Non-Verbal Reasoning
What Section 3 tests
Non-Verbal Reasoning measures pattern detection, sequence completion, classification and spatial transformation using abstract shapes. No medical knowledge is needed. Marks are won by isolating one feature at a time and checking it against every figure.
Core rules
- Break each figure into dimensions: number of elements, position, orientation, size, shading, line style, symmetry and intersections.
- Track each dimension separately. A shape may rotate 90° clockwise while its shading alternates; one rule rarely explains everything.
- Use elimination. Cross out options that fail a confirmed rule, rather than searching for the option you like.
- For matrices, test rules across rows and down columns; for analogies, state the relationship in words before applying it.
- For spatial items, mentally rotate the whole figure, not one corner.
Worked example
A sequence is described in words: Figure 1 has an arrow pointing north and two dots. Figure 2 has an arrow pointing east and three dots. Figure 3 has an arrow pointing south and four dots. What comes next? Separate the features. The arrow turns 90° clockwise each step: north → east → south, so next is west. The dot count rises by one: 2 → 3 → 4, so next is five. The answer must show an arrow pointing west with five dots. Any option with the correct arrow but wrong dot count fails.
Traps
Do not mistake reflection for rotation: check whether the shape is mirrored. Do not lock onto the first pattern you see. Do not ignore a feature because it changes irregularly; it may alternate or cycle every third figure. Do not choose an option that matches only one dimension.