Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning in EPSO competitions presents short passages, often on institutional or policy matters, followed by statements to judge as true, false or cannot say, or by options asking which conclusion follows. It tests logical reading rather than general knowledge: whether a statement is necessarily supported, contradicted, or undetermined by the passage. Outside knowledge is irrelevant and can actively mislead.
Core rules
- Use only the passage. If the information is absent, the answer is 'cannot say', even when the statement is plausible or true in real life.
- 'True' means necessarily supported, not merely consistent. 'False' means contradicted by the passage.
- Quantifiers matter: 'all' is a strong claim, 'some' is weak, 'most' requires a majority. Changing 'some' to 'all' usually makes a statement unsupported.
- Check comparatives and chronology: what is compared with what, and which event came first.
- Causal claims need causal language ('because', 'led to', 'resulted in'), not mere sequence or correlation.
- Watch scope and exceptions: 'except', 'only if', 'provided that', 'unless'.
Worked example
Passage: 'In 2022 the agency handled 1,200 complaints, 40% of which concerned delays. In 2023 it cut average response time from 30 to 22 days; complaints rose to 1,500.' Statement: 'The fall in response time caused the rise in complaints.' Answer: Cannot say. Reasoning: the passage reports both changes but asserts no causal link. 'Caused' is an inference beyond the text. By contrast, 'Average response time fell by eight days' is true, and 'complaints rose by 25%' is true because 300/1,200 = 25%. The causal statement is not supported.
Traps that cost marks
- Importing a plausible real-world explanation and treating it as stated.
- Reading 'after' as 'because'.
- Ignoring 'not' or the difference between absolute numbers and rates.
- Selecting an option because it repeats words from the passage rather than because it follows logically.
- Generalising from one example or from a single case to a whole population.