Abstract Reasoning
What is measured
Sequences of shapes, 3×3 matrices, odd-one-out sets and "complete the pattern" items. Each figure varies along a small number of attributes: number and type of shapes, number of sides, rotation, reflection, shading or fill, size, and position or movement of an element.
Traps to expect
- Mirror versus rotation. A reflected shape cannot be produced by rotation; check whether the handedness of the figure has changed.
- Overfitting. A rule that explains the last two figures may fail on the first. Test every candidate rule against all given figures.
- Reading direction. In matrices, the rule may run across rows, down columns, or diagonally.
- Compound rules. Two independent changes often occur at once - for example a shape rotating while a dot alternates between filled and hollow.
- Edge wrapping. Elements that leave one side may re-enter on the opposite side.
Worked example
A triangle points up, then right, then down, then left. The single rule is 90° clockwise rotation per step, so the next figure points up again. If instead a small dot inside alternates filled–hollow–filled–hollow, that is a second, independent rule, and the answer must satisfy both.
Rule of thumb
Track one attribute at a time across the whole sequence and write down what it does. This converts a visual puzzle into a short list of rules you can check against each option.