The Student Room Group

I hate verbal reasoning tests - because they are wrong!

Hi,

I applied for a grad scheme and did poorly on the verbal reasoning test (bottom 25% actually) I am doing practice tests, but they never explain the answers if you get any wrong.

An example of an anwer I do not agree with:

“Enticing people to choose a bus over their car is difficult. Governments have tried by improving comfort and frequency of public transport. However, this has little effect because people value their cars too much. The opposition from the public to governmental persuasion on car use has already been demonstrated during the petrol blockade.

The most likely solutions are ones that retain the most driver convenience, whilst retaining low cost. A popular suggestion is to improve public transport so personal cars are needed less. This can be gradually implemented alongside existing traffic and uses existing road systems.”


4. Government believes that by increasing the comfort of buses, more people will
use them.

True Not true Cannot say

I said cannot say. They said the right answer is True.

What you all think? My reasoning is that the statement says "governments have tried" (past tense) it doesnt say "governments are trying"....

If the passage confirms that these measures had been unsuccesful, then surely that opens up the possiblity that government no longer believe that by increasing comfort on buses, more people will use them, especially where there is no statement that they are continuing to implement these changes.

Am I overthinking this? What advice can anyone give? Because sometimes there is a question like this where you get it wrong because of extremely subtle differences.
:confused:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
I would have said true. Why would they try to improve comfort on buses? Because they want more people to use them.

I see what you mean about the difference in tenses but with these tests I have found it's important not to be too literal. The answers don't have to echo the original sentence word for word - otherwise there wouldn't be any work for us to do in answering them. What I do is read the passage without reading the questions first, so that I'm not biased by questions and I don't read too much into what's being said. Then I read the questions and go with my first instinct in answering them.

Don't know if that's what you were looking for but hope it helps a bit. :smile:
Reply 2
:smile: Yeah see what you mean, thanks t_ucd!
Reply 3
I remember doing that exact same question, thinking the same thing as you and getting the wrong answer too.

But as far as I remember I found it on some other website not the “official” website that all companies use for their verbal reasoning tests (called SHL or something like that). Also I think there were other questions on the page that also didn’t make complete sense to me – but the general impression that I have got off doing the actual tests for various companies is that there is far less ambiguity – so I shouldn’t worry about it when you do the real thing.

And TBH I think I disagree with what t_ucid said, as part of the test is the comprehension of the passage (so you can therefore answer the related question) and tense is part of that.

And what happened in the past is not the same as what happens in the present/future

“bankers tried to make money by basing securities on sub-prime mortgages”

does not mean that in the present “bankers believe they can make money by basing securities on sum-prime mortgages”

Just as a present-day relevant example

Only my thoughts anyway…
Reply 4
Great, glad someone else can relate. It is a pitty that these tests do not give more time with a box that allows users to argue their reasoning behind such decisions.

That example of sub-prime mortgages is exactly what I was trying to say.

Nice 1 mate.
Reply 5
I would have said true aswell. You know they did once believe so - and you are not given WHEN they did it but you just know they did it (could be 1 minute ago if it be!) - But you are given no indication that they have changed. About the sub-prime thing, you have dates hence its a bit different. You should assume you are at the same tense as when the government did it as you are not told the time difference between you making the choice on the question and when the government did this and also that no indiciation that they have changed.
Reply 6
Yes, but in all fairness in saying “you should assume” it does not give an irrefutable “true” and therefore “cannot say” is surely the correct answer???

Likewise, by saying you “have dates it’s a bit different” is demonstrating that more information could change the answer from what is indirectly implied – so again “cannot say” appears to be the logical answer???
Reply 7
And now I hate numerical reasoning tests:

A = 5
B = 0
C = 2
D = 10
E = 2

What is then AB + EE - (ED)^B + (AC)^E = ?

103 - they said this is the answer - WTF? i get 104
113
93
111
123
Reply 8
or am i just being totally stupid?
Reply 9
What does ^ mean?
Reply 10
To the power of a number, like 10^2 = 100
Reply 11
I would have said true for the first question too but in saying that I usually find the verbal tests to be ambiguous at times too. I suppose that's the idea of it really to make the person think about it.

As for that arithmetic question that's not difficult at all. Practice makes perfect in such circumstances.
Reply 12
so you are saying hte answer is 103?
maxmadx
And now I hate numerical reasoning tests:

A = 5
B = 0
C = 2
D = 10
E = 2

What is then AB + EE - (ED)^B + (AC)^E = ?

103 - they said this is the answer - WTF? i get 104
113
93
111
123


AB=5x0=0 EE=2x2=4 (ED)^B=(2x10)^0=1 (AC)^E=(5x2)^2=100
Hence: 0+4-1+100
=103
Shouldn't take more than 30 seconds :smile:
Reply 14
Oh right. It's been a while since I did Maths... :redface:

Can I ask what firm this numerical test is for? The ones I have done haven't involved anything like that, they've just been percentages, bar charts etc.
Reply 15
oh i see, i didnt know that raising to a power 0 = 1 or -1. Cheers darkside90!

I found this on a practice site, not a graduate test example, and I think it really depends on how heavy the position is in the maths as to how likely algebra etc will factor in..
You are welcome.
By the way raising to a power of zero = 1, it is -1 in this case because there is a - sign in the front, as in - (ED)^B. If it was (ED)^B without the minus, it would be 1. I am not trying to be patronising by the way but to clarify just in case. :smile: I guess you don't take a mathematical course?
Reply 18
hehe i am dong a postgrad in maths believe it or not! lol (PGCert) that is.
Reply 19
or is it whats the explanation behind that anyway?