What do verbal/non-verbal reasoning tests actually mean in practice?

[Takver]

I guess of course they show how good you are at putting shapes in the right order / knowing what a word means - but what does that actually mean in real life? (eg - if you're good at nvr, will you be good at reverse parking into a tight space?)

Well,(off the Top of my Head), The First thing that comes to mind is-A Verbal
Reasoning Test would show..."Can you Think on your Feet?"...and a "Non-Verbal
Reasoning Test" would Show..."How Good is your Comprehension?" Which,here
In the States is viewed as so much "Hog-Wash".Jill.

A verbal reasoning test done well shows that you understand the structure of the language you speak and have a handle on some of its basic concepts. It also tests your working vocabulary, which is important because that defines how well you are able to communicate.

Non-verbal reasoning is about problem solving, seeing patterns and applying logic.

My DD1 has just done her CATs in Yr7, she thinks of this stuff as 'fun puzzles' . Both types of tests are meant to identify aptitude and a particular type of intelligence. They can be practised for, there is definitely a knack to doing them, but you can't drill for them in quite the same way that you can for SATs.

"Both types of tests are meant to identify aptitude and a particular type of intelligence."

I suppose that's my question - how does that aptitude / intelligence apply to real life situations?

DD did various VR / NVR tests as part of work with the Ed Psych (she has difficulties with written work), so I'm interested I guess in what they're likely to mean for later schooling IYSWIM.

FWIW she showed up as being on a very high percentile, but (other than having an unusually high reading age) I don't think school would have picked her out as 'g&t', for example.

...I once mentioned to my Father that..." Hey, I have the Same IQ as George
Bush". He replied-"I KNOW!". (then he couldn't Stop Laughing...).

Well, an ability for language means your DD is likely to be able to identify patterns in poetry and literature, recognise the literary devices that writers use to make their point and be able to read critically because she will be able to identify flaws in logic in a piece of writing. This means she will be good at analysis and comprehension, which is hugely useful both in passing exams and in real life. In a work situation where she has to do research, she will be able to sort the wheat from the chaff and only use those sources of information which are well crafted and put together.

Non-verbal reasoning is also about analysis, though it's about picking up visual cues - as in 'what's wrong with this picture'? She will be good at identifying and analysing a problem, and suggesting a workable solution. Having a high IQ in general is useful though frustrating - I'm in that boat myself, and you do need very good social skills to work in tandem with that level of intelligence because (sounding elitist here) the majority of people just will not be as intelligent as you. This doesn't mean you can big yourself up - I have an IQ of 155 but when my washing machine breaks down I still need a skilled plumber.

My DDs both have reading ages 3 to 4 years ahead of their chronological ages and are also very good at maths, it's potentially a problem because you're dealing with someone who is able to read and comprehend texts far beyond their years but is also still playing with Barbies.

I guess dd has a slightly different problem in that - just for example, she has homework today 'write 8 sentences about your favourite sound'. She can happily tell me all about her favourite sound (birdsong) - but I know that when she comes to do the homework it will be a massive struggle; not just the physical writing (computer helps a a bit there), but constructing the content to the form required (ie, 8 sentences). So in that sense I suppose the tests tell us that what she's doing verbally is a 'true' picture

The problem with "Tests" is-that Sure,a lot of us and our Kids score extremely
High And show an "Aptitude" for This and That,But...What Good is all That,if-
a person Really doesn't Have the "Drive"to excell? A lot of us got these comments on our school Grade Cards that said,"She's just not Applying herself"
My parents had to "Bribe" me to get straight "A's" and we had to Bribe our kids
So They would get straight "A's".Tests can never give a "True" picture.When school Kicked me up to the next Grade,forcing me to lose all of my friends-I
Rebelled...so did my daughter.We both ultimately went on to Do things in our
Lives brought us happiness and fulfillment-and helped Others..

Pointythings, sorry, I should have said thanks - that's a very helpful summary of what the tests measure.

Japple - I'm just trying to put together the information that we're getting & understand what it means to try to help my dd who struggles quite a bit in school. I'm definitely not going to bribe her to get A's in tests - but I'd like her to reach a stage where she's in tears over every piece of written homework.

Totally off topic, but Takver - have you tried using some kind of prompts for her? e.g. if she has to write eight sentences, and she wants to write about birdsong, you could prompt her with:

• what is your favourite sound?
• how is that sound made?
• where do you hear it?
• when do you hear it?
• how often do you hear it?
• what makes this sound special?
• how does it make you feel?
• what would you say to other people about this sound?

Not the best examples perhaps, but it means you have broken the question down into manageable chunks which may seem easier to approach.

If my children had a problem"stringing together" coherent sentences;I would
Simply Ask her the question involved...then "Record" her Answer.We would
Then Write her answer down...because it would be in "speaking form".In college
I recorded my answers, then,facing the Blank sheet of paper,I Typed the entire
Sentence.Jill.

YY to prompts - and to be fair the sessions with the EP were very helpful & have made a big difference - various ideas inc. using whiteboards, prompts, bullet points, setting her own targets which have definitely helped.

But was just thinking about these various tests & wondering what they related to - hence the question :)

Looking at secondaries now, & obviously we want to ask about support for pupils with dyslexic type issues, so understanding as much as possible beforehand is always helpful.

It sounds like your DD has problems with processing and sequencing, and that can definitely be helped. Knowing she's able in these areas will help with targeting that help. My DDs don't have the problem to the same extent, but they do have it - they have difficulty structuring the enormous amount of knowledge they have amassed, filtering out the relevant parts, choosing a focus for their writing etc. Prompts have helped, to the point where they can now 'prompt' themselves because they have learned that it works. I hope it works for your DD too

Thank you :)