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Non-Verbal Reasoning: question types and approaches
A puzzle becomes easier to discuss when you can name the job it asks you to do. These short guides explain common families of visual questions, followed by small worked examples.
Choose a topic below. Each worked example is deliberately small so the method is easy to follow; exam questions may combine more features or steps. These are original teaching examples, not copied test questions.
Question type 1
Sequences
Skill and approach: Predict the next picture. Track changes in number, position or shading separately.
Try the idea: An arrow points up, right, down, left. Which way next?
See the worked explanation
Up. Each step is a quarter-turn clockwise; after four turns the arrow returns to its original direction.
Watch for: Do not choose by appearance alone: test the same change at every step.
Question type 2
Odd one out and matching groups
Skill and approach: Find a shared property. Compare sides, symmetry and internal details.
Try the idea: Three figures each contain two dots; a fourth contains three. Which does not belong?
See the worked explanation
The figure with three dots, if dot count is the rule shown. In a full question, inspect all features before deciding.
Watch for: A different orientation does not necessarily make a shape different.
Question type 3
Analogies: apply the same change
Skill and approach: Identify a transformation, then apply it to another figure.
Try the idea: An outlined circle becomes a filled circle. Apply the same change to an outlined triangle.
See the worked explanation
It becomes a filled triangle. The shape stays the same; only the fill changes.
Watch for: Keep unchanged features unchanged.
Question type 4
Matrices: complete the grid
Skill and approach: Find a rule across rows or columns. Check it in every complete line.
Try the idea: A grid has dot counts 1, 2, 3 in its first row and 2, 3, ? in its second. What fits?
See the worked explanation
Four dots: each row increases by one, and the second row has one more dot than the first in each column.
Watch for: More complex grids may combine two independent rules.
Question type 5
Shape codes
Skill and approach: Match code symbols to visual features using comparisons.
Try the idea: Suppose an outlined circle is AX, a filled circle is AY, and an outlined square is BX. What codes a filled square?
See the worked explanation
BY. A/B identifies circle/square; X/Y identifies outlined/filled. Comparing pairs isolates the meaning of each letter.
Watch for: Do not assign a meaning from only one example.
Question type 6
Rotation and reflection
Skill and approach: Imagine turning or flipping a figure. Follow a distinctive corner or mark.
Try the idea: A right-pointing arrow is reflected in a vertical mirror line. Which way does it point?
See the worked explanation
Left. The mirror exchanges left and right. A horizontal mirror line would leave this arrow pointing right.
Watch for: Turning a shape and reflecting it are different operations.
Question type 7
Hidden and combined shapes
Skill and approach: Recognise an outline inside a larger drawing or reconstruct it from pieces.
Try the idea: Two identical right-angled triangles are made by cutting a square along its diagonal. Can they recreate the square?
See the worked explanation
Yes. Join their diagonal cut edges. This reverses the cut and restores the square boundary.
Watch for: Ignore extra lines when seeking an outline, but keep its proportions.
Question type 8
Folding, cubes and blocks
Skill and approach: Visualise folds or three-dimensional arrangements. Work one fold or layer at a time.
Try the idea: Fold a sheet once down the middle. Punch one hole away from the fold through both layers. How many holes appear when opened?
See the worked explanation
Two, mirrored across the fold. A hole on a fold needs separate thought. For block puzzles, also consider blocks hidden behind visible ones.
Watch for: Spatial question types vary by test; they are not on every paper.
Helping at home
Pick one feature to explain aloud before looking at the answer choices. If a rule fails on any given picture, revise it. Practical folding or building can help explain an idea before trying it mentally.
Which types should we practise?
Use the target school’s current admissions guidance and familiarisation material to choose the relevant formats. This guide describes common question families, not a syllabus for every school. Check the test instructions about timing and whether children may return to earlier questions.
Further reading: Exam Papers Plus — Non-Verbal Reasoning guidance and GL Assessment’s official familiarisation guidance. These links offer additional background; our explanations and worked examples are independently written.
A clearer next step for your child
Our 11+ tuition gives children time to explore unfamiliar questions and explain their thinking. Mock exams provide an opportunity to practise working through a paper in an exam setting.
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