Key Takeaways
In this article I will cover:
- The Format: 40 questions in 15 minutes, sat at both Briefing and Main Board.
- The Strategy: Six rules to follow on test day, each one explained in full.
- The 18 Question Types: Every trap the test sets, each explained with an interactive example you can try as you read.
- Common Mistakes: The marks lost in this test come from a handful of repeat offenders, and all of them are avoidable.
Verbal reasoning is the psychometric test candidates worry about least. It doesn't frighten people the way numerical reasoning does, and it doesn't feel alien the way abstract reasoning does. It is just reading, and you have been doing that your whole life.
This is exactly why it catches people out. The statements are written so that the answer you settle on in two seconds is often the wrong one. You will not feel it going wrong, and that is the difference between this test and the other two.
In this guide I will break the test down in full. The format, the strategy that works, and all eighteen question types you will meet, each with an interactive example you can try as you read.
What Is the Verbal Reasoning Test?
Verbal reasoning is one of the psychometric tests you sit at AOSB. It measures how well you understand, analyse and draw conclusions from written information under time pressure.
You will sit it at both Briefing and Main Board. You are expected to answer 40 multiple-choice questions in 15 minutes, which gives you a limit of 22.5 seconds per question.
The Format
You are shown a written passage and an accompanying question. For each passage you are typically asked four separate questions, one at a time. Each question is written as a statement, and your task is to decide from the passage alone whether it is True, False, or Can't tell.
The example below shows what this looks like in practice. Try it for yourself.
A lighthouse is a tower built to guide ships and warn them away from dangerous stretches of coast. At the top sits a powerful lamp, and around it a shaped glass lens gathers the light into a narrow beam that can be seen far out at sea. Each lighthouse flashes to its own pattern, so a navigator who knows the coast can tell one from another and fix a position at night or in poor weather. For hundreds of years a keeper lived on site, tending the lamp through the hours of darkness and keeping the lens clean.
During the twentieth century the keeper's work was gradually taken over by machines. Electric lamps replaced the old oil burners, and sensors were fitted so that the light switched itself on as dusk fell. By the end of the 1990s almost every lighthouse in Britain had been automated, and the last keepers were withdrawn. The towers are now monitored from a central control room, and engineers visit only for repairs. A few former keepers' cottages have since been let to holidaymakers, while the lights themselves still turn each night, watched over from a distance rather than by hand.
Most lighthouses in Britain are no longer looked after by resident keepers.
That passage is a short one, chosen so the format is clear on a first read. What you sit at Briefing and Main Board is harder than this on every front. The passages are longer and the statements are subtler. The tests on the Officer Ready platform are built to match.
The passage remains unchanged for four questions at a time. This means the first question on each passage will usually take longer, as you read the passage for the first time. By the remaining three you already know where everything sits, and you will answer more quickly.
The Skills It Draws On
Performing well draws on a handful of core skills:
- Reading quickly while retaining the key information
- Distinguishing what the text says from what you might assume
- Logical thinking, so you can judge whether a conclusion follows from the evidence
- Discipline to answer solely from the passage, never from prior knowledge
- Composure to hold your accuracy as the time pressure builds
None of those come down to general knowledge or vocabulary. They come down to reading with discipline, and that improves quickly once you know what to look for.
Why It Matters
Officers process written orders, reports and briefings constantly, and they make decisions on information that is often incomplete. Reading critically, identifying the key points, and refusing to lean on unfounded assumptions is essential to doing that well.
The assessors know this, which is why the test carries real weight in your overall psychometric picture. But there is a second reason to take it seriously.
The planning exercise at Main Board asks you to extract key information from a complex written scenario at speed, under far more pressure than this test ever applies. Every hour you spend sharpening your critical reading here is an hour spent preparing for the Plan Ex as well.
The Strategy: Six Rules for Test Day
The way you approach the test will differ according to personal preference. Some candidates prefer to read the passage in full before reading the statement. Others read the first statement, then scan the passage for the answer.
You will need some trial and error on practice questions before you strike upon a method that feels natural. But whichever you choose, it is vital to know exactly what your method is before arriving at Westbury. Trying to work it out in the real test is a recipe for disaster.
I suggest you follow these six rules as you work through your practice tests. They apply to every question, regardless of what the passage describes.
1. Read the First Statement Before the Passage
Read the first statement for each passage before you read the passage itself. This will save you time. If you read the passage first, you will almost certainly need to reread parts of it before choosing your first answer.
It is much easier to hold a single statement in mind as you read the passage than it is to retain a whole passage as you read the statement.
2. Answer Only From the Passage
This is non-negotiable. You must not answer a question using knowledge that is not in the passage. A common trap is a statement that looks and feels true but is not supported by the wording in front of you.
If the passage doesn't say it, it doesn't count. However true the statement is in the real world, the answer is Can't tell.
3. Watch the Clock
You have exactly 22.5 seconds per question. In practice you should aim to work a little faster, averaging 20 seconds or under where possible. Some questions will naturally take longer than others, so don't obsess over any single question.
It does help to have a few yardsticks memorised before the test, so you can keep track of your speed. The table below sets them out.
| Checkpoint | On pace (22.5s per question) | Ideal pace (20s per question) |
|---|---|---|
| Reaching question 11 | 3:45 | 3:20 |
| Reaching question 21 | 7:30 | 6:40 |
| Reaching question 31 | 11:15 | 10:00 |
| All 40 questions answered | 15:00 | 13:20 |
If you reach question 11 in under 3:45 and question 21 in under 7:30, you can relax in the knowledge that you are working at the right speed.
Candidates often report that the test ramps up in difficulty in the later stages. If you are comfortably ahead of time during the first half, you are buying yourself additional time for the harder questions to come.
4. Answer Every Question
There is no negative marking, so you will not lose marks for an incorrect guess. You are literally leaving marks on the table if you don't answer every question.
Have a stopping point in your head where you stop working out answers and simply click through, selecting an answer for each remaining question. I would suggest 30 seconds from the end is about right.
It sounds obvious, but it is easy to lose track of time as you rush towards the end, so a pre-defined stopping point is key.
5. Move On If You Get Stuck
At some point you will reach a question that stumps you. When it happens, guess and move on. At worst you have a 1 in 3 chance of getting it right.
More time is unlikely to help much, and it will harm the rest of your test. Even if an extra 20 seconds doubled your chance of getting it right, that is a third of a mark bought at a price that leaves you rushed for every question that follows.
6. Prioritise Correctness Over Speed
Work at a speed that is appropriate for you, even if that means guessing the last few questions. It should feel slightly rushed, but never so quick that you are effectively guessing.
Candidates report that the earlier questions feel easier, so you are more likely to get them right than the ones that come later. The later questions are typically there to separate the higher-scoring candidates. Sacrificing marks on the easier questions in the hope of reaching the harder ones is a losing strategy.
The reason rushing fails is that the questions are designed to mislead you. If you only half-read a question, your odds barely rise above the 1 in 3 of a blind guess, because the answer that feels right at first glance is very often the trap. Careful reading lifts your chances to around 2 in 3.
As an aside, this differs from numerical reasoning, where a quick estimate can significantly improve a guess even when you have no time to work the answer out properly. Here there is no estimating. Reading properly is the only edge on offer.
The 18 Question Types
Once you have a strategy in place, you should familiarise yourself with the types of question you will face. Many questions draw on a small set of repeatable traps designed to confuse and mislead you, and learning to recognise them will improve both your accuracy and your speed.
The eighteen types are set out below, each followed by an interactive example for you to work through. Choose an answer before you reveal how it plays out. The first two carry no trap at all, and they are also the two you will meet most often.
One thing to note before you start. The passages below are much shorter than those you will meet in the tests. They are kept deliberately brief so that each trap is easy to see. Treat them as teaching examples, not as a preview of what a real test question looks like.
Directly Stated
Not every question hides a trap. This type is a True you can read straight off the passage, with the statement doing no more than repeating a sentence in different words.
Questions like this are where quick and confident marks come from. If you find yourself missing them, the cause is usually a careless misread rather than a trap you fell into. They are also the most common type you will meet, so the marks add up across a paper.
The coastal path between the two villages reopened in April after winter storm damage was repaired. The path is maintained by a team of volunteers. They clear the route each spring and repair the waymarkers ahead of the walking season. A short section near the headland remains closed while the cliff edge is assessed. Local businesses have welcomed the reopening, which usually brings a steady stream of walkers through both villages.
Volunteers maintain the coastal path.
Contradiction
Here the passage directly rules the statement out, making the answer a clear False. There is nothing underhand to spot, so a wrong answer on one of these usually points to rushing.
This is the next most common type after Directly Stated, so between them the two account for a large share of any test.
The museum's new wing opened to visitors in March after two years of building work. Entry to the new wing is free for children under twelve. Adult tickets are sold at the front desk and online. The galleries display finds from a nearby Roman site, including coins, pottery and a mosaic floor uncovered during the excavation. Opening hours are longer during the school holidays.
Children under twelve must pay to enter the new wing.
Quantifier
Keep an eye on the strength of the wording. When a passage says some, many, or often, and the statement quietly upgrades that to most, all, or always, it is reaching further than the text allows. It is easy to miss because the sentence still feels roughly right.
The seaside town has become a popular spot for day trippers, especially when the weather is fine. Many of the town's cafes now open on Sunday mornings. The change followed a rise in weekend visitors over the past two years. Owners say the extra trade has been welcome, and the tourist board has encouraged businesses to make the most of the seasonal demand. A weekly market on the harbour front has drawn further crowds into the centre.
Most of the town's cafes open on Sunday mornings.
Real-World
This is one of the most tempting traps, because the statement is something you already know to be true, and the instinct is to tick True straight away.
The catch is that your own knowledge doesn't count here. Unless the passage actually says it, you have nothing to go on.
A small family farm on the edge of the village has been trading at the weekly market for several seasons. The farm sells honey from its own hives at a weekly market. Demand has grown steadily since the stall first opened. Alongside the honey, the family offers eggs, jams and a range of vegetables grown in their own fields. Regular customers often arrive early to be sure of a jar before the stall sells out.
Honey is produced by bees.
Not Stated
Sometimes the passage simply doesn't touch the point at all. It neither confirms nor contradicts the statement, so there is nothing to settle it and the answer is Can't tell. Unlike the real-world trap, the statement isn't especially believable. It is just missing from the text.
The town library has been working to attract more visitors after a quiet spell the previous winter. The library extended its opening hours in March. Staff reported a small rise in visitor numbers the following month. A new reading area for children was set up near the entrance, and a series of evening talks was added to the events calendar. The council has said it will review the changes at the end of the year.
The library charges a fee for late returns.
Likely Not Must
Remember that True means the statement has to follow, not just that it probably follows. A reasonable guess about what would happen isn't the same as something the passage actually states, however sensible it sounds.
The village fete is held outdoors every August. Last year heavy rain forced the organisers to cancel two of the afternoon events. The committee is already planning this year's programme, which will feature a produce competition, live music and the usual stalls run by local groups. Volunteers have been asked to help set up the marquees on the morning of the event. Tickets will go on sale in July, with the proceeds going towards the village hall.
Heavy rain this year would lead to events being cancelled.
Attribution
Watch for the difference between something being claimed and something being true. When the passage tells you that someone argues or claims a point, all you really know is that the claim was made, not that it holds up. Treating it as fact quietly goes beyond the text.
A stretch of the high street was redesigned last spring, with a protected cycle lane replacing one of the traffic lanes. The council argues that the new cycle lane has made the high street safer. Several residents have written to the local paper to disagree. Some shopkeepers say deliveries are now harder to make, while cyclists' groups have welcomed the change. A formal review of the scheme is due to be published in the autumn.
The new cycle lane has made the high street safer.
Causation
Be careful when a passage mentions two things happening together, or one after another, and the statement claims that one caused the other. It is a natural leap to make, but the passage rarely gives you enough to support it.
The corner bakery has had a busy summer after several changes to how it runs. The bakery began opening an hour earlier in June. Its sales rose in the same month. The owners also introduced a new range of pastries and took on an extra member of staff to cope with the morning trade. A nearby office block reopened after refurbishment, bringing more people onto the street. The bakery now hopes to extend its hours further in the new year.
Opening earlier caused the bakery's sales to rise.
Synonym Swap
Sometimes a word in the statement looks a lot like one in the passage but carries a different meaning. Pause on these, because a small shift changes everything. Reducing something isn't the same as getting rid of it, profit isn't revenue, and planning to do something isn't the same as having done it.
The factory has been under pressure from its customers to cut down on waste. The factory reduced its use of plastic packaging last year. Managers described the change as a first step. They have set a longer-term target of switching to recyclable materials across the whole site by the end of the decade. Staff have been trained in the new procedures, and the company plans to report on its progress each year.
The factory no longer uses plastic packaging.
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Tense
Pay attention to when things happen. If the passage says something is planned or will happen, and the statement treats it as already done, the two don't match. A small change of tense can flip the answer entirely.
Passengers on the regional line can expect several changes over the coming months. The rail operator will introduce a new timetable in December. Drivers are being briefed on the changes this autumn. The new schedule is intended to improve connections at the main interchange and to add extra services during the evening peak. Notices explaining the changes will be displayed at stations from November.
The new timetable has been introduced.
Comparison
Look closely when a statement compares two things. If the passage never actually set them side by side, the comparison might sound perfectly fair while having no basis in the text.
The city runs two public pools. Park Lane attracts families and Riverside is popular with club swimmers. Both were refurbished within the last five years and offer lessons for beginners. Park Lane has a shallow training pool, while Riverside has a fifty-metre competition pool used for galas. The council publishes a timetable for each site at the start of every term.
Riverside is busier than Park Lane.
Category
Notice when a statement quietly widens or narrows a group. The passage might talk about one particular thing while the statement stretches it to a broader category, or shrinks it to a narrower one. That shift can change what is actually being claimed.
The shift towards cleaner transport has been visible across the region's showrooms. Sales of electric cars in the region doubled last year. Dealers expect further growth this year. Several new charging points have been installed in supermarket car parks and at the edge of the town centre. Manufacturers have promised a wider choice of models at lower prices, and local leaders have welcomed the trend as a sign of changing habits.
Sales of electric vehicles in the region doubled last year.
Absolute
Strong words like only, never, always, and guarantees are usually too firm for a passage to support, so treat them with a little suspicion. Do still check, though, because every now and then the text really does back them up.
The independent bookshop on the square has built a loyal following since it opened. The bookshop stays open late on Thursdays for its reading group. Members meet there most weeks to discuss a chosen novel. The shop also hosts occasional author events and a monthly session for younger readers. Its owner is keen to make the place a hub for the local community, and coffee and cake are served throughout the day.
The bookshop only opens late on Thursdays.
Negation
A single negative word can flip the meaning of a statement when you are reading at speed, so slow down whenever you see not, no, or never. It is one of the easiest ways to talk yourself into the wrong answer.
The castle is open to the public throughout the summer season. Visitors may photograph the castle grounds. Photography inside the state rooms is not permitted. This rule protects the delicate furnishings and tapestries from repeated camera flashes. Guided tours run every hour, and a tearoom in the old stables serves light lunches.
Visitors are not allowed to photograph the castle grounds.
Combining
Not every true statement sits neatly in a single sentence. Sometimes you have to join two separate points to confirm it, with no one line you can put your finger on. Read with an eye for how the pieces fit together.
The town's Saturday market has grown into one of the largest in the county. Each stall at the market is inspected and certified before it may trade. The rules are enforced by a market officer who visits early each week to check that everything is in order. Stalls range from bakeries and cheesemongers to crafts and second-hand books. The Old Mill stall has traded at the market since 2019. Its owners say the regular pitch has helped them build a steady following.
The Old Mill stall has been certified.
Distractor
In a longer passage you may meet several similar names, dates, or figures, and the detail you actually need can sit quietly among others that are easy to mix up. It pays to match each piece to the right place.
The chamber choir gave three concerts on its early summer tour of the north of England. The choir performed in Durham in May and in York in June. The final concert was in Chester in July. Each programme featured a mix of choral favourites and newly commissioned pieces. Audiences were strong throughout, and the choir has been invited back to two of the cathedrals next year.
The choir performed in York in May.
Incomplete List
When a passage introduces examples with words like such as or including, it is only giving you a sample, not the full set. If the statement treats that short list as everything there is, it is usually claiming more than the text allows.
The garden centre on the ring road has expanded its range over the past few years. The garden centre stocks herbs such as basil, mint and thyme. Most of its plants are grown on site. It also sells tools, compost and a selection of shrubs and small trees. A café was added last spring, and weekend gardening workshops have proved popular with visitors.
Basil, mint and thyme are the only herbs the garden centre stocks.
Numbers
Some statements turn on a figure, a proportion, or a small calculation, so check them against the numbers the passage gives you. If the figures settle the point, you have a clear True or False. If the passage never provides the number, the answer is Can't tell.
The small passenger ferry runs across the estuary several times a day during the season. The ferry carries up to 60 passengers. On Saturday morning 45 tickets were sold and every ticket holder boarded. The crossing takes around twenty minutes and offers views of the harbour and the old lighthouse. Fares are collected at the jetty, and the service runs less frequently once the summer ends.
The ferry was three quarters full on Saturday morning.
One last word on the examples above. Each one is lighter than what you will actually sit, so that the trap stands out clearly. In the real test the same trap sits inside a longer passage, worded more carefully, with the clock running. That is what practice is for.
Target Your Weak Spots
One wrong answer tells you very little, because we all make silly mistakes occasionally. But falling into a trap several times across tests is different. That signals a genuine area for improvement.
This is why every question in the Officer Ready practice bank is tagged in line with the eighteen question types above. Here is what that looks like at the end of a full 40-question test.
Test Complete
Verbal Reasoning
Score
30/40
Percentage
75%
User AvgUser Average
68%
Skill Breakdown
A good score, but look at where the marks went. Seven of the ten dropped marks sit on types whose answer is usually Can't tell, so this candidate keeps finding evidence the passage never gave them. That said, one test proves nothing on its own, which is where the cross-test view comes in.
Across every test you sit, the picture builds. Each type shows your accuracy over every question you have attempted, alongside your accuracy on each of the three answers, with a marker for the average candidate on the same questions. Below is how this is displayed inside the Officer Ready platform.
Overview
Completed
8/14
Your AvgYour Average
73%
User AvgUser Average
66%
Answer Balance
How you did on each of the three answers across your completed tests. Over-calling Can't tell is the most common habit to watch.
Skill Breakdown
Now the tendency is clear. This candidate sits above average almost everywhere, but Likely Not Must has settled at 44% across sixteen questions, with Real-World lower still. That is not bad luck. That is a weakness that needs to be targeted, and awareness is the first step.
It is also a fixable shortcoming. Answering strictly from the passage, and never from what you happen to know, is a discipline. And once you know to look out for it, it becomes a lot easier. Drawing awareness to this issue before targeted practice will do more for this candidate's score than another full test sat in the hope that pure volume will iron out any issues.
How to Prepare for Verbal Reasoning
Preparation here is a short loop, repeated. Sit a test, find the trap that cost you marks, then look out for it in the next one.
- Fix your method first. Decide whether you read the statement or the passage first, and lock it in before you start practising.
- Sit a full test, timed. Forty questions in 15 minutes.
- Review by type. Go through every wrong answer, read the explanation, and note if there were any patterns.
- Target the Weak Areas. Go into your next test knowing which traps to look out for.
- Keep practising. Sit enough tests that the method becomes automatic and the traps start announcing themselves.
The Officer Ready tests are built for this. Fourteen full-length tests match the real thing at 40 questions in 15 minutes. The passages sit a level above the examples in this guide, and every question is tagged with its trap type and carries a full explanation, so the review step takes care of itself.
Common Mistakes
Almost every mark dropped in this test comes from a handful of repeat offenders. Avoid these pitfalls:
Answering from your own knowledge. If the passage doesn't say it, it doesn't count, however true the statement is in the real world.
Committing to True or False when the passage never settles it. Half of all wrong answers on our tests are exactly this.
Reading the passage before the first statement. You end up rereading it, and the clock keeps running.
Treating "probably follows" as True. True means the statement must follow from the passage, not that it is a fair prediction.
Skimming past the small words. Not, only, all, will, has. One word flips the answer, and speed reading is how it gets missed.
Leaving questions unanswered. There is no negative marking, so a blank is the one answer guaranteed to score nothing.
Burning half a minute on a stuck question. Guess and move on. At worst it is a 1 in 3 chance, and the marks you save are elsewhere.
Arriving at Westbury without a fixed method. Working it out in the real test is a recipe for disaster.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are in the verbal reasoning test at AOSB?
40 multiple-choice questions in 15 minutes, which works out at 22.5 seconds per question. Questions are grouped around written passages, with four statements per passage, and each statement is judged True, False or Can't tell.
What does Can't tell actually mean?
It means the passage neither confirms nor contradicts the statement. True means the statement must follow from the passage, and False means the passage rules it out. If the passage is silent on the point, the answer is Can't tell, however believable the statement is from your own knowledge.
Is there negative marking in the verbal reasoning test?
No. You will not lose marks for a wrong answer, so you should answer every question. Set a stopping point around 30 seconds from the end where you stop working answers out and simply select something for every question that remains.
Do you sit the verbal reasoning test at both Briefing and Main Board?
Yes. The test is sat at both stages of AOSB in the same format, 40 questions in 15 minutes.
How should I prepare for the verbal reasoning test?
Sit timed practice tests that mirror the real format, then review every wrong answer and note where you make mistakes. A mistake that keeps appearing across several tests is a genuine weakness, and targeted practice on it will do more for your score than another full test.
Final Thoughts
Verbal reasoning looks like the easiest of the psychometric tests and is quietly the one where careless reading costs most. The traps are knowable in advance, the strategy is learnable, and the discipline of answering only from the passage can be built in a handful of practice tests. Put the work in now and the questions that catch most candidates out stop catching you.
Ready to Begin Your Prep?
The Officer Ready verbal reasoning tests mirror the real format and timing, tag every question with the trap it sets, and show you exactly where your marks are going.
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