Selective entry Verbal Reasoning in Victoria: what it tests

It checks two things in one timed sitting: reading texts closely, and reasoning with language. Your child has 55^{1ACER · 12 October 2026 · Published} minutes for both, answered by shading a booklet. ^{1ACER · 12 October 2026 · Published}

If a guide or older paper shows Verbal Reasoning as its own timed test, go by ACER: the two parts share one sitting of 55^{1ACER · 12 October 2026 · Published} minutes. ACER does not publish how many questions there are ^{1ACER · 13 October 2026 · Not published}, or how the parts are marked and weighted. ^{1ACER · 13 October 2026 · Not published}

The sitting comes second on the exam morning, after Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning and a 20^{1ACER · 14 October 2026 · Published}-minute break.

Use the same four steps on any question built from statements. They are our method, not ACER's, and they slow your child down at the points where most mistakes happen.

1. Separate facts from claims

   What does the text actually state? Underline it lightly in your head before reading the options.

2. Watch the small words

   All, some, only, unless, never. These words decide what follows, so read each one twice.

3. Test every option

   Ask of each: must it be true, could it be true, or can it not be true?

4. Answer what is asked

   Questions often ask for the option that must be true. Check the question once more before you shade.

What are the common traps?

Most wrong answers come from reading too fast, not from not knowing. These are the traps we see most in reasoning with words.

Your child has one clock, 55^{1ACER · 12 October 2026 · Published} minutes, for both parts. Question counts are not published, so nobody can give an exact time per question. ^{1ACER · 13 October 2026 · Not published}

If a question stalls, ACER suggests your child make an informed guess and come back to it at the end if there is time^{1ACER · 13 October 2026 · Published}. A long passage can also wait until the shorter items are done.

ACER says half the questions correct is not unusual^{1ACER · 12 October 2026 · Published}, and many children don't finish. Running out of time is normal in this exam.

ACER says there is no need to practise or revise^{1ACER · 12 October 2026 · Published}. It says the skills grow over time, through a culture of learning, varied engaging material and talking freely about ideas^{1ACER · 13 October 2026 · Published}, which suits ordinary family habits.

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  Read a mix of texts each week, such as news, essays and older novels

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  Talk about an argument at dinner: what does it really say, and what doesn't it say?

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  Look up an unfamiliar word and compare it with a near neighbour

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  Try ACER's sample questions once, then talk through each answer

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  After any mistake, name the trap rather than just the right letter

Is Verbal Reasoning the same as Reading?

No. Reading is about understanding texts, while Verbal Reasoning is about reasoning with words, concepts and logic. They share one sitting and one clock. ^{1ACER · 12 October 2026 · Published}

How many Verbal Reasoning questions are there?

ACER does not publish the number. ^{1ACER · 13 October 2026 · Not published}

Does my child need to learn vocabulary lists?

The Department says the exam needs no more than the Year 8 curriculum^{2Vic Education · 12 October 2026 · Published}. Wide reading and talk build word sense better than lists, in our view.

Are the samples as hard as the real exam?

Not necessarily. ACER says its samples are free sample questions, not necessarily as hard as the exam^{1ACER · 12 October 2026 · Published}.

Can my child see which answers were wrong?

No. To keep the exam secure, families get no access to the tests or individual scores^{3ACER · 12 October 2026 · Published}.