Abstract Reasoning
Abstract Reasoning
Abstract Reasoning measures pattern detection without words or numbers. You will see sequences, matrices, or odd-one-out sets of shapes, and must identify the rule that generates the next or missing item.
Core rules
- Count first: number of sides, dots, intersections, or enclosed regions.
- Track movement: rotation (clockwise/counterclockwise), reflection, translation.
- Look for alternation: two rules may apply on alternate steps.
- Check transformations: size, shading, line style, position.
- In a matrix, test rules across rows and down columns; the same rule often applies in both directions.
Worked example
A 3×3 matrix has shapes in each cell. Row 1 shows a circle, then a circle with a dot, then a circle with two dots. Row 2 shows a square, a square with a dot, and a square with two dots. Row 3 shows a triangle, a triangle with a dot, and a blank. The rule is: shape type stays constant across the row, and the number of dots increases by one each step. The missing cell is a triangle with two dots.
Traps
- Assuming one rule when two alternate.
- Ignoring position and rotation because the shape type is familiar.
- Overfitting a complicated rule when a simpler one fits all given cells.
- Missing that a rule applies down columns but not across rows.
- Forgetting that a blank can be part of the pattern.