Office of University Evaluation

Covert and Overt Verbs

Because program objectives must be observable and measurable, it is important to use verbs that are overt rather than covert when defining objectives. It is common to see program objectives that call for students to know, understand, or appreciate. Because it is impossible to directly observe a student's knowledge, understanding, or appreciation, it is important to identify objectives that call for specific performances that can be observed, measured, and reported.

The table below contains examples of verbs associated with the levels of Bloom's taxonomy.

Below the table, there are examples of objectives written with covert verbs, followed by improved versions using overt verbs.

Knowledge	Comprehension	Application	Analysis	Synthesis	Evaluation
Count	Associate	Add	Analyze	Categorize	Appraise
Define	Compute	Apply	Arrange	Combine	Assess
Describe	Convert	Calculate	Breakdown	Compile	Compare
Draw	Defend	Change	Combine	Compose	Conclude
Identify	Discuss	Classify	Design	Create	Contrast
Labels	Distinguish	Complete	Detect	Drive	Criticize
List	Estimate	Compute	Develop	Design	Critique
Match	Explain	Demonstrate	Diagram	Devise	Determine
Name	Extend	Discover	Differentiate	Explain	Grade
Outlines	Extrapolate	Divide	Discriminate	Generate	Interpret
Point	Generalize	Examine	Illustrate	Group	Judge
Quote	Give examples	Graph	Infer	Integrate	Justify
Read	Infer	Interpolate	Outline	Modify	Measure
Recall	Paraphrase	Manipulate	Point out	Order	Rank
Recite	Predict	Modify	Relate	Organize	Rate
Recognize	Rewrite	Operate	Select	Plan	Support
Record	Summarize	Prepare	Separate	Prescribe	Test
Repeat		Produce	Subdivide	Propose
Reproduces		Show	Utilize	Rearrange
Selects		Solve		Reconstruct
State		Subtract		Related
Write		Translate		Reorganize
		Use		Revise
				Rewrite
				Summarize
				Transform
				Specify

Covert	Overt
Know the causes of the Civil War.	Discuss four social or political factors that caused the Civil War.
Think critically.	Interpret, analyze, evaluate and construct arguments.
Understand principles of (discipline).	Apply the principles of (discipline) through completion of a capstone project.
Appreciate classical music.	Compare and contrast the works of two Baroque composers.