EPSO Verbal Reasoning study plan

Read 12 short non-fiction passages (300-400 words) and, for each, write a one-sentence main-idea statement before answering any detail question

Practise distinguishing the main claim from supporting examples by underlining the topic sentence and labelling three subordinate details in each passage

Build a personal checklist of the four most common main-idea traps (too narrow, too broad, true-but-peripheral, contradicted) and tag every wrong option you reject with one label

Complete 30 timed detail-retrieval questions and record, per question, the exact line in the passage that contains the answer

Complete two 20-question timed sets mixing main-idea and detail items, keeping a per-question time log to find where you slow down

Rewrite five weak main-idea statements so each is one sentence and contains no detail that appears only once in the passage

Practise scanning technique: for 10 detail questions, locate the answer in under 30 seconds before reading the options

Identify and correct three recurring errors from week 1 by re-doing those question types from scratch

Answer 25 inference questions and, for each, write the two premises in the text that make the answer necessarily true

Reject five plausible-but-unproven options per session by stating explicitly what extra information would be needed to make them valid

Compile 40 words or phrases met in context and define each from the surrounding sentence before checking a dictionary

Distinguish fact from inference in 15 statements drawn from passages, marking each as stated, implied, or unsupported

Map the argument structure of 10 opinion passages: conclusion, premises, and any unstated assumption

Write the hidden assumption for 10 arguments in one sentence each and test whether negating it destroys the argument

Complete 20 vocabulary-in-context items where the correct meaning is the less common sense of a familiar word

Review weeks 1-3 error logs and re-attempt every missed question type under time pressure

Label the tone of 15 passages using precise adjectives (cautionary, dismissive, measured, enthusiastic) and cite the wording that justifies each label

Identify the author's purpose in 15 passages by choosing between inform, persuade, criticise, and recommend, and note the structural clue used

Separate conclusion from evidence in 10 passages by rewriting each as a numbered premise list ending in a single 'therefore' statement

Spot five rhetorical devices (concession, contrast, hedging) and explain how each shifts the author's stance

For 15 claims, write one sentence that would strengthen the claim and one that would weaken it, then check which actually bears on the conclusion

Practise summary: condense five passages to 25 words each without importing outside knowledge or dropping the main claim

Paraphrase 10 passages and verify no meaning has shifted by comparing your version against the original sentence by sentence

Synthesise two passages on the same theme into a short note identifying agreement, disagreement, and what each adds

Sit two full-length timed mocks under exam conditions and record score and time per domain

Analyse every error by domain and rank the three costliest error patterns by marks lost

Drill only the weakest domain for three sessions, re-testing with fresh questions each time

Rehearse a decision rule for guessing: eliminate two options, then choose, and log whether the guess was correct

Re-run the fastest-win domains (detail retrieval, vocabulary in context) in three short timed sets to lock in speed

Review all accumulated error logs and re-answer every previously missed question without looking at the old answers

Practise 10 summary and paraphrase items to confirm precision under time pressure

Simulate exam-day pacing with one final timed set and confirm per-question time stays within budget