trap: an oven produces heat, it does not measure it.

Statements. Text: The council’s new recycling scheme started in May. Each household now has a food waste bin, collected every week, and general waste is collected every two weeks instead of weekly. In the first three months the amount of general waste collected fell by 18%.

“General waste used to be collected weekly” is True: the text says “instead of weekly”. “Food waste is collected less often than general waste” is False: food waste goes weekly and general waste fortnightly. “The food waste bins caused the fall in general waste” is Cannot be determined: two things changed in May, and the text does not say which caused the fall.

Tips for the real Verbal Reasoning test

The analogies come first and read faster. Keep each under 30 seconds so the texts get the time they need.
In the statement part, read the statement first, then scan the text for the sentence it depends on.
Look out for words that shift meaning: all, some, only, usually, more than.
Guess rather than skip. A skip counts as wrong, and with three options a guess has a one-in-three chance.
Press Next before the clock reaches zero. An answer you selected but did not submit is not saved.

Practise Verbal Reasoning on CogniPrep

Ours keeps TestGorilla’s order: seven analogies, then eight True, False or Cannot be determined statements, 15 questions on one 10-minute clock. One question per screen, no going back and a skip marked wrong. Questions come from our bank of 85, and you finish with a raw percentage, a percentile against CogniPrep players with harder questions weighted more, and separate feedback on analogies and statements.

Questions candidates ask

How many questions are in the TestGorilla Verbal Reasoning test?

Fifteen, drawn at random from a bank of 95, with 10 minutes for the whole test.

What is the difference between False and Cannot be determined?

False means the text says the opposite of the statement. Cannot be determined means the text does not settle it either way, even if the statement sounds likely.

Is the TestGorilla verbal test the same as its reading comprehension test?

No. Reading Comprehension is a separate 13-minute test with longer passages and one question about each. Verbal Reasoning is analogies and True, False or Cannot be determined statements.

What score do you need on the TestGorilla Verbal Reasoning test?

There is no set score. TestGorilla says there is no pass or fail; it shows the employer your percentile and raw percentage, and the employer decides who goes through.

Other TestGorilla tests explained

Try it before the real thing

Get used to the Verbal Reasoning format with our practice version before you take the real one. It is part of the TestGorilla unlock.