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Flowcharts, operators, sequences and process logic, in the formats employers actually set. Every question below comes with a worked solution, so you learn to read operators at speed.
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A diagrammatic reasoning test measures how well you follow processes and rules shown as diagrams. Employers use it for roles that involve logic, processes or systems before interview. You are shown flowcharts or sets of operators that change an input, and you work out the output or the missing step, choosing the best answer from the options provided. It rewards tracking each rule in order without losing your place.
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| Score | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| 9 to 10 | Comfortably above the bar for most graduate schemes |
| 7 to 8 | Around the typical pass mark. Worth practising for speed |
| 5 to 6 | Below most employer thresholds. Focus on method before speed |
| 4 or fewer | Work through the worked solutions above before retrying |
Employers set their own thresholds and many sift on the top percentage of applicants rather than a fixed mark, so treat these as a guide.
One test tells you the style. A pack gives you the pace: batches under time pressure, marked, with the working shown.
Most tests are built from three question formats. Each guide below covers one, with practice questions.
Follow a sequence of diagrams and work out which one comes next.
Practise sequencing questionsWork out the rule a set of shapes shares, then pick the shapes that follow it.
Practise similar shapes questionsFold and unfold nets and punched patterns in your head.
Practise unfolded shapes questionsA symbol stands for a fixed change. Deduce what each one does, then apply the chain.
How operators workName every single thing that changed between input and output; the rule is that complete list.
How input-output questions workFind the one feature every diagram in a set shares, then place the new diagram.
How comparing sets worksA diagrammatic reasoning test measures how well you work out the rule behind a set of diagrams and apply it to a new situation. It is pure logical reasoning: there is no maths, no language and no subject knowledge involved, which is what makes it a fair way to compare candidates from very different backgrounds.
The skill it targets is following a process. You are shown how a diagram is transformed, you deduce the rule governing that transformation, and you predict what a new input produces or what a missing step must be. Employers such as Deloitte, KPMG, the Civil Service, Amazon and the NHS use it to screen at scale because it isolates reasoning ability from degree subject, work experience and communication style.
Almost every question is multiple choice with four or five options, and the questions get harder as the test goes on.
Most employers score you against other candidates, not against a fixed pass mark: your raw score becomes a percentile. Competitive graduate schemes commonly sift at around the 70th to 80th percentile. Attempting questions matters, because most tests are built so few candidates finish, and guessing usually pays: negative marking is rare, but check the instructions.
Results from our diagrammatic reasoning test.
Source: Practice Aptitude Tests
Based on 688 completed practice sittings, all time. Checked 14 September 2026.
The 75th percentile marks the boundary of the top quarter of recorded scores; tied scores can share that boundary. These are our practice results, not employer pass marks.
We use all-time completed, scored attempts at this practice test. Repeat attempts count separately, so the sample is sittings rather than unique people.
The average is the mean score across those sittings. The 75th percentile comes from their recorded score distribution. The “checked” date is when we retrieved the figures, not the period when the tests were taken.
Sharing these figures? Please credit Practice Aptitude Tests and link to this page.
Diagrammatic reasoning tests are used across graduate and professional recruitment by large employers who need to screen high volumes fairly. Deloitte, KPMG, the Civil Service, Amazon and the NHS all use them.
Most employers license their tests from a small number of publishers, and the timing and question style vary between them, so find out which publisher your employer uses before you prepare seriously. It is usually named in the invitation email. Our test publisher guides cover each format, and the employer guides cover specific companies’ processes.
The methods behind the questions above, from our team
What candidates ask us most often
They feel hard at first because the format is unfamiliar, but they become much easier once you know the operator and set conventions. The logic is consistent from question to question, so a few timed practice tests usually turn the difficulty from the format into simply the time pressure.
Most tests run about 25 to 30 minutes for roughly 30 questions, so close to a minute each. Some publishers, such as Cubiks, give a longer test with a single window; others time each question separately. Your invitation email should state which applies.
Usually yes, and it helps you track what each operator does without holding it all in your head. Many online tests allow paper even when supervised, but check the instructions in your invitation, since a small number do not.
Yes, most order questions from easier to harder. Do not spend so long on a difficult early question that you never reach ones you could have answered quickly. If a question stalls you, record your best answer and move on.
Logical reasoning is the broad family; diagrammatic reasoning is one type within it that presents the logic as diagrams and operators. Deductive and inductive reasoning tests are other members of the same family. Skills learned on one transfer well to the others.
Practise under the real time limit from the start, and review every answer you got wrong; untimed work builds accuracy but not the speed the test measures. Our diagrammatic preparation guide covers the full sequence. For the long-form version, the how to answer guide and the complete handbook go deeper.
Graphical reasoning is simply another name for diagrammatic reasoning, while abstract and inductive are close relatives. Diagrammatic tests lean towards process logic, following operators that transform an input into an output; abstract and inductive lean towards pattern recognition across sequences and matrices. In many real assessments the labels are interchangeable.
Rated 4.8 out of 5 across 148 reviews. A selection:
There are practice and timed tests both available which allow you to build an understanding of the questions before you attempt them in a timed environment.
it was a bit challenging to find the patterns that you need to look at, sometimes you need to ignore some shapes and focus on one shape to create a pattern in the sequence to find the next shape
There is a discernible variety in all of the questions. Some questions are like each other, so not only does it give good practice but it is also helpful in categorising types of questions under diagrammatic reasoning.
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