CCAT Verbal Questions: Types, Strategies, and Worked Examples

Verbal questions can be some of the quickest points on the CCAT, as long as you know the formats and do not overthink them. This guide walks through each verbal question type we practice, how to approach it, and one worked example for each.

Try each example in under 20 seconds before reading the solution. That is roughly the pace you need on the real test.

What CCAT verbal questions measure

Criteria describes the verbal ability area as measuring reading comprehension, logic, and attention to detail, through sentence completion, vocabulary, and word comparison questions. Criteria's own sample verbal question asks for the word most nearly opposite to a given word.

Prep sources list analogies, antonyms, and sentence completion as common verbal types. In our practice tests, the verbal family covers five types: analogies, antonyms, synonyms, sentence completion, and odd word out. Some guides also place attention-to-detail items under verbal. We practice those in the logic family.

Analogies

An analogy gives you a pair of words and asks you to complete a second pair that has the same relationship. The trick is to turn the first pair into a short, specific sentence. "A is used for B", "A is a type of B", or "A is the opposite of B" all work.

Then plug each option into the same sentence. If more than one fits, make the sentence more specific and try again. Keep the order the same, too: if the first pair goes from worker to tool, the answer must also go from worker to tool.

Worked example

SURGEON is to SCALPEL as PAINTER is to:

1. canvas
2. brush
3. gallery
4. color
5. artist

Answer: B. brush. The sentence is "A surgeon does the work with a scalpel." A painter does the work with a brush. Canvas is tempting, but it is the surface being worked on, not the tool.

Antonyms

Antonym questions ask for the word most nearly opposite in meaning. Decide what the word means before you look at the options, and say its opposite in your own words. Then find the option closest to your version.

Watch for traps. Test writers often include a synonym of the original word, because a quick reader sees a related word and clicks it.

Worked example

Choose the word most nearly OPPOSITE to CANDID.

1. honest
2. guarded
3. cheerful
4. brief
5. famous

Answer: B. guarded. Candid means open and frank. The opposite is someone who holds back, which is guarded. Honest is the trap: it is close in meaning to candid, not opposite.

Synonyms

Synonym questions are the mirror image: find the word closest in meaning. The same method works. Define the word first, then match. If you only half know the word, think of a phrase where you have seen it used.

Prefixes and roots help when you are unsure. "Bene-" usually points to something good, "mal-" to something bad, and "-less" to something missing.

Worked example

Choose the word closest in meaning to METICULOUS.

1. careless
2. quick
3. thorough
4. generous
5. nervous

Answer: C. thorough. Meticulous means paying careful attention to every detail. Thorough is the closest match. Careless is the opposite, placed there for anyone who reads too fast.

Sentence completion

Sentence completion questions remove a word and ask you to pick the one that fits. Look for signal words before you look at the options. "But", "although", and "however" signal a contrast. "Because", "and", and "so" signal that the blank continues the same idea.

Predict the kind of word you need, positive or negative, and then choose. Before you click, read the whole sentence once with your answer in place. It takes two seconds and catches careless slips.

Worked example

The new policy was meant to ______ costs, but it ended up raising them.

1. reduce
2. inflate
3. ignore
4. justify
5. report

Answer: A. reduce. "But" tells you the outcome was the opposite of the goal. The policy raised costs, so the goal was to lower them. Reduce is the only option that sets up that contrast.

Odd word out

Odd word out questions list five words and ask which one does not belong. Find the category that four of the words share, then spot the one that breaks it. Categories can be meaning, part of speech, or degree, such as quiet versus loud.

If two words seem odd, your category is probably too broad. Make it narrower.

Worked example

Which word does not belong with the others?

1. whisper
2. murmur
3. mutter
4. shout
5. mumble

Answer: D. shout. Four of the words describe speaking quietly or unclearly. Shout means speaking loudly, so it is the one that does not fit.

How to get faster at CCAT verbal questions

• Define before you look. Having your own answer in mind keeps you from being pulled toward a trap option.
• Eliminate fast. Cross out options that are clearly wrong, then choose between what is left.
• Do not reread three times. If a word is completely new to you, make your best guess and move on. There is no penalty for a wrong answer on the CCAT.
• Bank time. Verbal questions you know well can take 10 seconds. That saves time for math and spatial questions that may need more.
• Read a little every day. A few news or business articles a day is a simple way to keep vocabulary fresh before the test.

For more practice items across every family, see our CCAT sample questions.

Practice verbal questions on the clock

Knowing the method is half the job. The other half is doing it in 18 seconds while math and shape questions come in between. Get unlimited full-length CCAT-style tests and short verbal drills, each with an explanation for every question.

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