Verbal fluency tests (VFT) have established position in methodology of cognitive functions research. They are used in neuropsychological assessment of neurological and psychiatric diseases. This article's aim is to present current knowledge of the VFT both to clinicians and researchers. It describes models of cognitive processes involved in task performance mainly: semantic memory access and executive functions and. It describes studies on verbal fluency both in healthy and impaired subjects involving neuroimaging discussing neuroanatomical structures involved in task performance. Authors are quite unanimous as to connection between frontal and temporal lobes condition and task performance, but also other cortical and subcortical structures seem to be involved. Methods of qualitative performance analysis and studies applying them are further described. This article brings up also important questions of psychometric and demographic characteristics of the task and limitations arising from the lack of Polish norms of the tool.