Word analogies practice: Vienna Informatics entrance test
Word analogies are part of the cognitive section of the entrance test at TU Wien and Uni Wien. The format is compact: you get three given words, work out the relationship between the first two, and pick from five options the word that forms the same relationship with the third.
The logic itself is simple. The difficulty for non-native speakers sits elsewhere: whether you find the right answer almost always depends on knowing the German words precisely. That is why this page covers both, the relationship types and the vocabulary. You can practise free and without signing up.
Practise word analogies freeWhat a word analogy looks like in the test
An analogy checks whether you can spot a relationship between two words and carry it over to a pair. Read it as: "A is to B as C is to ?". Your job is to pick, from five answers, the one that has the same relationship to C that B has to A.
The trap the test setters use is the distractor. Often two of the five options are thematically close and both feel plausible. Only one is exactly right once you name the relationship precisely. Anyone who reasons vaguely along the lines of "fits the topic somehow" walks straight into it.
The relationship types that matter
Almost every analogy in the test fits one of these types. Once you know them, you get an instant hunch on reading what kind of relationship it is, and only have to verify.
- Opposite (antonym): bright to dark, loud to quiet. The words are opposite poles.
- Synonym: fast to quick, start to beginning. The words mean practically the same.
- Hypernym and hyponym: dog to animal (narrower to broader), flower to rose (the reverse). Mind the direction.
- Part and whole: wheel to car, page to book. One is a component of the other.
- Property: sugar to sweet, fire to hot. A thing and its typical quality.
- Cause and effect: rain to flood, spark to fire. One triggers the other.
The method: name the relationship, then apply it
Never guess by feel. First state a sentence that describes the given pair’s relationship precisely, then slot the third word into the same sentence. Only the option that makes the sentence true is correct.
The key is to build the sentence as precisely as possible. "Has to do with water" is too vague and lets several options through. "Is the enlarged, dangerous form of" is precise and leaves only one. The sharper the sentence, the safer the elimination.
Spark : fire = drop : ? Options: (a) rain, (b) water, (c) flood, (d) cloud, (e) wet
- Name the pair’s relationship: a spark is the small start from which a large, uncontrolled fire can grow. So "the small thing from which the large, uncontrolled X arises".
- Apply the sentence to the third word: what is the large, uncontrolled counterpart of a small drop?
- Eliminate the distractors: "water" (b) is just the substance, no escalation. "wet" (e) is a property, not an event. "cloud" (d) and "rain" (a) are close to the topic but not an uncontrolled escalation of the single drop.
- Only "flood" (c) fits: the large, uncontrolled event, just as fire is to spark. Relationship type: cause and escalated effect.
Answer:(c) flood. Spark is to fire as drop is to flood: the small element that becomes the large, uncontrolled effect.
The real bottleneck: German vocabulary
For non-native speakers, word analogies are often the hardest part of the cognitive test, not because of the logic but because of the vocabulary. If you don’t know one of the five words precisely, you can’t test the relationship cleanly and end up guessing. The items deliberately use rarer words and fine shades of meaning too.
So vocabulary work here is genuine test prep. While practising, collect every unknown word with a short example sentence, pay special attention to synonym and antonym pairs, and learn words in contrasts. When a word is missing in an item, work outward from the words you know for certain and eliminate.
- Learn words in pairs: for each new word, add its opposite and a synonym at once.
- Keep the relationship types as a mental checklist and run through them as you read.
- When two options sit close together, the most precise sentence decides, not gut feeling.
- Watch the clock: analogies are short, so don’t get stuck on any single one.
Frequently asked questions
How are word analogies structured in the entrance test?
You get three given words in the pattern "A is to B as C is to ?" and pick the matching fourth word from five options. The correct one has the same relationship to C that B has to A.
Which relationship types appear?
Most common are opposite, synonym, hypernym and hyponym, part and whole, property, and cause and effect. If you name the relationship in the first pair precisely and carry it to the third word, you reliably find the answer.
Why are word analogies so hard for non-native speakers?
Because the bottleneck is not the logic but German vocabulary. If you don’t know one of the five words precisely, you can’t test the relationship cleanly. Learning vocabulary in synonym and antonym pairs is therefore the most effective lever.
What do I do when two options both seem to fit?
Build a more precise sentence for the relationship. If two options both "fit", your sentence is too vague. Phrase the relationship precisely enough and only one option truly makes the sentence true.
Can I practise word analogies for free?
Yes. On VWUPass you can practise word analogies in the Vienna format free and without signing up, with the five options and an explanation after each item.