To pass a non-verbal reasoning test, learn the short list of rules the questions are built from, then practise a fixed method: track one element at a time, predict the answer before you look at the options, and eliminate the options that break any rule. Combine that with timed practice and a clear pace per question, and most people improve quickly, because the same rules and traps come up again and again.
Start with a free non-verbal reasoning test to see where you are. The worked solutions show you which rules you are missing.
Before the test
1. Learn the rules the questions use
Almost every non-verbal question is built from a few kinds of change:
- Rotation: turning by a fixed angle each step.
- Reflection: flipping to a mirror image.
- Movement: sliding along a set path, often round the edge of a figure.
- Counting: sides, dots, lines or shapes rising or falling steadily.
- Shading and size: changing on a cycle.
- Alternation: switching between two states.
Write the list down and keep it beside you while you practise. Before long you will run through it without thinking, and that is when your speed picks up.
2. Know the question types
Series, matrices, odd one out, similar shapes, analogies, codes, reflections, cube nets and folded paper each have a best method. Learn them before test day rather than working them out under the clock. Our guide to non-verbal reasoning question types explains each one.
3. Find out what format you will face
Tests vary in length, timing and question types, and in whether wrong answers lose marks. The invitation often tells you which test you will sit. If not, ask. Then practise that format. Our practice tests are written in the style of the major publishers’ tests, though they are not the publishers’ own.
4. Work out your pace
Divide the time limit by the number of questions. For example, 24 questions in 18 minutes gives you 18 × 60 ÷ 24 = 45 seconds per question. Practise at that pace so it feels normal on the day.
5. Review every mistake
After each practice test, go back through every wrong answer and name what went wrong. Did you miss a second rule? Mistake a rotation for a reflection? Run out of time? Patterns in your mistakes tell you exactly what to practise next.
During the test
6. Track one element at a time
A figure that looks complicated is almost always two or three simple rules running side by side. Pick one element, such as the arrow, and follow only that across every figure. Then pick the next element. Do not try to read the whole figure at once.
7. Predict before you look at the options
Once you have your rules, picture the answer before you read the options. Then find it. If you look at the options first, a plausible distractor can talk you out of a correct rule.
8. Eliminate, do not just pick
Test writers build wrong options from common errors: the right rotation with the wrong shading, or the right movement one step too far. Check each remaining option against every rule and cross off any that break one.
Worked example. A dot moves one corner clockwise round a square each frame, and the square alternates between white and grey. Frame 1 is a white square with the dot top left. Frame 2 is grey with the dot top right. Frame 3 is white with the dot bottom right. What is frame 4?
- A) Grey, dot bottom right.
- B) Grey, dot bottom left.
- C) White, dot bottom left.
- D) Grey, dot top left.
Predict first: the shading goes white, grey, white, so frame 4 is grey. The dot goes top left, top right, bottom right, so frame 4 is bottom left. Now eliminate. A has the dot in the wrong corner. C has the wrong shading. D moves the dot one corner too far. The answer is B.
9. Check what does not change
Features that stay the same are still part of the rule. If the shape keeps the same number of sides throughout, any option that changes it is wrong, however well it fits everything else.
10. Use scrap paper
Sketching a rotation, a fold or the order of a sequence is faster and more reliable than holding it in your head. If the test allows paper, have some ready before you start.
11. Do not get stuck
If a question is taking twice your planned time, make your best choice and move on. If the test lets you return, flag it. Unless the instructions say wrong answers lose marks, do not leave any blank. A considered guess, made after you have eliminated what you can, has a much better chance than an empty answer.
12. Stay calm when a question looks strange
Some questions are designed to look unfamiliar. Go back to the method: one element at a time, then the rule list. Usually the question turns out to be two ordinary rules in an unusual combination.
Practising well
A little practice often beats a lot of practice all at once. Short timed sessions spread over several days build recognition faster than one long session the night before. Mix the question types once each one feels comfortable, because that is how the real test presents them.
Practise on screen too. Most tests are taken on a computer, and shapes on a screen can look different from shapes on paper. Get used to working with the figures as you will see them on the day.
For worked questions in every format, see our non-verbal reasoning examples. If you want to understand what the test measures first, read what non-verbal reasoning is.
The night before and on the day
Get a good night’s sleep. These tests need concentration, and tiredness shows up as missed second rules. Take the test somewhere quiet, with a reliable internet connection, scrap paper and a pen. Read the instructions carefully before you start the clock.
Practise before the real thing
These tips only help once they are habits. Take a timed non-verbal reasoning practice test, review the solutions for anything you missed, and repeat until the rules feel familiar.
