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The VARK Learning-Styles Inventory

The VARK is a sixteen-item questionnaire that focuses on how learners prefer to use their senses (hearing, seeing, writing, reading, experiencing) to learn. The acronym VARK stands for “Visual,” “Aural,” “Read/Write,” and “Kinesthetic.” As you read through the following descriptions, see which ones ring true to how you learn.

Visual learners prefer to learn information through charts, graphs, symbols, and other visual means. If you can most easily remember data that is presented in graphic form or in a picture, map, or video, you are a visual learner.
Aural learners prefer to hear information and discuss it with friends, classmates, or instructors. If talking about information from lectures or textbooks helps you remember it, you are an aural learner.
Read/Write learners prefer to learn information through words on a printed page. During a test, if you can sometimes visualize where information appears in the textbook, you are a read/write learner.
Kinesthetic learners prefer to learn through experience and practice, whether simulated or real. They often learn through their sense of touch. Recopying or typing notes helps them remember the material. They also learn better when their bodies are in motion, whether participating in sports, dancing, or working out. If you are a kinesthetic learner, you may find that even your sense of taste or smell contributes to your learning process.

Figure false: Bodies in Motion

Figure false: As you’ll learn in the next section, the theater arts have strong appeal for kinesthetic learners who prefer to learn through experience and practice.

Figure false: Hill Street Studios/Getty Images

Two or three of these modes probably describe your preferred ways of learning better than the others. At the college level, faculty members tend to share information primarily via lecture and the textbook, but many students like to learn through visual and interactive means. This difference creates a mismatch between learning and teaching styles. Is this a problem? Not necessarily, if you know how to handle such a mismatch. Later in this chapter you’ll learn strategies to adapt lecture material and the text to your preferred modes of learning. First, though, to determine your learning style(s) according to the VARK, respond to the questionnaire.

The VARK Questionnaire, Version 7.1

This questionnaire is designed to tell you about your preferences for how you work with information. Choose answers that explain your preference(s). Check the box next to those items. For each question, select as many boxes as apply to you. If none of the response options applies to you, leave the item blank. (You can also take the VARK questionnaire online at vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire.)

You are helping someone who wants to go to your airport, the center of town, or railway station. You would
1. a. go with her.
2. b. tell her the directions.
3. c. write down the directions.
4. d. draw, or show her a map, or give her a map.
A Web site has a video showing how to make a special graph. There is a person speaking, some lists and words describing what to do, and some diagrams. You would learn most from:
1. a. seeing the diagrams.
2. b. listening.
3. c. reading the words.
4. d. watching the actions.
You are planning a vacation for a group. You want some feedback from them about the plan. You would
1. a. describe some of the highlights they will experience.
2. b. use a map to show them the places.
3. c. give them a copy of the printed itinerary.
4. d. phone, text, or e-mail them.
You are going to cook something as a special treat. You would
1. a. cook something you know without the need for instructions.
2. b. ask friends for suggestions.
3. c. look on the Internet or in some cookbooks for ideas from the pictures.
4. d. use a good recipe.
A group of tourists wants to learn about the parks or wildlife reserves in your area. You would
1. a. talk about, or arrange a talk for them, about parks or wildlife reserves.
2. b. show them maps and Internet pictures.
3. c. take them to a park or wildlife reserve and walk with them.
4. d. give them a book or pamphlets about the parks or wildlife reserves.
You are about to purchase a digital camera or mobile phone. Other than price, what would most influence your decision?
1. a. trying or testing it
2. b. reading the details or checking its features online
3. c. it is a modern design and looks good
4. d. the salesperson talking about its features
Remember a time when you learned how to do something new. Avoid choosing a physical skill (e.g., riding a bike). You learned best by:
1. a. watching a demonstration.
2. b. listening to somebody explaining it and asking questions.
3. c. diagrams, maps, and charts—visual clues.
4. d. written instructions (e.g., a manual or book).
You have a problem with your heart. You would prefer that the doctor:
1. a. give you something to read to explain what was wrong.
2. b. use a plastic model to show what was wrong.
3. c. describe what was wrong.
4. d. show you a diagram of what was wrong.
You want to learn a new program, skill, or game on a computer. You would
1. a. read the written instructions that came with the program.
2. b. talk with people who know about the program.
3. c. use the controls or keyboard.
4. d. follow the diagrams in the book that came with it.
You like Web sites that have:
1. a. things you can click on, shift, or try.
2. b. interesting design and visual features.
3. c. interesting written descriptions, lists, and explanations.
4. d. audio channels where you can hear music, radio programs, or interviews.
Other than price, what would most influence your decision to buy a new nonfiction book?
1. a. the way it looks is appealing
2. b. quickly reading parts of it
3. c. a friend talks about it and recommends it
4. d. it has real-life stories, experiences, and examples
You are using a book, CD, or Web site to learn how to take photos with your new digital camera. You would like to have:
1. a. a chance to ask questions and talk about the camera and its features.
2. b. clear written instructions with lists and bullet points about what to do.
3. c. diagrams showing the camera and what each part does.
4. d. many examples of good and poor photos and how to improve them.
You prefer a teacher or a presenter who uses:
1. a. demonstrations, models, or practical sessions.
2. b. questions and answers, talk, group discussion, or guest speakers.
3. c. handouts, books, or readings.
4. d. diagrams, charts, or graphs.
You have finished a competition or test and would like some feedback:
1. a. using examples from what you have done.
2. b. using a written description of your results.
3. c. from somebody who talks it through with you.
4. d. using graphs showing what you achieved.
You are going to order food at a restaurant or café. You would
1. a. choose something that you have had there before.
2. b. listen to the waiter or ask friends to recommend choices.
3. c. choose from the descriptions in the menu.
4. d. look at what others are eating or look at pictures of each dish.
You have to make an important speech at a conference or special occasion. You would
1. a. make diagrams or get graphs to help explain things.
2. b. write a few key words and practice saying your speech over and over.
3. c. write out your speech and learn from reading it over several times.
4. d. gather many examples and stories to make the talk real and practical.

Scoring the VARK Now you will match up each one of the boxes you selected with a category from the VARK Questionnaire using the following scoring chart. Circle the letter (V, A, R, or K) that corresponds to each one of your responses (A, B, C, or D). For example, if you marked both B and C for question 3, circle both the V and R in the third row.

Responses to Question 3:	A	B	C	D
VARK letter	K			A

Count the number of each of the VARK letters you have circled to get your score for each VARK.

Scoring Chart

Question	A Category	B Category	C Category	D Category
1	K	A	R	V
2	V	A	R	K
3	K	V	R	A
4	K	A	V	R
5	A	V	K	R
6	K	R	V	A
7	K	A	V	R
8	R	K	A	V
9	R	A	K	V
10	K	V	R	A
11	V	R	A	K
12	A	R	V	K
13	K	A	R	V
14	K	R	A	V
15	K	A	R	V
16	V	A	R	K

Total number of Vs circled = ____ Total number of As circled = ____

Total number of Rs circled = ____ Total number of Ks circled = ____

Because you could choose more than one answer for each question, the scoring is not a simple matter of counting. It’s like four stepping stones across water. Enter your scores from highest to lowest on the stones in the figure, with their V, A, R, and K labels.

Your stepping distance comes from this table:

The total of my four VARK scores is	My stepping distance is
16–21	1
22–27	2
28–32	3
More than 32	4

Follow these steps to establish your preferences:

Your first preference is always your highest score. Check that first stone as one of your preferences.
Now subtract your second highest score from your first. If that figure is larger than your stepping distance, you have a single preference. Otherwise, check this stone as another preference and continue with step 3.
Subtract your third score from your second one. If that figure is larger than your stepping distance, you have a strong preference for two learning styles (bimodal). If not, check your third stone as a preference and continue with step 4.
Last, subtract your fourth score from your third one. If that figure is larger than your stepping distance, you have a strong preference for three learning styles (trimodal). Otherwise, check your fourth stone as a preference, and you have all four modes as your preferences! You may also find that you prefer the four learning styles equally.

Note: If you are bimodal or trimodal or you have checked all four modes as your preferences, you are multimodal in your VARK preferences.

high-impact practice 3

Stay Motivated

Sharing Different Approaches to Learning

Did you know what type of learner you were before taking the VARK? Find one or two other students in your class with different learning styles. Share thoughts on strategies you are using to study in all your classes, referring to the examples in Table 4.1. What strategies are working for everyone in the group?