Reasoning by Analogy
Reasoning by Analogy items present a pair of figures with a relationship, then a third figure and a blank. You choose the fourth figure so that the second pair follows the same relationship as the first: A is to B as C is to D. NNAT3 analogies use geometric shapes and transformations such as size change, rotation, reflection, color or shading change, and addition or removal of parts.
Core rules
- State the first pair's rule in one sentence before looking at the answers. Example: the shape grows and changes from white to black.
- Apply the rule in the same direction. If A becomes B by rotating 90 degrees clockwise, C must become D by rotating 90 degrees clockwise, not counterclockwise.
- Count the changes. A pair may involve two transformations; an answer that makes only one is incomplete.
- Keep the object identity. If A and B are the same shape, C and D should be the same shape unless the rule explicitly changes shape.
Worked example
First pair: a small white circle becomes a large black circle. The rule is: increase size and invert fill. Third figure: a small white triangle. The answer must be a large black triangle. A large white triangle changes size only; a small black triangle inverts color only; a large black square changes shape. Each distractor matches part of the rule.
Traps
- Reversing the rule, working from B to A instead of A to B.
- Applying a rotation in the wrong direction or the wrong number of degrees.
- Choosing an answer that copies the third figure instead of transforming it.
- Letting color dominate while ignoring a size or rotation change.