Psychometric Test (PET) cheat sheet

Analogy rule order: check category (genus–species), function, part–whole, cause–effect, degree, and opposition before choosing an answer; the first relation that fits both pairs is the intended one.

Degree analogies compare intensity on one scale: warm : hot :: cool : cold; the answer must preserve both direction and relative magnitude, not just topic.

Part–whole pairs run one way only: wheel : car is valid, car : wheel is not; answer options that reverse the direction are distractors.

In odd-one-out items, test each candidate against a single shared property (e.g., all are metals, all are verbs); the outlier is the item that fails exactly one such property.

Syllogism validity depends on form, not truth: All A are B; All B are C; therefore All A are C is valid regardless of what A, B, C name.

'Some A are B' does not imply 'Some B are A' is false - it is true by conversion; but 'Some A are not B' cannot be converted.

Word-meaning items: a synonym shares core sense, an antonym shares the scale but opposes direction; near-synonyms differ in connotation or register, which is often the deciding feature.

Ordering/sequencing items: identify the fixed anchor (first or last event) first, then place remaining items by causal or temporal dependency.

Percentage change = (new − old) / old × 100; a rise of x% followed by a fall of x% yields a net loss of x²/100 percent.

Successive percentage changes multiply: 1.20 × 0.75 = 0.90, i.e. a net 10% decrease, not a 45% or 5% change.

Ratio scaling: if a : b = 3 : 5 and a + b = 64, one part = 64/8 = 8, so a = 24 and b = 40.

Average speed for equal distances = 2xy/(x + y) (harmonic mean), not (x + y)/2; use the arithmetic mean only for equal times.

Simple interest = P × r × t; compound interest = P[(1 + r)^t − 1]; the gap between them grows with t.

Work rate adds as reciprocals: if A finishes in 6 h and B in 3 h, together they complete 1/6 + 1/3 = 1/2 of the job per hour, i.e. 2 hours total.

Number series: compute first differences; if constant, the rule is arithmetic. If differences grow, test second differences or a constant ratio.

Probability of independent events multiplies: P(A and B) = P(A) × P(B); P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) − P(A and B).

Rotation preserves shape and size; reflection preserves size but reverses orientation (chirality), which is the usual discriminator between two similar options.

Count invariant features first - sides, enclosed regions, line intersections, dots - because a constant count across a series signals the rule.

Alternating series rule: odd-positioned figures follow one transformation and even-positioned figures another; check both subsequences separately.

Superposition rules: overlay consecutive frames and test whether lines that appear twice cancel (XOR) or persist (OR); most matrices use one of these two.

Progression types to test in order: rotation by a fixed angle, translation, size scaling, element addition/removal, shading inversion.

Symmetry axes: a figure with n axes maps onto itself under n reflections; options differing only by axis count are decided by counting, not by eye.

Nested figures: track the inner element separately from the outer; the inner often rotates at a different rate or direction than the outer.

Matrix completion: read across rows and down columns; a rule that holds in both directions is confirmed, a rule that holds in only one is likely coincidence.

Subject–verb agreement ignores intervening phrases: 'The list of items is long' - the verb agrees with 'list', not 'items'.

Collective nouns (team, committee, government) take a singular verb in standard usage when acting as one unit, plural when members act individually.

Neither/nor and either/or take a verb agreeing with the nearer subject: 'Neither the manager nor the clerks were informed.'

Dangling modifiers: an introductory participle must describe the subject of the main clause; 'Walking home, the rain started' is wrong because rain does not walk.

Parallel structure: items joined by and, or, but must share grammatical form - 'reading, writing, and to swim' fails.

Restrictive clauses take 'that' with no commas; non-restrictive clauses take 'which' with commas and can be removed without changing the core claim.

Affect is a verb (to influence), effect is usually a noun (a result); 'effect' as a verb means to bring about.

Fewer counts discrete items, less measures mass or degree; between is for two entities, among for three or more.