Verbal and critical reasoning tests: what employers say, and what only candidates say

The Civil Service is the clearest published example of the first format: a passage, a statement, and a choice of True, False or Cannot say, decided from the passage alone. The second is the critical thinking test, which Clifford Chance describes as covering inferences, assumptions, deductions, interpreting information and evaluating arguments. The third is the broader verbal ability that appears in TCS's Foundation test and HCLTech's cognitive test, where English and comprehension skills are tested alongside numerical ones.

These are cousins, not twins. The shared discipline is to answer only from what is in front of you. That is easy to say and hard to do when you know the topic, so practising it deliberately is the single most useful habit.

Clifford Chance says only candidates who pass its critical thinking test have their application form reviewed. That is a gate. BAE Systems says graduate applicants must meet a pass mark on a verbal and a numerical test before a hiring manager considers them. That is also a gate. In a gate, you need to be safely over a line, and finishing carefully matters more than finishing first.

Linklaters is different: it says there is no time limit but records the time on its critical reasoning element and weighs accuracy and speed together. There, a slow correct answer is worth less than a quick correct one.

Rolls-Royce says its graduate assessments include verbal reasoning for business roles and numerical reasoning for engineering roles. JLR lists verbal, numerical, diagrammatic and error-checking tests and says the mix depends on the programme. Network Rail says its tests relate to your scheme.

If you are weighing programmes, it is worth checking which test each one sets. If you already have a programme, find its page and practise the test it names first.

Read the statement first, then the passage, looking for the one sentence that settles it. If that sentence says the opposite, it is False. If it agrees, True. If the passage is silent or only suggests, it is Cannot say. For critical thinking questions, ask whether the conclusion must follow, may follow or is merely possible.

Do not use outside knowledge, however sure you are. Our verbal reasoning questions page shows the deciding sentence for each type of answer, with the mistakes people make most often.

Employers rarely say how many verbal questions you will get. Plan on reading speed. Practise by taking passages of 120 to 150 words and giving yourself about a minute for each, then increase pressure by shortening the time. Mix True, False and Cannot say, because most people over-pick Cannot say when rushed.

The free reasoning test above gives you 25 passage questions with feedback. The Reasoning Pass Pack, at £29 (US$39) for this exam or £49 (US$59) for all five, adds timed mocks, topic drills, a score predictor and a study plan if you want more volume. Your free score is unaffected either way.