Introduction: Nowadays, there is a tendency among language testers to create less traditional and more task-based, contextulaized, and authentic language items. They generally assume that nonverbal cues have a positive effect on comprehension, and use these nonverbal elements in their tests. However, the role of nonverbal cues on comprehension of verbal stimuli is not so straightforward, and depends on the characteristics of the cues. The purpose of this book is to compare the verbal and nonverbal methods of receptive skills i.e. reading and listening comprehension. To implement this book, a battery of tests, including a verbal and nonverbal listening test, along with a verbal and nonverbal reading test, was selected and administered to 125 preuniversity students. The one-way ANOVA showed that the subjects performed better on nonverbal items than verbal items on both reading and listening skills. To support the results of the tests with more qualitative data, a questionnaire was given to the test-takers to gain a view on their opinion on verbal and nonverbal methods of testing reading and listening comprehension.

Keyword: An Overview of Listening Comprehension, Listening Comprehension, Deconstructing Listening Comprehension into Skills, A Two-Stage Process of Listening, Assessing Listening Comprehension, Listening tests or general comprehension tests, Assessing Listening by Verbal and Nonverbal Methods, Defining Verbal and Nonverbal Elements, Characteristics of Verbal Listening Comprehension Tests, Characteristics of Nonverbal Listening Comprehension Tests, Paivio’s Dual Coding Theory, Verbal and Nonverbal Processing, Interactionists’ Model, The Effects of Visuals on Listening Comprehension, The Final Words on Visuals and Listening Comprehension, An Overview of Reading Comprehension, Defining Reading Comprehension in Different Models, Assessing Reading Skills and Subskills, Verbal and Visual Elements in Reading Assessment, Types of Visual Elements, Different Processing of Verbal and Nonverbal Elements, Integration of Verbal and Nonverbal Elements, The Effects of Learning Styles and Strategies