Verbal Reasoning Pre-employment Recruitment Tests 2024 | Full Guide

This article will provide you with a thorough, easy to read summary about one of the most widely used psychometric tests used in recruitment and candidate selection – pre-employment verbal reasoning test.

Are you a recruiter, maybe a talent acquisition specialist, HR expert or a hiring manager? Most probably you are already using various candidates assessment tools to help you find and hire the best fit candidate, fast. These recruitment tools may range from aptitude tests, video interviews, assessment centers to even assessment games

If you are looking for answers to questions such as:

  • Why should I use verbal reasoning tests in hiring?
  • How do I use verbal reasoning tests to hire the right candidates?
  • Which roles are best suited for using verbal recruitment tests?
  • How will these tests fit in my aptitude test strategy?
  • How do I use these tests to build diverse teams, avoid bias?

Then this text is for you. Continue reading to find the answers and much more.

As a recruiter, a Human resource professional or a line manager you need to have a portfolio of tools that helps you to select the best candidates, fast and without spending thousands of dollars, pounds, or euros. Pre-Recruitment Verbal reasoning tests used in candidate selection are one of the building blocks of the efficient and effective recruitment process.

An effectively designed candidate selection process should form a funnel that helps you identify and choose best candidates at every stage, do it at a reasonable cost and still fit within the timeliness requested by the business.

Designing a properly functioning recruitment funnel helps a lot. The hiring funnel is the series of stages through which a candidate’s consideration for employment progresses.

This article unveils key aspects of the Pre-Recruitment verbal reasoning tests, their fit into that funnel and their use case in hiring. You will learn what verbal tests are, pros and cons of using them, why and when to use them, which roles in your organization would benefit the most from their use, and what to look for in the tests that do their job.

Keep reading to find out more and if you have any questions, just contact us. We, the Assess Candidates, team of organizational psychologists and recruiters are here to help you design a recruitment process that works best for your organization. We offer a full-fledged end-to-end set of assessment tools for recruitment and employee development. If you think the text below helped you, get in touch with us.

Contents:

  1. What is a pre-employment verbal reasoning assessment?  
  2. How to use verbal reasoning tests in hiring?
  3. When should the verbal test be used to recruit?
  4. What verbal reasoning skills are required by candidates to perform at their best?
  5. Examples of verbal reasoning recruitment test questions.
  6. Why use verbal reasoning pre-employment tests in hiring? Pros and cons.
  7. What roles should verbal reasoning be used to recruit for and why?
  8. Which organisations should use verbal reasoning tests in hiring?
  9. What challenges must candidates overcome in verbal reasoning tests?
  10. How does the verbal test assess a candidate’s critical thinking?
  11. Why use Assess Candidates verbal reasoning tests to hire? 

1. What is a pre-employment verbal reasoning assessment? 

Verbal reasoning tests are designed to measure a candidate’s ability of verbal comprehension, reasoning, and logic, all done through the careful understanding of the use of language.

As you may know from reading the different articles on logical and numerical reasoning, pre-employment verbal reasoning tests are a common type of aptitude or psychometric test used in job recruitment. They are mainly used to measure candidates’ ability to understand and analyze written information.

As a recruitment manager or a talent acquisition expert, many jobs you advertise may require verbal comprehension as it is a highly-valued skill. The verbal reasoning test will assess how innate and developed those skills are. Furthermore, helping you with your task to find a fantastic candidate for the desired position.

Verbal reasoning recruitment tests are designed to assess a candidate’s ability to:

  1. understand the text passage
  2. think constructively
  3. reach accurate conclusions based on the information provided

Depending on the role candidates are applying for, questions may range from basic reading comprehension to more advanced reasoning.

Verbal reasoning pre-employment tests are:

  • widely used in recruitment to sift candidates during the recruitment process and are designed to measure a candidate’s verbal reasoning skills and ability to answer a question based on a passage of text.
  • usually in the format of a short passage of text followed by a statement that may be true, false and cannot say.
  • typically timed, this is to present candidates with the urgency that we often find in the workplace. Typically, the candidate has 30 seconds per question.

Verbal reasoning tests do not assess knowledge of a certain topic.

Language competence is a prerequisite of verbal tests. This test focuses on how an individual reasons solely with written information provided (and only this information) to determine its meaning or any implication. Likewise, the verbal reasoning test is not designed to assess a candidate’s ability in a given language.

For recruiters and hiring managers, verbal reasoning tests form a fundamental part of the selection process supporting finding those applicants that have the aptitude to fill the requirements of the role, whether that be in sales, consulting, or law.

Keep reading to find out more.

Verbal Reasoning Pre-Employment Tests
Verbal Reasoning Pre-Employment Tests*

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2. How to use verbal reasoning tests in hiring?

In verbal reasoning tests, candidates will be presented with verbal information in the format of a passage and are asked to read between the lines to form an answer to the statement. 

As such, the test can examine their ability to examine the truthfulness of certain statements provided. With a demanding time-limit alone, candidates are challenged to balance their speed and accuracy in working to complete the test.

Individuals with strong comprehension and critical thinking abilities can correlate with strong performance in the workplace.

Verbal reasonings pre-recruitment tests:

  1. Help employers be capable of more accurately predicting a candidate’s performance before their first day on the job.
    • Many recruiters require applicants to complete the test in order down the candidate pool before assigning interviews.
  2. Are most likely to be used at an early stage in the recruitment process.
    • By inviting everyone to take a verbal reasoning test, employers can discount those who don’t meet a certain standard. This is an easy way to assess candidates in the first stage before moving on to next recruitment stages like other aptitude tests, assessment centres or the interview process.
  3. Can be used by employers to assess candidates for all levels and roles including finance, retail, and law, from entry level to senior positions.

Let us see now how this process could work.

A recruitment process for graduate jobs or professional roles requires verbal and written comprehension skills. The process is alike the others when using psychometric tests:

  • Candidates typically start by filling in an application and CV
  • Then they complete the verbal reasoning test or another type of aptitude test
  • Recruiters can then move on to further testing the candidates, this could be with the numerical reasoning test, Game-based Assessments, assessment center or video/in-person interviews.

Tests are usually distributed online. A candidate receives a link to a testing platform and has a dedicated period of time (usually several days) to complete the tests, the recruiter reviews the results via an online report and selects the candidates to move to another round of the assessments.

Before you go through the testing process and distribute them online, you must verify that the verbal reasoning recruitment tests you are using to hire have been developed and validated by professional organization psychologists and psychometricians. Otherwise, your organisation may substandard test results from candidates or may face a legal challenge from the candidates.

Our (Assess Candidates) tests follow an end-to-end rigorous industry practice in test creation and validation. If you would like to get a better understanding of how to use verbal (and other) reasoning assessments, please contact us for free advice. Check our entire candidate assessment suit for recruitment here.

Our Assess Candidates team hold the highest standards in psychometric robustness. To ensure quality in all our services and assessments, we hold to the standards of the British Psychological Society, The Association for Business Psychology, the Science Council. We are also Chartered Scientists, HCPC registered and have a European Certificate in Psychology.

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3. When should the verbal reasoning test be used to recruit?

You may be thinking, why are verbal reasoning tests key in a working environment?

Verbal reasoning recruitment tests are particularly popular in a wide range of industries including the ones mentioned in Section 7. The test is important for any job where the role involves information comprehension, interpretation and communication based on data.

A verbal reasoning test will help you accurately predict a candidate’s performance before their first day on the job. You may require applicants to complete the test in order to narrow down the talent pool before assigning interviews.

Verbal reasoning tests can be used to help you identify the training and development needs of business and their teams. The test would be used as a diagnostic tool that helps to provide a more objective way of finding out people’s strengths and weaknesses.

Recruitment can be tough, but finding capable candidates is an important aspect of creating a profitable business. Verbal reasoning tests are an easy and efficient way for hiring professionals to bring top-tier talent to the organisation.

These tests are suitable for graduate level recruitment right through to experienced and senior hires. The questions may be adopted accordingly to reflect increased job complexity.

Broadly speaking, there are 2 main ways to recruit:

  • High volume recruitment
  • Medium volume recruitment

Depending on which one is ongoing in your organization this can affect how verbal reasoning tests are used.

Use of verbal reasoning tests in HIGH volume recruitment (large number of applications):

Recruiters and employers may use verbal reasoning for high volume recruitment, this could be hundreds or even thousands of candidates per job offer.

For graduate, entry roles it is common to receive a large volume of applications. It is important for recruiters to sift through these applicants in a legally defensible way but with efficient measure.

Using a psychometrically robust verbal reasoning test allows you to reduce the candidate pool by 50% when partnered with another psychometric test or 30% if the verbal reasoning test is used alone as an assessment tool.

Verbal tests in high volume recruitment are typically used by organisations who launch specific graduate programmes and need to select a number of candidates in a relatively short period of time to commence the programme. For instance, they may offer 100 roles and receive 20,000 applications.

Use of verbal reasoning tests in LOW volume recruitment (low number of applications):

Often when recruiters are assessing candidates for more specialist jobs such as in consulting, law, engineering or they operate in a small or medium enterprise they may use the verbal reasoning test to assist them with recruitment.

Low volume of applicants means the focus of the verbal reasoning test moves away from the need to sift but more to identify job specific capabilities.

If you are part of a smaller company or organisation and want employees who are happy and want to stay for a longer tenure in your team you need to be sure that you recognise their individuality from the start of the application process. One potential risk of using psychometric tests in isolation is that you ignore their workstyle preferences and the things that make them energised in the work space.

We, at Assess Candidates, offer end-to-end set of candidate assessment tools that cater for a wide variety of roles you may wish to recruit for: psychometric tests (numerical, verbal, logical), situational, personality, game assessments (to complement traditional tests and increase candidates’ experience), video interviews with questions of your choice, assessment centre exercises. All this is delivered through an easy to manage online platform.

We have just discussed when the verbal reasoning test is used to recruit, we will now follow on with which roles the verbal reasoning test can be used to hire.

Verbal Reasoning Pre-Employment Test
Verbal Reasoning Pre-Employment Test*

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4. What verbal reasoning skills are required by candidates to perform at their best?

If you want your organization to unveil the best performance in your employees, verbal reasoning skills are a must-have in many jobs. Especially in today’s workplace, that continues to become increasingly remote or hybrid. Employees working 2-3 days from home are becoming more common. And working from home where work is done more independently, requires stronger than ever verbal reasoning skills.

Verbal reasoning skills measured in the assessments determine a candidate’s ability to:

  • To reason and critically examine various concepts with the use of words and language
  • Understand and respond to questions about information provided in a passage or text
  • Filter out key points and information from a longer piece of text and require use of your literacy and verbal reasoning to understand the concepts to provide the correct answer
  • Understand a fairly strong level of English literacy, candidates need to be familiar with most words that are used in everyday conversation
  • Understand and dissect complex verbal information and be aware of the uses of grammar
  • Communicate with peers, subordinates and managers

Organizations use various verbal tests from a variety of providers, however the above areas are the most common requirements for candidates when sitting a verbal reasoning test.

Further in the text you will find specific roles that the use of pre-employment verbal tests in the job interview process is highly recommended.

Verbal Reasoning Recruitment Tests
Verbal Reasoning Recruitment Tests*

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5. Examples of verbal reasoning recruitment test questions

You may be wondering the timeframe that candidates would face to answer verbal reasoning recruitment test questions

Total number of questions: The verbal reasoning test typically contains 20-30 questions

Time per question: Candidates would face an average time of 30 seconds per question.

To help you visualize the questions, here are several examples of a pre-employment verbal reasoning test question with worked solutions:

Example 1

Pre-Employment Verbal Reasoning Test Question Example 1
Pre-Employment Verbal Reasoning Test Question Example 1

The task: Candidates must look at the passage carefully and identify from the passage whether the statement:

  • Is true based on the information contained in the passage
  • Is false based on the information contained in the passage
  • Cannot say based on the information contained in the passage

Solution: The passage states that regular downloaders of unlicensed music spend more on legal music than other music fans (£5.52 compared with £1.27). Therefore, the statement is false.

Example 2

Pre-Employment Verbal Reasoning Test Question Example 2
Pre-Employment Verbal Reasoning Test Question Example 2

The task: In question 2 there is a different statement however the format stays the same; based on the information in the passage, candidates must answer the statement with true, false or cannot say.

Solution: The passage states that house prices have seen an annual double-digit fall for the first time in eighteen years. Consequently, last year’s fall cannot have been a double-digit fall. Therefore the statement is false.

Example 3

Pre-Employment Verbal Reasoning Test Question Example 3
Pre-Employment Verbal Reasoning Test Question Example 3

The task: This is another common type of a verbal reasoning question with the same format.

Solution: The passage gives no information regarding the number of teachers surveyed. Therefore, you cannot say whether the statement is true or false, based upon the information contained in the passage

You may be wondering now what the benefits of using verbal reasoning tests in a recruitment process are. Let’s find out.

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6. Why use verbal reasoning pre-employment tests in hiring? Pros and cons.

8 REASONS (PROS) TO USE VERBAL REASONING TESTS IN RECRUITMENT

Verbal reasoning recruitment tests:

  1. Predict future performance – the verbal reasoning tests have a multiyear proven record of predicting high  performance in employees. To achieve this make sure the tests are written and validated by professionals according to industry standards.
  2. Improve quality of hire – verbal reasoning tests help hire better candidates by ensuring they are the right person who is able to perform the verbal component of any required task.
  3. Identify good communication skills– verbal reasoning test helps employers to identify good communication skills such as quickly identifying critical issues and producing effective written reports that are often used in the workplace.
  4. Are cost efficient to run – low cost per candidate is one of the important aspects especially in volume recruitment; verbal tests are distributed and completed online, no paper, printing, or postage fees. They are typically priced per test (candidate) or using a flat fee for a maximum number of tests used. This approach helps to minimise the costs for volume recruitment and enable testing of thousands of candidates at low fees. 
  5. Offer speed in selection, minimise time-to-select – thousands of candidates can be tested in a matter of days and the results are available immediately after test completion. It is very easy and fast to select candidates that meet a given threshold using the backend admin tools. Typically, the admin module will allow for scenario playing as well (e.g. apply different criteria to different populations).
  6. Help to increase diversity – companies can make informed hiring decisions (e.g. by changing cut-off rates) to increase diversity by looking for traits, knowledge and thinking styles missing from their current team.
  7. Help remove bias – a verbal reasoning test removes bias when testing candidates because it is only grading their answers.
  8. Are legally defensible – in the case of a potential legal challenge from the candidate(s), tests that have been scientifically validated are very easy to defend as a proper selection tool.

With more of an understanding of how Assess Candidate’s verbal assessments can benefit your business, below is an outline of what employers should consider when using verbal reasoning tests.

3 POINTS (CONS) TO CONSIDER WHEN USING VERBAL REASONING RECRUITMENT TESTS:

  1. Reduce test anxiety – completing verbal tests, like any assessment, can cause stress and anxiety to candidates. Some applicants may struggle to convince themselves of the more verbal and reasoned response due to the unhelpful thoughts that have contributed to the development of anxiety. By encouraging the candidates to practice the test beforehand it will make them more at ease when tackling the assessment and will present their true ability under typical working conditions. 
  2. Language barrier– research indicates this type of test could be challenging for individuals for whom English is not their first language. However, this adverse impact is controlled using low cut-offs. This ensures that no one is disadvantaged from the use of this type of assessment.- less about how they understand the language but how they reason with a passage. Non native speakers may not fully understand English but should be able to  understand links and be able to reason with the text.
  3. Cheating – it is technically possible that an online verbal test can be cheated and completed by someone else. Therefore, while looking for solutions on the market, consider checking what measures the test providers offer to prevent cheating.

With more of an understanding on the benefits of verbal reasoning tests in hiring and potential drawbacks, we will now go on to discuss when employers should use verbal reasoning tests to recruit.

Verbal Reasoning Test Pros and Cons
Verbal Reasoning Test Pros and Cons*

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7. What roles should verbal reasoning be used to recruit for and why?

Verbal reasoning tests are frequently used during the selection process for various roles including: law, retail, consultancy, finance and engineering.

Below is an outline of the roles in which the verbal reasoning test may be used and how they apply to the given role.

Use of verbal reasoning tests in retail:

Retail RoleRole DescriptionHow do verbal reasoning tests apply to this role?
Store ManagerA store manager is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of a store, making sure it runs smoothly and effectively. Their duties include motivating sales teams, creating business strategies, developing promotional material, and training new staff.The VRT measures a store manager’s ability to quickly understand and efficiently convey work-related concepts and information, quickly sieve through extensive amounts of work-related written data to identify critical issues.
Visual merchandisersA Visual Merchandiser is responsible for planning and building displays that maximise impact on a day-to-day basis. They move equipment, arrange lighting and work with suppliers, while maintaining close connections at wider retail levels.Verbal reasoning tests measure if visual merchandisers have good organizational and decision-making skills  when arranging stores. They also measure ability to cope under pressure when working with suppliers.
Sales associateA Sales Associate is responsible for assisting customers throughout the buying process. Their duties include greeting customers when they enter the store, helping customers find specific products or showing them how to use them and ringing up customers.
The VRT helps employers identify a good sales associate by testing their verbal and written ability to communicate and assist customers which includes effectively greeting and assisting them with products.

Use of verbal reasoning tests in law:

Law RoleRole DescriptionHow do verbal reasoning tests apply to this role?
ParalegalParalegal responsibilities consist of: Taking statements from witnesses; interviewing clients and passing on relevant information; researching cases and any pertinent legal information needed; presenting applications to Judges and helping Lawyers prepare for court cases; including opening and closing arguments.Being able to accurately comprehend written information is an important skill for most graduate roles including a paralegal. Paralegals must be able to understand and siefer through witness statements and legal information therefore they need good written and verbal skills to read through several cases.
SolicitorA Solicitor provides legal advice and conducts legal proceedings. Their duties include preparing legal documentation, representing and defending a client’s legal interests and attending meetings and negotiations.Solicitors typically need to balance commercial awareness and business acumen with good people skills and strong verbal and oral communication- the verbal reasoning test is good to identify this. As well as, discussing cases with clients on a middle ground to understand their point of view.
ArbitratorAn arbitrator plays the role of a neutral person, who makes decisions on a dispute based on evidence presented by the parties. The decision the arbitrator makes is not always legally binding, but if it is, individuals and/or businesses are not able to go to court later if they do not agree with the outcome.The VRT will show how well an applicant applying to be an arbitrator can make important decisions quickly and effectively. As an arbitrator they must have the ability to not make inferences on past experiences which is a very relevant skill identified in the verbal reasoning test.

Use of verbal reasoning tests in finance:

Finance RoleRole DescriptionHow do verbal reasoning tests apply to this role?
Audit TraineeAn Audit Trainee, provides an unbiased analysis of the client’s financial records and tests these records in accordance with accounting standards. VRT is used to understand how well a candidate can cope in a business type scenario similar to the role they will be working in. For example, if they were sent an email or given a business report – how well and efficiently could they understand and pull the key information from it?
Financial managerAs Finance Manager, responsibilities will include overseeing end-to-end finance operations, financial planning and analysis, balance sheet reconciliations and looking to make improvements to procedures and control.A finance manager will be expected to demonstrate a high capacity toquickly and effectively identify critical business-related issues and logically draw conclusions from written work-related material – this is where the verbal reasoning test comes in. Finance managers must also write in a clear way and effectively deal with procedures, the VRT will identify their written skills.
Financial risk analystA financial risk analyst’s role is to formalise the process of risk management in an organisation. This involves business decision-making and enabling the process of risk taking. The test helps identify a candidate’s organization skills – how well can the candidate recognise the best practices associated with analysis? It is important for you to recognize the best candidate for this role using the VRT test to assess communication and verbal skills as a financial risk analyst must identify and deal with complex information.

Use of verbal reasoning tests in consultancy:

Consultancy RoleRole DescriptionHow do verbal reasoning tests apply to this role?
Trainee ConsultantA consultant trainee works to establish a knowledge-base and expertise in the underlying industry and develop a client portfolio. They will research, field calls and questions and organize clients’ databases and consultants’ schedules.They are used in consultancy as it is important for consultants in training to be able to interpret and understand written information, for example they may have to liaise with clients, as well as discussing and developing a portfolio. Their verbal abilities are essential when calling new clients and building a relationship.
Managing ConsultantManagement consultants help organisations to solve issues, create value, maximise growth and improve business performance. They do so by using their business expertise and skills to provide objective advice and to help an organisation develop any specialist skills they may be lacking.The VRT measures a  managing consultant’s ability to quickly understand and efficiently deal with work-related issues. They have to demonstrate their ability to sift through information and communicate their findings with other members of the team. All client relationships are different so managing consultants have to show the ability to adapt. This also helps the employer to learn how efficient and suitable they are for the managerial role.
Recruitment ConsultantThe main duties of a recruitment consultant include: negotiating contracts, interviewing prospective applicants and matching them with vacancies at client companies, screening candidates and drawing up shortlists of candidates for clients to interview.The VRT measures a recruitment consultants ability to handle and negotiate with clients when interviewing and scheduling interviews. Recruitment consultants must show their ability to adapt with new employers and discuss many different issues and areas of concern relating to interviews they have conducted. They must also have good verbal skills to listen to interviewees and write notes.

Use of verbal reasoning tests in engineering:

Engineering RoleRole DescriptionHow do verbal reasoning tests apply to this role?
Civil engineer Civil engineers create, improve and protect the environment. They plan, design and oversee construction and maintenance of building structures and infrastructure, such as roads, railways, airports and bridges.The verbal reasoning test is essential for employers when hiring a civil engineer as they have to clearly understand problems and issues relating to infrastructure and construction ideas. Civil engineers often work in small teams, they have to be able to communicate effectively with colleagues. Written skills are needed for when they have to read engineering reports and fill in safety forms.
Broadcast engineerA broadcast engineer works with hardware and broadcast systems that are used across television and radio. They make sure programmes are broadcasted on time and to the highest quality. As well as operating and maintaining the systems.The verbal reasoning test will measure a broadcast engineer’s ability to time manage when scheduling programmes. Also, the ability to organize and show written and verbal communication when addressing broadcasting problems or relevant issues within the system.
Biomedical engineerBiomedical engineers design electrical circuits, software to run medical equipment, or computer simulations to test new drug therapies.In addition, they design and build artificial body parts, such as hip and knee joints.Biomedical engineers need a good level of verbal and written communication to work with software and computer simulations. Verbal reasoning will test their ability to organize and effectively get tasks done within the time limit when writing reports and communicating with colleagues.
Verbal Reasoning Pros and Cons
Verbal Reasoning Pros and Cons*

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8. Which organisations should use verbal reasoning tests in hiring?

Verbal reasoning tests are here to help your business and to help ensure candidates have the required skill set to meet role requirements when applying for jobs.

Verbal reasoning tests are one of the most common assessments used by many employers in their selection process. Any job that requires language and comprehension skills will benefit from using the verbal reasoning test to assess candidates.

Sectors that often require verbal reasoning tests include:

  • Law – verbal reasoning tests are commonly used in the law industry. Employers who utilise verbal reasoning include DLA Piper, Baker & Mckenzie, Allen & Overy and Dentons. 
  • Engineering – verbal reasoning tests are welcomed in the engineering industry. Employers who use them include Airbus, BAE Systems, Aston Martin and BMW Group.
  • Consulting – verbal reasoning tests are commonly used in the consulting industry for most entry jobs, internships, and more senior roles. Employers who utilise verbal reasoning tests include Deloitte, EY and KPMG. 
  • Retail – verbal reasoning tests are often used in retail companies. Employers who utilise verbal reasoning tests include Amazon, Costco and Walmart plus many more. 
  • Finance – verbal reasoning tests are also used in the finance industry. Employers who use verbal reasoning tests when employing candidates include HSBC, JP Morgan and Bank of America.

Broadly speaking the above are industries that have been successfully using verbal pre-employment tests for many, many years to select the best candidates.

Many employers use the verbal reasoning assessment to test candidates in the early stages of recruitment. For jobs that don’t require high levels of literacy skills, numerical, verbal and logical tests are still often used for recruitment to outline candidate’s skills and how they work through challenging tasks.

If you are an employer that is unsure if using the verbal tests is the right choice, get in touch with us and we will do a free of charge assessment of your needs.

Verbal Reasoning Online or Assessment Centre
Verbal Reasoning Online or Assessment Centre*

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9. What challenges must candidates overcome in verbal reasoning tests?

You may want to consider whether candidates find it difficult to complete the verbal reasoning test.

The verbal reasoning test’s level of difficulty is determined by 4 factors:

  1. The length of the reading passage – this can make it more difficult for candidates to understand the information.
  2. The complexity of the text – this can place high comprehension on the test-takers.
  3. The use of higher language rather than simple words – this may require applicants to spend more time on comprehending the passage which reduces the time available to answer the questions.
  4. Time constraints – 30 seconds is a short amount of time and includes the reading time.

At Access Candidates we offer a wide range of practice verbal reasoning tests for candidates, which are designed to match the level of difficulty that they are likely to receive. Upon completing the test, applicants will receive a detailed report including scores and identifying correct and incorrect answers. This detailed explanation provides applicants with an opportunity to not make similar mistakes in the real verbal reasoning test so you can get a full picture of their competencies.

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10. How does the verbal test assess a candidate’s critical thinking?   

The verbal reasoning test, amongst many other things, tests a candidate’s critical thinking.

Looking at a situation and clearly understanding it from multiple perspectives whilst separating facts from opinion and assumptions is a key skill in today’s increasingly busy world.

Critical thinking is a key skill for any organization, and it could be the difference between good leaders and excellent leaders.

The verbal reasoning test identifies whether a candidate has the skill to think critically, this is important because critical thinking is:

  • Excellent predictor of performance in complex jobs
  • Shows creativity
  • Helps create great opportunities for performance and innovation in your company
Are Verbal Reasoning Tests Hard
Are Verbal Reasoning Tests Hard*

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11. Why use Assess Candidates verbal reasoning tests to hire?

The answer is relatively simple – we provide end-to-end candidate assessment solutions to help you find the best candidates for your organization. Fast and efficient ensuring excellent candidate experience.

Our verbal reasoning tests have been used for a long time by many organisations to assess a candidate’s ability.

Continue reading to find the details or contact us directly.

Access Candidates Verbal Reasoning Pre-Employment Tests Dashboard For Recruiters
Access Candidates Verbal Reasoning Pre-Employment Tests Dashboard For Recruiters

Above is an example of our reporting tool on Assess Candidates, that you as a hiring manager or talent acquisition expert will see when reviewing candidate performance.

Four reasons why to use Assess Candidates:

1. Experienced psychologists developing top industry tests

  • Assess Candidates’ (AC) verbal reasoning tests are developed by chartered scientists, psychologists and psychometricians who have previous experience in developing assessment solutions. Our experts have developed assessments for companies such as SHL and IBM Kenexa. 
  • Our tests have gone through rigorous testing, validation and have proven to select top talent in multiple organizations. 
  • AC’s collection of verbal reasoning tests is one of the many engaging psychometric assessments that have been successfully used to help hire high-performance candidates.

2. Top in class reports enabling to shortlist your candidates fast using flexible criteria

  • At Assess Candidates, employers can make their hiring decisions with confidence through an easy-to-use hiring assessment platform. You can view candidate performance in two ways:
    1. An overview of all individual candidates’ results for your hiring campaign that have applied for that vacancy.
    2. Recruiters are able to view all candidates’ performance including the tests they have taken and how they have performed.
  • Easily select how well candidates have to perform in each assessment to identify how well they have to perform to move to the next stage.
  • At Assess Candidates, our in-house occupational psychologists can advise on making hiring decisions and best practise performance thresholds.

3. Engaging Candidate Experience

  • In today’s world candidate experience matters. The best candidates participate in multiple selection processes, and it is often those who select the employer of their choice.
  • Our verbal reasoning assessments have an easy-to-use interface, friendly interface for candidates, the tests can be accessed from any device. They are easily accessible with features such as clear instructions on how to complete the test and a time limit embedded to make sure candidates know how long they have left. We ensure a user-friendly experience by using reduced clicks, the assessment moves on to the next question when answered, automatically. Our engaging assessments are delivered on a fully branded portal for a seamless experience.

4.  Candidate Accessibility Support

  • Assess Candidates ensure easy accessibility for all when moving around the platform and completing the verbal reasoning test. 
  • All assessments we provide have the option of including additional time for those who need it such as people with dyslexia.
  • We have incorporated a zoom feature on all assessments, to make the process easier for those who have visual disabilities. 
  • Our in-house developers have avoided the use of images throughout the platform in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to allow for the use of screen readers. 
  • We have also avoided the use of certain colours around the platform for those suffering from colour blindness.

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