Verbal Reasoning - FRNSW Cognitive Test
Verbal reasoning in the FRNSW cognitive test measures how accurately you read and compare written information. Items typically ask for the statement that must be true, the assumption behind an argument, the best inference, or the word closest in meaning. The passages are short and self-contained, so the correct option is the one supported by the text - not the one that matches general fire-service knowledge.
Core rules
- Read the question stem first. ‘Must be true’, ‘best supported’, ‘weakens’ and ‘assumption’ require different tests.
- Separate stated fact from inference. A reasonable real-world conclusion is wrong if the passage does not support it.
- Track quantifiers: all, some, none, only, unless. ‘Only BA-trained officers may enter’ means entry implies BA training; it does not mean every BA-trained officer may enter.
- Treat conditionals precisely. ‘If P, then Q’ does not justify ‘if Q, then P’ or ‘if not P, then not Q’.
- For word items, insert each option into the original sentence and test the meaning, including secondary meanings.
- In arguments, identify the conclusion and the evidence; the assumption is the unstated link between them.
Worked example
Statement: ‘Entry is permitted only if the team has a clear exit path.’ A team has a clear exit path. Can it enter? Reasoning: ‘Only if’ makes the clear exit path a necessary condition, not a sufficient one. Clear path is required, but other conditions - BA control, charged hose, structural safety - may also be required. The valid conclusion is ‘not necessarily’; the invalid move is ‘clear path, therefore entry’. If the statement were ‘if the team has a clear exit path, entry is permitted’, then the clear path would be sufficient and entry would follow. One word changes the logic.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing an option that is true in the real world but not stated or implied.
- Reversing ‘only if’ and ‘if’.
- Ignoring ‘some’ versus ‘all’, or missing a negative such as ‘not’ and ‘unless’.
- Accepting extreme wording (‘always’, ‘never’) that the passage does not license.