Reasoning by Analogy
Reasoning by Analogy presents a pair of figures with a stated relationship, then a third figure and a blank. You choose the figure that completes the second pair using the same relationship. NNAT3 Level E uses geometric shapes, dots, lines, and shading rather than words, so the rule is visual.
Name the transformation
Compare the first figure with the second and describe exactly what changed. Common rules include rotating by a fixed angle, reflecting across a vertical or horizontal line, enlarging or shrinking, changing fill (black to white), adding or removing an inner shape, and moving a dot from one position to another. Many items combine two changes, such as a 90° rotation plus a color swap. State both changes before you look at the options.
Apply, don't imitate
The correct answer applies the same transformation to the third figure. It is not the option that looks most like the first pair. If the first pair changes a white square to a black square and moves a dot from the top-left to the top-right, then the third figure must undergo both changes. Check each feature separately: outer shape, inner shape, fill, orientation, and position.
Worked example
First pair: a large white square with a small black dot in its upper-left corner becomes a large black square with a small white dot in its upper-left corner. The rule is "swap the fill of the large shape and the fill of the dot; keep all positions." Third figure: a large white circle with a small black triangle at its center. Applying the rule gives a large black circle with a small white triangle at its center. An option that keeps the circle white, or moves the triangle, fails even if it looks balanced.
Traps
- Reversing the direction: applying the second-to-first rule instead of first-to-second.
- Matching the third figure to the first figure's appearance rather than transforming it.
- Changing only one of two features.
- Choosing a mirror image when the rule is rotation, or vice versa.