Abstract / Spatial Reasoning
What the abstract/spatial section asks
Abstract and Spatial Reasoning measures pattern detection and mental manipulation without relying on language or number. Item types include 3×3 matrices, shape series, odd-one-out, rotations and reflections, paper folding, and cube nets. The rule is usually consistent across rows and down columns, or across a sequence.
Core rules
- Track one feature at a time: outer shape, number of sides, internal lines, dot count, shading, orientation, position.
- Rotation preserves handedness; reflection reverses it. A shape rotated 90° clockwise is not the same as its mirror image.
- In matrices, test row rules first, then column rules, then diagonal or combined rules.
- In series, check for alternating rules (two interleaved sequences) and for changes increasing by a constant step.
- For cube nets, faces separated by one face in a straight strip are opposite; fold mentally and keep adjacencies.
Worked example
A cube net is a straight horizontal strip of four squares B, C, D, E, with A attached above C and F attached below D. Which face is opposite C? Fold C as the front: B becomes left, D right, E back, A top, F bottom. The face opposite C is E. Opposite pairs are B–D, C–E, and A–F. Counting "three away" in the strip gives the same result.
Traps
Choosing a mirror image when the item rotates; applying a row rule that fails in the last column; assuming shading stays fixed while the shape turns; counting hidden cube faces twice; and picking an option that matches only one feature. Verify the rule against every given cell before answering.