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Verbal comprehension and reasoning are two cognitive abilities that are often tested by organizations as part of their recruitment process. Broadly, they measure your ability to understand communication and draw logical conclusions or make reasonable assumptions based on the information provided. These core abilities are essential for many jobs.
Some might believe that the basic cognitive ability associated with these skills is defined by genetics, but studies of intelligence measures have shown that it is possible, with practice, to increase an IQ score by as much as 15 points. [1] Essentially, your mind is like a muscle, which can be strengthened with training. Equally, it can be weakened by lack of use. To develop it, you need to stretch yourself mentally and challenge yourself to use your mind to its greatest capacity.
Read
The best practice for improving your ability to understand writing is to read. Research shows that reading makes us more intelligent – helping with crystallized intelligence (knowing a recipe), fluid intelligence (problem-solving), and emotional intelligence (responding to your own and others' feelings). [2] It's also important that what you read is important. Think literary novels over celeb magazines; broadsheet newspapers rather than click-bait blogs.
If you come across a word or phrase you don’t fully understand, you can look it up in a dictionary. If there is a concept or idea that you find challenging, Google it and read about it in other places until you are confident you understand it. The more high-quality, challenging writing you expose yourself to, the more you will understand.
Reflect
The important next step is to test your understanding of the things you have read. There are different ways to do this. One is to describe and explain what you’ve been reading to another person, without using the source text. They could then read the material themselves and tell you if your description accurately reflects their own understanding. An alternative would be for you both to read the material and then discuss it. This would allow you to check understanding with each other and discuss anything you found challenging or took differing meanings from. You may even want to consider setting up a non-fiction book group, if you know of several like-minded colleagues or friends who’d be interested in taking part. If you’d prefer to work on your own, you could write out a summary for yourself, again, without using the source text. Once complete, check it against the original material for accuracy, being particularly careful to look for evidence of anything which contradicts your own summary.
Watch
While some may argue that television is the enemy of mental development, choosing to watch the right kind of programs can help to stimulate your mind.
While the news, discussion programs and documentaries can stimulate our brains, studies show that watching ‘high-quality’ film and TV dramas can boost our emotional intelligence. Researchers say, “Film narratives, as well as written narrative, may facilitate the understanding of others’ minds.” [3]
Importantly, think critically about the information presented – don’t just accept it as fact. What other perspectives are there? Use the internet to research topics that interest you and try to learn more about them. Make a point of looking for opposing views which may challenge those you have seen or even challenge your own thinking. In short, educate yourself about the things you see on TV.
Listen
Many people listen to the radio during car journeys or at other times of the day when they are busy with something else. At these times, instead of choosing a music channel, look for an interesting discussion program instead. There are also podcasts available to stream or download to your phone to listen at your convenience. As with the TV programs, make a point of thinking about and following up the things you hear. Researching and reading about them will give you a greater understanding of the issues and topics the next time you hear of them and allow you to form your own educated opinions.
Play
Logic puzzles are an excellent way to test your brain and help you learn to think methodically and logically. They ask you to work out the answers to a problem based on a series of clues. You can buy books of these, similar to crossword or other puzzle books. Alternatively, a Google search for 'logic puzzles' will give you a wealth of free resources which you can either play online or install on your smartphone. These games will particularly help you to learn what you can and cannot infer from provided information.
Test
One way to really gage your level of verbal comprehension and reasoning is to do some of the free sample psychometric tests which are available online. These are the same kind of tests that employers use to assess candidates during the recruitment process. They provide passages of text and ask you a number of questions relating to them. Again, a Google search for 'verbal reasoning tests' will give you a list of companies that offer the tests, and many of them offer samples which you can do for free. Assessment Day and Practice Aptitude Tests are two examples that provide sample tests and, crucially, explanations of how to arrive at the correct answers.
Conclusion
The way to improve your verbal comprehension and understanding is to expose yourself to more challenging material than you would normally, to make sure you understand everything and to find out more about topics that interest you. Doing this regularly will train your mind to think logically, methodically and critically, which will all be of great benefit in any kind of business.
References[1] Dr Jeremy Adams, ‘Understanding Intelligence: You’re Not as Smart as You Think You Are (and Neither am I)…’ at:
www.eclectic-consult.com (accessed 27 July 2023).
