Abstract reasoning is the ability to spot the rule behind information you have never seen before, and then use that rule to work out what comes next. It does not rely on words, numbers or anything you have learned at school. In an aptitude test, it means looking at a set of shapes, finding how they change or what they have in common, and choosing the shape that fits the same pattern.
Employers use abstract reasoning tests to see how quickly you can make sense of something new. The easiest way to understand the idea is to try a few questions in a free abstract reasoning test, where each one comes with a worked answer.
Abstract reasoning meaning
“Abstract” here means removed from any real-world context. A numerical test gives you a sales table and a verbal test gives you a passage about a business. An abstract reasoning question gives you only shapes, lines, dots and shading. There is no subject knowledge to lean on, so the question measures how you think rather than what you know.
“Reasoning” means working from what you can see to a conclusion. In practice that is two steps:
- Find the rule. Look at how the shapes change from one frame to the next, or what a group of shapes shares.
- Apply the rule. Use it to predict the missing shape, then find that shape among the options.
This is a form of inductive reasoning: you build a general rule from a few specific cases. You will also see abstract reasoning tests called non-verbal reasoning, inductive reasoning or diagrammatic reasoning tests. The names overlap, and the question styles are close relatives.
What an abstract reasoning question looks like
Most questions follow a handful of formats:
- Sequences. A row of frames changes step by step, and you choose the next frame.
- Matrices. A grid, often three by three, has one cell missing. Rules run along the rows, down the columns, or both.
- Odd one out. Several shapes follow a rule and one does not.
- Analogies. Shape A changes into shape B. You apply the same change to shape C.
- Sets. Two groups of shapes each follow their own rule, and you decide which group a new shape belongs to.
Each format is explained with a method in our guide to abstract reasoning question types.
A simple example
Here is a short sequence, described in words. Each frame is a square with an arrow inside it and some dots along the bottom.
| Frame | Arrow points | Dots |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Up | 1 |
| 2 | Right | 2 |
| 3 | Down | 3 |
| 4 | Left | 4 |
| 5 | ? | ? |
Take one feature at a time. The arrow turns 90 degrees clockwise each step: up, right, down, left. The next quarter turn brings it back to up. The dots rise by one each step, so frame 5 has 5 dots.
The answer is a square with the arrow pointing up and 5 dots. In a real test, the wrong options would each get one of those two rules wrong, for example an arrow pointing up with 4 dots, or an arrow pointing left with 5 dots. That is why you check every rule before you choose.
You can work through more of these, including matrices, odd one out and sets, in our abstract reasoning examples.
What abstract reasoning tests measure
An abstract reasoning test looks at a few connected skills:
- Pattern recognition. Noticing what changes and what stays the same.
- Rule building. Turning what you notice into a rule you could state in a sentence.
- Working memory. Holding two or three rules in mind at once while you check the options.
- Speed under pressure. Doing all of this against a time limit.
Because the questions do not depend on language or education, abstract reasoning is often treated as a measure of fluid intelligence: the ability to solve new problems on the spot.
Why employers use abstract reasoning tests
Employers use these tests where a role involves new problems, changing information or complex systems. They are common in graduate schemes and in technical, engineering, IT and analytical roles. Some employers use them across many roles because the questions are the same for every applicant, whatever their background or first language.
A good score suggests you can learn new processes quickly, see the pattern in a messy situation and test an idea before you rely on it. In day-to-day work, that might look like spotting the cause of a recurring fault, seeing a trend in a report before anyone points it out, or picking up a new system quickly.
Can you improve your abstract reasoning?
Yes. The underlying ability is fairly stable, but test scores rise a lot with familiarity. The questions are built from a short list of rules, such as rotation, reflection, counting, movement and shading. Once you recognise those rules on sight, you stop solving each question from scratch.
Three habits make the biggest difference:
- Read one feature at a time. Track a single shape or property across every frame before moving on to the next.
- Predict before you look at the options. The wrong answers are designed to look right if you have only found one of the rules.
- Review your mistakes by rule. Note whether you missed a rotation, a count or a shading change, then practise that rule.
Our guide on how to do abstract reasoning tests sets out a full checking order, timing advice and walk-throughs.
Practise abstract reasoning questions
Reading about abstract reasoning only takes you so far. The quickest way to get comfortable is to answer real questions against the clock and read the explanation for anything you get wrong. Start with a timed abstract reasoning practice test and see which rules catch you out.
