EPSO AD5 Verbal Reasoning: Examples and a Method to Practise
How verbal reasoning works in the EPSO AD5: question types, examples and a method to avoid the traps. Practise with a free timed test.
Verbal reasoning is one of the three areas of EPSO AD5 Part 1 (verbal, numerical and abstract), with tests expected between October and November 2026. It doesn't measure general knowledge, but your ability to read a short text and draw logical conclusions, without adding anything that isn't written.
What it actually measures
You get a passage followed by a statement. You decide whether, based only on the text, the statement is true, false or you cannot say. The classic mistake is using your own knowledge or "common sense": only what the text says counts.
The most common formats
- True / False / Cannot say from a passage.
- Logical conclusion: which statement necessarily follows from the text.
- Locating information: what the text explicitly states (or not).
Typical traps
- Absolute words ("always", "all", "never"): often make a statement false.
- Plausible but unwritten info: if it's not in the text → "cannot say".
- Synonyms and rephrasing: the correct answer restates the text in other words.
A 4-step method
- Read the statement first, then find the relevant sentence in the text.
- Stay inside the text: no outside knowledge.
- Watch quantifiers ("some" ≠ "all").
- If the info isn't there, the answer is "cannot say", not "false".
Example
Text: "Many AD5 candidates prepare online." Statement: "All candidates prepare online." → False: "many" is not "all".
Practise now
Practise with timed, realistic passages. Take our free timed test, then train every area with full access (500 questions with explained answers, 12 months).