Types
- "How many meaningful English words can be formed with the letters E, R, A, T, using each letter once?" Options: none, one, two, three, more than three.
- "If a meaningful word can be formed with the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th letters of INTERVAL, what is its first letter?" (with an option for "no word" and for "more than one word").
- Unscrambling: "If the letters of KBANRE are rearranged to form a meaningful word, what is the third letter?"
- "Which of the following words cannot be formed from the letters of EXAMINATION?"
Method
- Write the letters down; count vowels and consonants.
- Try common endings and beginnings: -ER, -ING, -ED, -LY, -TION, RE-, UN-.
- For four-letter sets, place the vowel(s) in positions 2 and 4, or 2 and 3, and run through consonant orders - this finds most words in under 30 seconds.
- Count only standard dictionary words. Names (DIVA, ROMA), abbreviations and slang do not count.
- For "cannot be formed" questions, compare letter counts: a word needing two O's cannot come from a word with one O.
Worked examples
| Letters | Words | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| E, R, A, T | RATE, TEAR, TARE | Three |
| E, M, I, T | EMIT, ITEM, MITE, TIME | More than three |
| O, L, F, I | FOIL | One |
| N, E, V, L | - | None |
Positional-letter questions
Number the letters of the given word first (I1 N2 T3 E4 R5 V6 A7 L8), pick the required positions, and write the chosen letters in a row. Then try to make a word. Typical options are: the first letter of the word, "X" if more than one word can be formed, and "Z" if no word can be formed. So, once you find one word, spend a few more seconds to check for a second arrangement before marking the answer.
Building speed
Keep a small list of common anagram families: LIVE/EVIL/VILE/VEIL, STOP/POTS/TOPS/SPOT/POST, EARTH/HEART/HATER, NOW/OWN/WON, LISTEN/SILENT/ENLIST, ACT/CAT. Exam setters reuse such sets.
Time target
30-45 seconds. If you cannot find a word in 45 seconds for a 5-6 letter set, mark the likely option ("none" is correct less often than candidates think) and move on.