You may well have to do an online verbal reasoning test (psychometric test) as part of your training contract application.
In a verbal reasoning test, you are usually provided with a passage of information and required to evaluate a set of statements by selecting one of the following possible answers:
A – True (The statement follows logically from the information or opinions contained in the passage)
B – False (The statement is logically false from the information or opinions contained in the passage)
C – Cannot Say (Cannot determine whether the statement is true or false without further information)
In the example below, give your answer to each question by clicking on either A, B or C. You will be told whether your answer is correct or not.
Passage:
Over 60 years ago, evolutionary biologist Bernhard Rensch calculated that males are typically the larger sex in big-bodied species such as humans, whereas females outdo them in small-bodied species such as spiders. Now it turns out that many plants obey Rensch’s rule too. Most plants produce both male and female sex organs, but around 7 percent are dioecious, meaning individuals are purely male or female. Recent results provide that female stems also must be large enough to display the fruit and support the animals that spread the pollen or seeds. If metabolism, predators or climate promote the evolution of smaller plants, however, males can shrink because their gametes are smaller.
The questions might be as follows.
1. Over 80 years ago, Bernard Rensch calculated that males are typically the larger sex in big-bodied species.
CANNOT SAY – the passage says that Bernard Rensch calculated this over 60 years ago, but it is not possible to say from the passage whether he calculated this over 80 years ago.
2. Around 7% of plants are dioecious, but it is not necessary for female stems to be large enough to display the fruit.
FALSE – whilst the first part of the statement is true according to the passage, the second part of the statement is clearly false, making the entire statement false.
So what’s the best way to prepare for your verbal reasoning test?
You are advised to practice any available good-quality example questions, and any books you can get your hands on with similar questions, and read our advice here. If you prepare properly for your test you will have nothing to worry about. Being prepared and knowing what to expect in your verbal reasoning test will go a long way to helping you perform your best. These verbal reasoning tests used by employers in their selection process aim to measure your ability to read, comprehend and interpret written information. Verbal reasoning tests are designed to test your powers of comprehension and logic.
You will be tested on whether you jump to conclusions or you appreciate the limitations of a statement. If a passage says “it has been reported…” it does not follow that the fact is necessarily true, only that it has been reported. Another classic example is: “if the lights in a house come on, does that mean there is someone inside the building?” Not necessarily.
“If A is bigger than B, does that mean B is small?” Not necessarily. You will be tested to sort fact from inference, a lot like what’s required in a real work environment. You can therefore see why lawyers almost always have to pass a verbal reasoning test.
Through practice, you will develop your own technique for answering verbal reasoning questions to the best of your ability, however for most people the best way to approach them is to read the entire passage through once, then turn to the questions. Read the first statement and refer back to the relevant part of the passage to carefully consider if the statement is true, false, or impossible to determine without further information. It will often come down to just one or two sentences within the passage.
You should have an idea of how much time to allow yourself for each question and know when to move on. Concentration is essential, especially when every second counts. Base your answers on only the information contained in the passage. This is crucial, and if you don’t do this you will probably get a lot of the questions wrong. Verbal reasoning tests are not tests of what you know, they are tests of how well you understand written information.
PASSAGE
New evidence shows that A-levels, examined in England, in a range of subjects don’t equip students with an appropriate level of mathematical skills. Also, different exam boards have recently been shown to provide varying levels of mathematical difficulty. As a result, a number of learned societies, has made recommendations for the upcoming A-level reform. SCORE (Science Community Representing Education), a collaboration of leading science organisations, publishes a new report today, Friday 27 April. This analyses the type, extent and difficulty of mathematics within the 2010 A-level exams for the three sciences. The report consider whether the type of mathematics in the examinations was suitable for progression within the subject’s field, the proportion of the examination that depended on mathematical knowledge, and the complexity of the mathematical questions. An expert claimed that these reports are extremely worrying, and we will be working hard to help improve the standard and relevance of A-levels.
Question 1. A-levels are a new exam.
CANNOT SAY. No information is given about when A-levels were first introduced in England.
QUESTION 2. This report considered mathematics in A-level examinations in Chemistry, Physics and Biology.
CANNOT SAY. The article does not specify which three sciences were studied in the report.
PASSAGE
Berries are good for you, that’s no secret. But can strawberries and blueberries actually keep your brain sharp in old age? A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital finds that a high intake of flavonoid rich berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, over time, can delay memory decline in older women by 2.5 years. The research team used data from subjects from the Nurses’ Health Study who completed health and lifestyle questionnaires beginning in 1976. Findings show that increased consumption of blueberries and strawberries was associated with a slower rate of memory decline in older women. A greater intake of anthocyanidins and total flavonoids was also associated with reduced memory decline. Researchers observed that women who had higher berry intake had delayed memory decline by up to 2.5 years.
Question 3. Berries which are high in flavonoids include blueberries.
TRUE. This is indeed specified in the third sentence of the passage.
QUESTION 4. Consumption of blueberries is associated with a faster rate of memory decline in older women.
CANNOT SAY. It is not possible to make this claim, for certain, from this passage.
PASSAGE
A research team at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has succeeded in describing the structure and function of the outermost layer of the skin – the “stratum corneum” – at a molecular level. This opens the way not only for the large-scale delivery of drugs via the skin, but also for a deeper understanding of skin diseases. The upper layer of the skin is a watertight barrier called the stratum corneum. They have now structure determined this barrier layer at a molecular level, unlocking the secrets of the skin’s perviousness. This will hopefully enable the widespread administration of drugs though the skin instead of via pills or injections, which brings several advantages; for example, it means that drugs can be delivered evenly over time instead of in doses.
Question 5. The structure and function of the ‘stratum corneum’ had never been elucidated at a molecular level.
CANNOT SAY. Whilst a research team at Karolinska Institutet has succeeded in describing these recently, the article does not state whether this is a new discovery.
Question 6. Medications through the skin will become more common.
CANNOT SAY. The article states clearly that such medications ‘will hopefully’ become available.
PASSAGE
A team reveals that playing an action videogame, even for a relatively short time, causes differences in brain activity and improvements in visual attention. Previous studies have found differences in brain activity between action videogame players and non-players, but these could have been attributed to pre-existing differences in the brains of those predisposed to playing videogames and those who avoid them. This is the first time research has attributed these differences directly to playing video games. Twenty-five subjects — who had not previously played videogames — played a game for a total of 10 hours in one to two hour sessions. Subjects who played the shooter videogame and also showed the greatest improvement on the visual attention task showed significant changes in their brain activity. The remaining subjects — including those who had played the puzzle game — did not.
Question 7. The improvements in visual attention are caused by differences in brain activity.
CANNOT SAY. No statement about causality of these processes is mentioned in this passage.
Question 8. The average length of time spent per session, for most subjects, was 5.
CANNOT SAY. It is not possible to make this statement from the information provided.
PASSAGE
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Fortunately, this is not always true. Our brain processes information in complex networks of nerve cells. The cells communicate and excite one another through special connections, called synapses. Young brains are capable of forming many new synapses, and they are consequently better at learning new things. That is why we acquire vital skills – walking, talking, hearing and seeing – early on in life. The adult human brain stabilises the synapses so that we can use what we have learned in childhood for the rest of our lives. Earlier research found that approximately one fifth of the synapses in the brain inhibit rather than excite other nerve-cell activity. Neuroscientists have now shown that many of these inhibitory synapses disappear if the adult brain is forced to learn new skills.
Synapses are found in complex networks of nerve cells.
TRUE. This statement is clearly true, on the basis of information given in the first two sentences.
Approximately 80% of synapses in the human brain excite other nerve-cell activity.
CANNOT SAY. Approximately 80% of synapses – in total – either excite other nerve-cell activity, or have no effect on their nerve-cell activity.
(c) All original material Legal Recruit 2012. All rights reserved.
Legal Recruit is an independent initiative and nothing to do with BPP.
@legal_recruit has the right to be identified as the author of this publication. All rights reserved. Any unauthorised broadcasting, copying or re-recording (duplication) will constitute an infringement of copyright. Permission granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only. Commercial copying, hiring, lending is prohibited. No further selling of this publication is permitted without the prior consent of the author. Whilst the materials are based on real news stories which have appeared in the media, the author takes no responsibility about the accuracy of the content therein. Any misrepresentation of persons or their work is entirely unintended.
