Overview

Following Directions and Aural Reasoning questions evaluate children’s ability to listen carefully and choose the best figural or picture representation of a description. It requires knowledge of basic vocabulary, use of logic, inference and reasoning skills. It focuses on use of prepositions, order ranking, “negative words”, arithmetic terms, and comparative terms. Some of the common words that the child should be familiar with include: “left”, “right”, “up”, “down”, “next to”, “behind”, “in front”, “under”, “below”, “above”, “on top”, “least”, “most”, “short”, “tall”, “soft”, “hard”, “slow”, “fast”, “inside”, “outside”, “on”, “off”, “between, first”, “second”, “third”, “last”, “neither/nor”, and many other similar terms.

Example:

Which picture shows a big bear in between two small mice?

Tips and Tricks

• Before starting on any section, find a quiet place with no distractions. Make sure your child is sitting comfortably.
• Provide positive and encouraging feedback for correct answers and supportive feedback with explanations for incorrect answers. Avoid any negative feedback, comments, or gestures as this may discourage your child.
• Before reading aloud the question, ask the child whether he is ready and to listen carefully. Preparing your child to pay attention is part of training the mind.
• Read the question slowly, if you think the child does not know what the word means, spend the time explaining. Feel free to use some simple props around the house to compare and contrast. When children see and feel objects they understand and retain the information better. Grab a bag of M&Ms, raisins or few apples and work through some examples.
• Ask the child to review every single answer choice and eliminate wrong answers.
• Ask the child to explain the chosen answer choice and talk it out. Having children describe things helps train their mind.
• Sometimes the test questions contain content that is not relevant at all. If the child is having hard time, consider shortening the question to the essentials and over time add back the missing pieces. The most important thing is that the child understands the concept.