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ISSB Verbal Intelligence Test

Day one of the four-day ISSB is a screening: verbal and non-verbal intelligence tests, sat by every candidate on reporting. Candidates who do not clear them go home that day; those who do stay on for the psychologist, the Group Testing Officer and the interview.

The verbal intelligence test is reasoning with words, letters and numbers against the clock. Each question is short, and the difficulty is the volume and the pace: you are expected to recognise the type of question at a glance and apply its rule without hesitating.

40 questions30 minutesFree, no sign-up

The timer starts when you press the button. Answers and explanations are shown at the end.

What the ISSB verbal intelligence test asks

  • Number and letter series

    Find the next term, or the missing one, in a sequence that follows one rule.

  • Analogies

    Word and number pairs: A is to B as C is to what?

  • Coding and decoding

    A word is written in a code; apply the same code to another word.

  • Odd one out

    Four words or numbers, three sharing a property; pick the one that does not.

  • Direction sense

    Follow a route of turns and distances and say where it ends.

  • Ranking and order

    Positions in a row or a class, from the top or from either end.

  • Blood relations

    Work out how two people in a short family statement are related.

  • Logical deduction

    Which conclusion must follow from two or three statements.

  • Alphabet and word puzzles

    Letter positions, rearranged letters and words formed from a longer word.

It is the one part of ISSB that is a pure test, and the one that responds directly to practice.

Sample ISSB verbal intelligence test questions with answers

1. Find the next number: 4, 6, 10, 16, 24, 34, ?

  • A. 42
  • B. 44
  • C. 46
  • D. 48

The differences are 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, increasing by 2 each time. The next difference is 12, so 34 + 12 = 46.

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2. Find the next number: 7, 10, 20, 23, 46, 49, ?

  • A. 95
  • B. 96
  • C. 98
  • D. 100

The operations alternate between adding 3 and multiplying by 2. Thus, 7 + 3 = 10, 10 × 2 = 20, and 49 × 2 = 98.

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3. Find the missing number: 3, 10, 5, 18, 7, 28, 9, ?

  • A. 36
  • B. 38
  • C. 40
  • D. 42

The odd-positioned terms are 3, 5, 7, 9, increasing by 2. The even-positioned terms are 10, 18, 28, so their increases are 8, 10, and then 12, giving 40.

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4. Find the next number: 5, 11, 23, 47, 95, ?

  • A. 189
  • B. 190
  • C. 191
  • D. 192

Each term is doubled and then increased by 1. Thus, 95 × 2 + 1 = 191.

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5. Find the next number: 2, 6, 13, 23, 36, ?

  • A. 50
  • B. 51
  • C. 52
  • D. 53

The differences are 4, 7, 10 and 13, increasing by 3 each time. The next difference is 16, so 36 + 16 = 52.

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How to prepare for the ISSB verbal intelligence test

  • The board's screening is the same family of questions as your initial test, under stricter time pressure. Two weeks of timed practice before your reporting date is the cheapest insurance on the whole process.
  • Sit a full timed test first and keep the score. It tells you how much of your preparation the intelligence test needs.
  • Learn the usual rules for each type: differences and ratios in number series, alphabet positions (A=1 to Z=26) for letter series and codes, and a quick sketch for directions and family trees.
  • Do not get stuck. A question that has not opened in thirty seconds is a question to mark and come back to; the next one is usually quicker.
  • Read every explanation for the questions you missed, then sit another full test a few days later.

Read next: How the ISSB process works, day by day

Keep practising

ISSB Non-Verbal Intelligence Test

The other half of the ISSB intelligence test.

ISSB practice and past papers

Every subject on the ISSB paper, timed, with answers.

Verbal Intelligence Test for other services

ISSB verbal intelligence test: common questions

What is in the ISSB verbal intelligence test?

Number and letter series, analogies, coding and decoding, odd one out, direction sense, ranking and order, blood relations, logical deduction and alphabet and word puzzles. The verbal intelligence test is reasoning with words, letters and numbers against the clock. Each question is short, and the difficulty is the volume and the pace: you are expected to recognise the type of question at a glance and apply its rule without hesitating.

When is the ISSB intelligence test taken?

Day one of the four-day ISSB is a screening: verbal and non-verbal intelligence tests, sat by every candidate on reporting. Candidates who do not clear them go home that day; those who do stay on for the psychologist, the Group Testing Officer and the interview.

Is there also a non verbal intelligence test for ISSB?

Yes. The ISSB intelligence test has a verbal part and a non-verbal part, and candidates sit both. Each has its own free practice test on TestUstad.

How long is this ISSB verbal intelligence practice test?

40 questions in 30 minutes, drawn fresh on every attempt and scored with harder questions counting more. The boards do not publish their papers, so these are original questions of the same types, at the same pace.

Is the ISSB verbal intelligence practice free?

Yes. There is no fee, no sign-up and no limit on attempts. Every question is explained when you finish.