Free 11+ verbal reasoning practice paper to print

11+ Verbal Reasoning practice paper

24 questions · about 30 minutes · answer every question · nothing is deducted for a wrong answer

Name Date

Which pair of letters comes next? LL KN JP IR ( ? )
1. A HS
2. B HU
3. C IT
4. D HT
5. E HR
Which pair of letters comes next? IT HS GR FQ ( ? )
1. A EP
2. B EQ
3. C DP
4. D EO
5. E FP
Which pair of letters comes next? LM KK JI IG ( ? )
1. A HG
2. B HD
3. C IE
4. D HE
5. E HF
Which pair of letters comes next? IK LN OQ RT ( ? )
1. A UT
2. B UV
3. C UW
4. D RW
5. E UX
If BOAT is written in code as CPBU, how is DOG written in the same code?
1. A CNF
2. B FQI
3. C EPH
4. D DPH
5. E EPG
If FOX is written in code as DMV, how is HEN written in the same code?
1. A GDM
2. B FCN
3. C HCL
4. D FCL
5. E JGP
If DOG is written in code as FQI, how is PLUM written in the same code?
1. A RNWM
2. B SOXP
3. C NJSK
4. D RNWO
5. E PNWO
What number comes next? 14, 16, 23, 25, 32, ?
1. A 35
2. B 36
3. C 41
4. D 34
5. E 33
What number comes next? 11, 14, 20, 23, 29, ?
1. A 38
2. B 33
3. C 31
4. D 34
5. E 32
What number comes next? 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, ?
1. A 30
2. B 35
3. C 31
4. D 32
5. E 33
WY is to SU as OQ is to ?
1. A OM
2. B KQ
3. C SU
4. D KM
5. E LN
IM is to KO as CG is to ?
1. A AE
2. B FJ
3. C EI
4. D CI
5. E EG
ST is to UV as JK is to ?
1. A LM
2. B LK
3. C HI
4. D JM
5. E MN
(2 [12] 10) (2 [6] 4) (3 [?] 11) What number belongs in the brackets?
1. A 8
2. B 14
3. C 28
4. D 33
5. E 15
(10 [30] 3) (9 [63] 7) (4 [?] 5) What number belongs in the brackets?
1. A 21
2. B 9
3. C 18
4. D 1
5. E 20
(2 [12] 10) (10 [18] 8) (11 [?] 11) What number belongs in the brackets?
1. A 0
2. B 23
3. C 22
4. D 44
5. E 121
Four of these numbers belong together. Which is the odd one out? 54 96 15 42 84
1. A 54
2. B 96
3. C 15
4. D 42
5. E 84
Four of these numbers belong together. Which is the odd one out? 16 36 88 81 49
1. A 16
2. B 36
3. C 88
4. D 81
5. E 49
Four of these numbers belong together. Which is the odd one out? 63 72 90 19 81
1. A 63
2. B 72
3. C 90
4. D 19
5. E 81
21 is to 64, and 7 is to 22. What is 12 to?
1. A 39
2. B 36
3. C 35
4. D 38
5. E 37
9 is to 28, and 22 is to 67. What is 27 to?
1. A 83
2. B 81
3. C 80
4. D 84
5. E 82
17 is to 51, and 7 is to 21. What is 10 to?
1. A 29
2. B 32
3. C 31
4. D 28
5. E 30
A = 12 B = 5 C = 10 D = 9 E = 8 Work out (B + A) − D and give the answer as a letter.
1. A A
2. B E
3. C B
4. D C
5. E D
A = 8 B = 6 C = 7 D = 3 E = 4 Work out (C + E) − D and give the answer as a letter.
1. A D
2. B A
3. C B
4. D C
5. E E

Answers and working

Mark the paper with your child, not for them. The working matters more than the mark — it says which mistake each wrong answer comes from.

D

Take the two letters separately. The first letters run L, K, J, I, going back 1 letter each time, so the next one is H. The second letters run L, N, P, R, going forward 2 letters each time, so the next one is T. Put them together and the answer is HT. If the two letters seem to move together, check again: they almost never do.
A

Take the two letters separately. The first letters run I, H, G, F, going back 1 letter each time, so the next one is E. The second letters run T, S, R, Q, going back 1 letter each time, so the next one is P. Put them together and the answer is EP. Writing the alphabet along the top of the page makes these much faster.
D

Take the two letters separately. The first letters run L, K, J, I, going back 1 letter each time, so the next one is H. The second letters run M, K, I, G, going back 2 letters each time, so the next one is E. Put them together and the answer is HE. Do the first letters all the way along before you start on the second ones.
C

Take the two letters separately. The first letters run I, L, O, R, going forward 3 letters each time, so the next one is U. The second letters run K, N, Q, T, going forward 3 letters each time, so the next one is W. Put them together and the answer is UW. A step backwards is just as common as a step forwards, so check the direction first.
C

Compare the two words letter by letter: B becomes C, O becomes P, A becomes B, T becomes U. Every letter moves forward 1 place in the alphabet. Do the same to DOG: D becomes E, O becomes P, G becomes H. So DOG is written EPH. Moving the letters the wrong way would give CNF, which is why the direction matters. Say the alphabet aloud from the letter you are on rather than starting at A each time.
D

Compare the two words letter by letter: F becomes D, O becomes M, X becomes V. Every letter moves back 2 places in the alphabet. Do the same to HEN: H becomes F, E becomes C, N becomes L. So HEN is written FCL. Moving the letters the wrong way would give JGP, which is why the direction matters. Check the direction on a second letter before you commit: one letter can be a coincidence.
D

Compare the two words letter by letter: D becomes F, O becomes Q, G becomes I. Every letter moves forward 2 places in the alphabet. Do the same to PLUM: P becomes R, L becomes N, U becomes W, M becomes O. So PLUM is written RNWO. Moving the letters the wrong way would give NJSK, which is why the direction matters. Say the alphabet aloud from the letter you are on rather than starting at A each time.
D

Write the gaps between the numbers underneath: 2, 7, 2, 7. That shows the steps take turns: add 2, then add 7, then add 2 again. The last number is 32, so the next one is 34. Check whether the numbers are growing too fast for adding, which usually means multiplying.
E

Write the gaps between the numbers underneath: 3, 6, 3, 6. That shows the steps take turns: add 3, then add 6, then add 3 again. The last number is 29, so the next one is 32. Working out the gaps first is the habit worth teaching: it turns most of these into easy questions.
C

Write the gaps between the numbers underneath: 4, 4, 4, 4. That shows each number is 4 more than the one before. The last number is 27, so the next one is 31. Say the gaps aloud as you write them; the pattern is often easier to hear than to see.
D

Look at the first pair one letter at a time. W becomes S, which is 4 places back. Y becomes U, the same 4 back. So the rule is that both letters move 4 back. Apply it to OQ: O becomes K and Q becomes M, giving KM. Write the alphabet out once at the top of the page and these become counting questions.
C

Look at the first pair one letter at a time. I becomes K, which is 2 places forward. M becomes O, the same 2 forward. So the rule is that both letters move 2 forward. Apply it to CG: C becomes E and G becomes I, giving EI. Check your rule on the second letter before trusting it — one letter can agree by luck.
A

Look at the first pair one letter at a time. S becomes U, which is 2 places forward. T becomes V, the same 2 forward. So the rule is that both letters move 2 forward. Apply it to JK: J becomes L and K becomes M, giving LM. The gap between the two letters in a pair usually stays the same. Use that to check your answer.
B

Use the two complete sets to find the rule, then check it before you use it. In the first, 2 and 10 give 12; in the second, 2 and 4 give 6. In both, the number in the brackets is the two outside numbers added together. Doing the same to 3 and 11 gives 14. Look at the size of the number in the brackets: much bigger than the outside numbers usually means multiplying.
E

Use the two complete sets to find the rule, then check it before you use it. In the first, 10 and 3 give 30; in the second, 9 and 7 give 63. In both, the number in the brackets is the two outside numbers multiplied together. Doing the same to 4 and 5 gives 20. Write the rule down in words before you work out the answer.
C

Use the two complete sets to find the rule, then check it before you use it. In the first, 2 and 10 give 12; in the second, 10 and 8 give 18. In both, the number in the brackets is the two outside numbers added together. Doing the same to 11 and 11 gives 22. Look at the size of the number in the brackets: much bigger than the outside numbers usually means multiplying.
C

Look for something four of them share. Here it is that they are all multiples of 6: 42, 54, 84, 96. 15 is not, so it is the odd one out. Try the times tables first: four numbers sharing a multiple is the most common version of this.
C

Look for something four of them share. Here it is that they are all square numbers: 16, 36, 49, 81. 88 is not, so it is the odd one out. If the times tables do not work, look for square numbers, or for odd and even.
D

Look for something four of them share. Here it is that they are all multiples of 9: 63, 72, 81, 90. 19 is not, so it is the odd one out. Put the four in order in your head — the pattern is often easier to see that way.
E

Two examples are given so that the rule is certain. 21 became 64 and 7 became 22: in both, the first number has been multiplied by 3, then 1 added. One example alone would not be enough — 21 to 64 could just as easily be adding 43, but that does not work for 7. Doing the same to 12 gives 37. Work out your answer before you look at the choices, so a near miss cannot tempt you.
E

Two examples are given so that the rule is certain. 9 became 28 and 22 became 67: in both, the first number has been multiplied by 3, then 1 added. One example alone would not be enough — 9 to 28 could just as easily be adding 19, but that does not work for 22. Doing the same to 27 gives 82. Say what happened to the first number out loud before you touch the second.
E

Two examples are given so that the rule is certain. 17 became 51 and 7 became 21: in both, the first number has been multiplied by 3. One example alone would not be enough — 17 to 51 could just as easily be adding 34, but that does not work for 7. Doing the same to 10 gives 30. If doubling does not fit, try trebling, then halving.
B

Swap each letter for its number as you go. 5 + 12 = 17. Then take away D, which is 9: 17 − 9 = 8. Now look back at the list for the letter worth 8 — that is E. Write the number above each letter before you start, so you are not holding five values in your head.
B

Swap each letter for its number as you go. 7 + 4 = 11. Then take away D, which is 3: 11 − 3 = 8. Now look back at the list for the letter worth 8 — that is A. Check your answer by reading the list backwards to find the letter you landed on.