Bloom's Taxonomy action verbs are observable verbs grouped by six thinking levels: Remember (list, define), Understand (explain, classify), Apply (calculate, demonstrate), Analyse (diagnose, differentiate), Evaluate (prioritise, justify) and Create (design, develop). Pick one verb at the level the job demands, add a condition and a standard, and you have a measurable learning objective.
What are Bloom's Taxonomy action verbs?
Bloom's Taxonomy action verbs are the words trainers use to describe exactly what a participant will be able to do after a session. Each verb belongs to one of six levels of thinking, from simple recall to original creation, so choosing a verb also tells you how demanding the objective is.
The framework comes from Benjamin Bloom and colleagues (1956) and was revised in 2001 by Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl. The revised version, which most trainers now use, names the levels as verbs: remember, understand, apply, analyse, evaluate and create. The lower levels build knowledge; the higher levels build judgement and capability.
Why does this matter in corporate training? Because the verb in your objective drives everything downstream. "Understand the new leave policy" leads to a slide-heavy explanation and a feedback form. "Calculate leave balances for three sample employees, with no errors" leads to practice, a worked case and an assessment you can actually score. The second objective is also far easier to defend to a business head who asks what the training achieved.
60 Bloom's Taxonomy action verbs by level
Here are 60 action verbs, ten for each level of the revised Bloom's Taxonomy, with a workplace-style example objective for each level. Use the table to pick a verb that matches what the job actually requires.
| Level | What the learner does | 10 action verbs | Example objective |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Remember | Recall facts, terms and steps | list, define, name, recall, identify, state, label, match, recognise, reproduce | List the five mandatory fields on the incident report form. |
| 2. Understand | Explain ideas in their own words | explain, summarise, describe, classify, paraphrase, compare, illustrate, interpret, infer, outline | Explain to a customer, in plain language, why a refund takes up to seven working days. |
| 3. Apply | Use a procedure in a given situation | demonstrate, use, calculate, carry out, solve, operate, complete, prepare, implement, conduct | Calculate the GST on a mixed invoice using the rate chart, with no errors. |
| 4. Analyse | Break a situation into parts and find causes | differentiate, distinguish, break down, diagnose, examine, organise, attribute, troubleshoot, investigate, map | Diagnose the root cause of a repeat machine stoppage from the shift log. |
| 5. Evaluate | Judge against criteria and decide | assess, judge, critique, justify, recommend, prioritise, select, defend, appraise, verify | Prioritise five pending customer escalations using the severity matrix and justify the order. |
| 6. Create | Combine elements into something new | design, develop, construct, compose, plan, produce, formulate, devise, generate, build | Design a 20-minute onboarding activity that meets two stated learning objectives. |
Some verbs appear at more than one level in other published lists. "Compare", for example, can be Understand (spot similarities) or Analyse (explain why two processes produce different results). What matters is the thinking the task demands, not the verb in isolation, so read your objective as a whole and ask, "What will the person actually have to do in their head?"
Verbs to avoid in learning objectives
Some verbs describe internal states that nobody can observe. Replace them with a verb from the table.
- Understand, know, learn — replace with explain, classify, apply or calculate.
- Appreciate, value, believe — replace with justify, select or recommend (what would a person who values it visibly do?).
- Be aware of, be familiar with, be exposed to — replace with identify, recognise or describe.
- Grasp, master, internalise — replace with the specific task at the specific standard.
How to write a measurable objective with a Bloom's verb
A measurable objective combines one action verb with a condition and a standard. A widely used checklist is ABCD: Audience, Behaviour, Condition, Degree.
- Audience: who the objective is for — "new branch officers", "first-time team leads".
- Behaviour: one Bloom's action verb plus the task — "prepare a weekly shift roster".
- Condition: what they are given or the situation — "using the roster template and a list of leave requests".
- Degree: the standard for success — "with no coverage gaps, within 30 minutes".
Put together: "By the end of the session, first-time team leads will prepare a weekly shift roster using the roster template and a list of leave requests, with no coverage gaps, within 30 minutes." It is longer than "understand rostering", but a colleague could read it and design both the activity and the assessment without asking you a single question.
Rule of thumb: one verb per objective. "Identify and resolve customer complaints" hides two objectives at two different levels. Split them so you can practise and assess each one.
Matching the Bloom's level to the activity and assessment
The level of the verb should match the level of the practice and the level of the test. This is called alignment, and it is where most training quietly fails: the objective says "apply", but the session is a lecture and the assessment is a multiple-choice quiz on definitions.
| Level | Activities that fit | Assessments that fit |
|---|---|---|
| Remember / Understand | Short input, quizzes, teach-back in pairs, sorting cards | Objective questions, explain-in-your-own-words prompts |
| Apply | Guided practice, simulations, worked examples followed by solo tasks | Observed task with a checklist, calculation or procedure test |
| Analyse | Case studies, root-cause exercises, data or log review | Case analysis scored against a rubric |
| Evaluate | Debates, prioritisation exercises, peer critique | Written or verbal justification of a decision against criteria |
| Create | Design projects, building a plan or session, prototyping | Product (plan, design, session) assessed against a rubric |
Alignment also makes evaluation easier later. If your objectives use Apply-level verbs, Kirkpatrick Level 2 (learning) becomes an observed task rather than a quiz, and Level 3 (behaviour) becomes a check that the same task is being done on the job. Our guide to the Kirkpatrick model's four levels shows how to plan those measures.
Worked example: rewriting objectives for a customer support team
The following is an illustrative scenario, not a client case. It shows how Bloom's Taxonomy action verbs change the design of a typical Indian workplace session.
Scenario: A consumer electronics company runs a customer support centre in Chennai with agents handling calls and chats in English and Tamil. A team lead has been asked to run a half-day refresher on complaint handling because escalations to supervisors have been rising. Her first draft of objectives reads: "Participants will understand the complaint handling process, know the escalation matrix and appreciate the importance of empathy."
Step 1: Ask what the job requires
A short look at the escalation records and a conversation with two supervisors suggest the issue is not knowledge of the matrix. Agents can recite it. The problem is that they escalate complaints they could resolve themselves, and they struggle to calm an angry customer before solving the problem. That points to Apply, Analyse and Evaluate, not Remember.
Step 2: Rewrite each objective
| Original (vague) | Rewritten (measurable) | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Understand the complaint handling process | Resolve a standard delivery-delay complaint in a role play, following all five process steps, within eight minutes | Apply |
| Know the escalation matrix | Classify ten sample complaints as "resolve at L1" or "escalate", using the escalation matrix, with at least nine correct | Analyse |
| Appreciate the importance of empathy | Demonstrate an acknowledge–empathise–act opening in a role play with an angry customer, scored "meets standard" on the observation checklist | Apply |
| (new) | Justify an escalation decision on a borderline case to a supervisor, referring to at least two matrix criteria | Evaluate |
Step 3: Let the verbs redesign the session
With these verbs, the half-day changes shape. The slide on the escalation matrix shrinks to five minutes. Most of the time goes into a card-sorting exercise on real (anonymised) complaints, role plays in trios with an observer using the checklist, and a short "defend your decision" round. Assessment is built into the practice, and the team lead agrees a simple on-the-job check with supervisors: listen to two calls per agent in the following fortnight using the same checklist.
Notice what did not change: the content. The process, the matrix and the empathy model are all still taught. The verbs simply forced the session to focus on doing rather than hearing.
Common mistakes when using Bloom's Taxonomy verbs
- Aiming too low. Many corporate objectives stop at Remember and Understand because those are easy to teach. If the job needs judgement, the objective must reach Analyse or Evaluate.
- Aiming too high for the time available. "Design a complete sales strategy" will not happen in a two-hour session. Match the level to the time and to the learners' starting point.
- Stacking verbs. "Identify, analyse and resolve" is three objectives. Split them.
- Choosing the verb, then ignoring it. An Apply objective with no practice time is just decoration. Check every objective has a matching activity.
- Treating the levels as a strict ladder. Learners do not need to complete every Remember objective before attempting Apply. Good sessions move up and down the levels, often starting with a realistic task.
- Writing objectives for the trainer. "Cover the escalation matrix" describes what you will do. Objectives describe what participants will do.
Quick checklist for your next set of objectives
- Does each objective start from a real job task identified in your needs analysis?
- Does each use exactly one observable action verb?
- Is the Bloom's level right for the job and achievable in the time?
- Is there a condition and a standard?
- Does each objective have a matching activity and a matching assessment?
- Could a colleague design the session from the objectives alone?
If you answer "no" to any of these, rewrite before you build a single slide. Writing objectives belongs in the Design phase of the ADDIE model, and it is far cheaper to fix there than after delivery. For definitions of related terms such as andragogy, TNA and learning objective, see the trainer's glossary.
Practising Bloom's Taxonomy in the Bodhih Certified TTT
Bloom's Taxonomy is taught on Day 1 (Foundations of Training Excellence) of the Bodhih Certified Train The Trainer (TTT) Program, alongside Knowles' andragogy and Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle. Participants write objectives for their own training content, get feedback from Bodhih master trainers and peers, and carry those objectives through ADDIE design on Day 2 and Kirkpatrick evaluation on Day 4. The program runs over 4 days in batches of 15; dates and fees are on the fees and upcoming batches page.
Frequently asked questions
What are Bloom's Taxonomy action verbs?
They are observable, measurable verbs grouped by the six cognitive levels of the revised Bloom's Taxonomy: remember, understand, apply, analyse, evaluate and create. Trainers use them to write learning objectives such as "calculate", "diagnose" or "design" instead of vague words like "understand", so everyone can see what participants must be able to do and how it will be checked.
Why should trainers avoid the word "understand" in objectives?
Because you cannot observe understanding directly. "Understand the escalation policy" gives no clue how you will check it. Replace it with what a person who understands would visibly do: "explain", "classify", "apply" or "decide". Ironically, Understand is a Bloom's level, but the verb itself is too vague to assess, so use the level's other verbs instead.
How many learning objectives should a training session have?
For a half-day or one-day session, three to five objectives is a practical range. Fewer can make the session feel thin; many more usually means you are listing content, not outcomes. Each objective should have its own practice activity and a way to check it, which naturally limits how many fit into the time you have.
Which Bloom's level should corporate training target?
Most workplace training should aim at Apply or higher, because the business wants people to do something differently on the job. Remember and Understand objectives are often stepping stones inside a session. Leadership, problem-solving and train-the-trainer programs typically reach Analyse, Evaluate and Create, where participants diagnose, judge and design rather than recall.
What is the difference between the original and revised Bloom's Taxonomy?
The original 1956 framework used nouns: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The 2001 revision by Anderson and Krathwohl changed them to verbs, renamed knowledge and comprehension as remember and understand, and placed create (formerly synthesis) at the top, above evaluate. Most trainers today use the revised version.
Where can I practise writing objectives with Bloom's Taxonomy?
Bloom's Taxonomy is covered on Day 1 of the Bodhih Certified Train The Trainer (TTT) Program, where participants write measurable objectives for their own training module and get expert feedback. They then use those objectives on Day 2 to design the session with ADDIE and on Day 4 to plan evaluation.