11+ verbal reasoning: the question types explained

What verbal reasoning tests

Verbal reasoning (VR) tests how well a child can work with words, letters and simple logic under time pressure. Not every test uses every type below, and formats differ by exam provider, so practise the question types your child's test actually uses.

Vocabulary and word-meaning questions

• Synonyms and antonyms: pick the word closest to, or opposite in meaning to, a given word.
• Odd one out: find the word that doesn't belong with the others.
• Word connections: choose the pair or word that completes a relationship, such as a part and a whole.
• Closest-meaning and cloze: choose the word that best fits a gap in a sentence.

Letter and word manipulation

• Hidden words: find a word hidden across the end of one word and the start of the next.
• Anagrams: rearrange letters to make a word that fits a sentence.
• Compound words: join two words, one from each group, to make a new word.
• Missing letters: complete a word by adding the same letters or letter groups.

Codes and sequences

• Letter codes: apply a shift or pattern to letters, such as moving each letter on by a set number.
• Number and letter series: find the rule and give the next item.
• Alphabet-position questions: use the position of letters in the alphabet.

How to practise

Vocabulary is the slowest thing to build, so wide reading and talking about new words helps far more than last-minute drilling. For the puzzle-style types, short regular sessions work best: learn the rule, practise it until it is quick, then mix types together so your child must decide which method to use.

Check the timing as well as accuracy. VR is often tight on time, and a child who knows every answer but finishes only two thirds of the paper will still score poorly.