A non-verbal reasoning question shows you shapes that change according to a rule, such as an arrow turning a quarter turn each step, and asks you to find the figure that comes next, completes a grid or does not belong. A verbal reasoning question does the same job with words: it gives you a short passage and asks what follows from it. Below are worked examples of the main non-verbal question types, each described in words so you can solve it as you read, with a verbal example at the end for comparison.
To try the same formats with real diagrams and a timer, take a free non-verbal reasoning test, where every question has a worked solution.
Example 1: a series question
Question. Five frames each contain an arrow and a dot.
- Frame 1: the arrow points straight up. The dot is inside the frame’s circle.
- Frame 2: the arrow points up and to the right, at 45 degrees. The dot is outside the circle.
- Frame 3: the arrow points right. The dot is inside the circle.
- Frame 4: the arrow points down and to the right. The dot is outside the circle.
- Frame 5: ?
Which option is frame 5? A) arrow pointing down, dot outside. B) arrow pointing down, dot inside. C) arrow pointing down and to the left, dot inside. D) arrow pointing up, dot inside.
Answer: B. Track each element separately. The arrow turns 45 degrees clockwise each frame: 0, 45, 90, 135, so frame 5 is 180 degrees, pointing straight down. The dot alternates inside, outside, inside, outside, so frame 5 is inside. Option A gets the arrow right and the dot wrong. Option C turns the arrow one step too far. Both are typical distractors, built to catch someone who checks only one rule.
Example 2: a matrix question
Question. A three by three grid. Each cell contains between one and three identical shapes.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | 1 circle | 2 squares | 3 triangles |
| Row 2 | 1 square | 2 triangles | 3 circles |
| Row 3 | 1 triangle | 2 circles | ? |
Answer: 3 squares. Read across the rows and down the columns separately. Across every row, the count goes 1, 2, 3, so the missing cell has 3 shapes. Each row and each column contains one circle cell, one square cell and one triangle cell. Row 3 already has a triangle and a circle, so the missing shape is a square. Column 3 confirms it: triangles, circles, and therefore squares.
Example 3: an odd one out question
Question. Which is the odd one out? A) a square. B) a hexagon. C) an octagon. D) a pentagon.
Answer: D, the pentagon. The square has 4 sides, the hexagon 6 and the octagon 8. All even. The pentagon has 5, the only odd number. In real questions the shapes will also differ in size, shading and position, and those differences are there to distract you. Find the one property that splits the four options into a group of three and a single odd one.
Example 4: reflection or rotation
Question. Picture a lowercase letter “b” as a shape. Which of these is its reflection in a vertical mirror line: “d”, “p” or “q”?
Answer: “d”. A vertical mirror swaps left and right, so the loop moves from the right of the stem to the left, and the stem still rises above it. That gives “d”.
This is useful because it shows the most common trap in reflection questions. Reflect “b” in a horizontal line and you get “p”. Rotate “b” through half a turn and you get “q”. All three look like a flipped “b” at a glance, but only one is the reflection the question asked for. Pick one asymmetric feature, here the stem, and follow it.
Example 5: a cube net
Question. A net has four squares in a row, labelled A, B, C and D from left to right. Square E is attached above B and square F below B. When it is folded into a cube, which face is opposite A?
Answer: C. In a straight row of four squares, the first and third end up opposite each other, and so do the second and fourth. So A is opposite C and B is opposite D. E and F, attached on either side of the same square, form the third pair. A quick check: every face has exactly one opposite, and three pairs use all six faces.
Example 6: a code question
Question. Each shape has a two letter code. The first letter stands for the shape and the second for its shading.
- A white circle is AX.
- A black circle is AY.
- A white square is BX.
What is the code for a black square?
Answer: BY. Compare pairs that differ in one feature only. The two circles share A and differ in shading, so X means white and Y means black. The white circle and white square share X and differ in shape, so A means circle and B means square. A black square is therefore B then Y.
Example 7: folding and punching holes
Question. A square sheet of paper is folded in half from left to right. A single hole is punched through both layers near the top, close to the fold. How many holes are there when the paper is unfolded, and where are they?
Answer: two holes, near the top and either side of the centre line. Each layer gets one hole, and unfolding reflects the punched hole across the fold. Fold the paper in half twice before punching and one punch makes four holes, because there are four layers.
For the method behind each of these formats, and the other types you may meet, read our guide to non-verbal reasoning question types.
A verbal reasoning example for comparison
Passage. The office will move to a new building in September. Staff who currently park on site will be offered a space at a nearby car park instead.
Statement. All staff will be offered a parking space after the move.
True, false or cannot say?
Answer: Cannot say. The passage only covers staff who currently park on site. It says nothing about everyone else, so we cannot tell whether they will be offered a space.
Notice the similarity with the non-verbal examples. In both, you are finding exactly what the information supports and refusing to go further. If you want to practise the word based version too, try a verbal reasoning test.
How to use these examples
Cover each answer, commit to your own, and only then read the explanation. When you get one wrong, decide which rule you missed. Usually it is the second rule in a question with two, or a reflection taken for a rotation. If you are new to the test, start with what non-verbal reasoning is. For advice on timing and test day, read how to pass a non-verbal reasoning test.
Practise with real diagrams
Described in words, these questions are slower to read than they are to see. With real figures and a timer, the challenge becomes speed. A timed non-verbal reasoning practice test is the best way to build it.
