NNAT3 Level C cheat sheet

A 3x3 or 4x4 grid with one missing cell is completed by matching the row rule, the column rule, and the whole-grid rule simultaneously.

Row rule check: compare the two visible cells in the missing cell's row; the third cell usually combines, rotates, or counts them.

Column rule check: verify the same relation holds down the missing cell's column; if row and column rules conflict, the answer is wrong.

Counting rule: total number of a shape type is often constant per row, per column, or across the whole grid (e.g., 3 circles per row).

Rotation rule: a shape in the missing cell often equals the neighbor rotated 90 or 180 degrees; track a fixed corner as a reference point.

Shading rule: black/white/gray fills usually follow alternation, inversion, or a fixed count per line; check fill before checking shape.

Elimination order: reject options that break the row rule first, then the column rule, then the global count; usually one option survives.

Symmetry rule: if the completed grid must be symmetric about a center line, the missing cell is the mirror of the opposite cell.

Format is A is to B as C is to ?; the transformation from A to B must be applied identically to C.

Transformation checklist: size change, rotation, reflection, color inversion, added element, removed element, element count change.

Order matters: A-to-B direction defines the rule; applying B-to-A by mistake is the most common analogy error.

If A to B adds an inner shape, then C to ? must add the same inner shape in the same relative position.

If A to B rotates clockwise, C to ? rotates clockwise by the same angle; a counterclockwise option is a trap.

When two transformations occur together (e.g., shrink and invert color), both must appear in the answer.

Verify by reverse check: applying the inverse transformation to the chosen answer should reproduce C exactly.

Distractor pattern: wrong options usually apply only one of two transformations or apply the right one in the wrong direction.

Sequence items change by a consistent step; identify the step between item 1 and 2, then confirm it between 2 and 3.

Common numeric progressions: +1, +2, doubling, and repeating cycles (e.g., 1,2,3,1,2,3).

Rotation series: note the angle per step (45, 90, 180 degrees) and the direction (clockwise vs counterclockwise) before predicting.

Alternating series: odd positions follow one rule and even positions follow another; separate the two subsequences.

Growth series: element count may increase by a fixed amount each step, or by the previous count (1,1,2,3,5).

Position series: a moving dot often travels one cell per step along a fixed path, wrapping at the grid edge.

Color or fill cycles often repeat every 2 or 3 items; the answer's fill is determined by position modulo the cycle length.

Confirm the rule on at least two consecutive transitions before choosing; a rule that fits only one transition is unreliable.

Mental rotation: track one distinctive feature (a notch, a dot, a long side) rather than the whole figure to compare orientations.

Reflection vs rotation: a mirrored figure cannot be produced by rotation alone; check chirality using an asymmetric detail.

Paper folding: unfold in reverse order; each fold doubles the number of holes, and holes mirror across the fold line.

Punch symmetry: a punch through a fold creates holes symmetric about every fold line, so count holes as 2 per fold when fully folded.

Cube nets: opposite faces never share an edge in the net; faces separated by exactly one face in a straight line are opposite.

Cube rotation: a cube has 24 distinct orientations; adjacent-face relations are preserved under any rotation.

Overlap/composition: when two transparent shapes combine, the result contains the union of lines and the intersection shading.

Shadow/projection: a 3D stack viewed from the side shows the tallest column per position, not the total block count.