Verbal reasoning test practice: True, False or Cannot Say

What is a verbal reasoning test?

A verbal reasoning test gives you a short passage and a set of statements about it. For each statement you choose True, False or Cannot Say. It is one of the most common sections in graduate and professional online assessments, including SHL-style tests, Aon (cut-e) scales verbal, Talent Q Elements and Cappfinity, which are used by banks, the Big Four accounting firms, consultancies and consumer goods companies.

Tests are usually timed at around a minute per statement or two minutes per passage, so the skill is reading precisely under time pressure rather than knowing the topic.

How to tell False from Cannot Say

Most lost marks come from confusing False with Cannot Say. Ask one question: does the passage contain something that contradicts the statement? If yes, it is False. If the passage is simply silent, or only gives part of what you would need, it is Cannot Say, however likely the statement sounds in real life.

• Watch quantity words: "most", "some", "all" and "only" change the answer.
• A forecast, plan or suggestion in the passage is not a fact; a statement that treats it as fact is usually Cannot Say or False.
• A comparison needs both sides in the passage. One year’s figure says nothing about the year before.
• Correlation is not causation unless the passage says so.

Worked example

Passage: "Managers reported no measurable change in team output." Statement: "Team output rose." The passage contradicts a rise, so the answer is False. Statement: "Team morale rose." The passage says nothing about morale, so the answer is Cannot Say.