Exam guide
General Ability — the reasoning section
“General Ability” is the part of a scholarship exam that tests how a child thinks — with words, numbers and patterns — rather than what they've memorised. It is rarely taught at school, which makes it both the hardest part to face cold and the most trainable.
Where General Ability sits in each exam
| Exam board | How reasoning appears |
|---|---|
| AAS | One integrated, fast “Reasoning & Problem Solving” section (around 60 questions) that blends verbal, numerical and figural/abstract reasoning. |
| Edutest | Two separately-timed “ability” sections — Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning. |
| ACER | Reasoning is embedded — verbal/critical reasoning inside the Humanities domain, numerical/logical reasoning inside Mathematics; some sittings add a discrete abstract-reasoning component. |
Structure varies by board, year level and year — confirm the format for your target school's exam.
The question types
Reasoning looks mysterious, but it recycles a small set of recognisable types:
- Verbal — analogies (A is to B as C is to ?), odd-one-out, word codes, and logical deduction from short statements.
- Numerical — number series and sequences, missing-number puzzles, matrices, and multi-step quantitative reasoning.
- Abstract / figural — pattern series (“what comes next”), grid/matrix completion, rotations and reflections, and odd-one-out among shapes.
How to prepare
- Build a toolkit by type. For each pattern (series, matrices, analogies, odd-one-out, codes, rotations), learn a one-line “how to crack it” method.
- Untimed first, then timed. Practise for correctness and a repeatable method, then add the clock to build speed.
- Train scanning and elimination. Look for the single attribute that changes (shape, shading, rotation, count) and eliminate options fast.
- Mix the types in one session to mirror the way the real test switches between verbal, numerical and figural.
- Review the misses. The engine of improvement is going back over the questions a child got wrong and writing a “next-time” rule — not grinding endless new questions.
- Practise pacing. Many reasoning sections are deliberately set so few students finish; banking the easy marks quickly is worth more than any single hard question.
GA course — coming July 2026
Find your child's reasoning level
We provide an exam-style reasoning assessment across verbal, numerical and abstract questions. Your child sits it, we mark it and return detailed feedback — so you know their starting level and which question types to train first.
Common questions
What is General Ability in a scholarship exam?
General Ability is the part of a scholarship exam that tests how a child thinks — with words, numbers and patterns — rather than what they have memorised. It is rarely taught at school, which makes it the hardest section to face cold and the most trainable.
How does General Ability appear in AAS, ACER and Edutest?
AAS uses one integrated Reasoning and Problem Solving section of around 60 questions. Edutest splits it into separately timed Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning sections. ACER embeds reasoning inside the Humanities and Mathematics domains, and some sittings add a discrete abstract-reasoning component. Confirm the format for your target school’s exam.
What question types come up in reasoning tests?
Verbal: analogies, odd-one-out, word codes and logical deduction. Numerical: number series, missing-number puzzles, matrices and multi-step quantitative reasoning. Abstract: pattern series, grid completion, rotations and reflections.
Can General Ability be prepared for?
Yes. The questions recycle a small set of recognisable types, so the fastest gains come from recognising the type instantly and applying a rehearsed method. An unprepared child loses time simply working out what each question is asking.