Non-Verbal / Abstract Reasoning
Non-Verbal and Abstract Reasoning on the NGAT removes language and asks you to detect a rule in shapes. You may see sequences, matrices, odd-one-out sets, or figure analogies. Each item is a small puzzle: one or more features change in a consistent way, and exactly one option continues the pattern.
Core rules
- Inventory features separately: number of sides, dots, lines, intersections; position; rotation; reflection; size; shading; open/closed lines.
- In sequences, check whether the rule is constant, increasing, or alternating. A shape may rotate 45° while a dot advances one corner each step.
- In matrices, test rows first, then columns. The third figure is often the first two combined, subtracted, or rotated.
- In odd-one-out, find a property shared by all but one. Test symmetry, number of enclosed regions, and straight versus curved lines.
- In figure analogies, write the transformation as a sentence: “The figure rotates 90° clockwise and loses one dot.”
Worked example
A sequence shows a square with an arrow inside. Step 1: arrow points up and one dot is in the top-left corner. Step 2: arrow points right and two dots are in the top-right corner. Step 3: arrow points down and three dots are in the bottom-right corner. What comes next? Track two rules. The arrow rotates 90° clockwise each step: up → right → down → left. The dot count rises by one: 1 → 2 → 3 → 4, and the group moves clockwise around the corners. The next figure is a square with the arrow pointing left and four dots in the bottom-left corner.
Traps that cost marks
The main trap is assuming a reflection when the figure has only been rotated; a reflected letter or asymmetric mark gives the error away. Another is tracking one feature and ignoring a second, such as dot count, that also changes. Do not overfit a complicated rule when a simpler one explains every step. In odd-one-out, an option may share the obvious feature (all are triangles) but differ on the deciding feature (number of internal lines). Check all options against your rule before answering.