Figural Reasoning
What this domain tests
OLSAT Level D Figural Reasoning uses abstract figures-lines, shapes, dots, and shading-with no real-world meaning. It measures classification, analogies, series, and pattern completion. You must infer a rule from visual features and apply it exactly. Because the figures are unfamiliar, careful comparison matters more than quick recognition.
Core rules
- Break figures into attributes: shape, number of sides, size, orientation, fill/shading, and position. Compare one attribute at a time.
- Classification: Find the feature shared by every figure in the set and by only one answer choice.
- Analogies: State the change from the first figure to the second, then apply the same change to the third. Check direction and order.
- Series and matrices: Track rotation, reflection, addition/subtraction of parts, and alternating patterns. In a 2×2 matrix, read across rows and down columns.
- Rotation vs. reflection: A rotated figure keeps the same handedness; a reflected figure is a mirror image. Check a distinctive part, such as an arrowhead or a notch, to tell them apart.
Worked example
A 2×2 matrix has arrows. Top row: up, right. Bottom row: left, ?. A. up B. down C. right D. left Reasoning: From up to right is a 90° clockwise turn. Apply the same turn to left: left rotated 90° clockwise points up. Answer: A. A mirror rule would not fit the top row consistently.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing a mirror image when the rule is rotation.
- Matching only one attribute, such as shape, while ignoring shading or dot count.
- Assuming a series alternates when it actually progresses by a constant step.
- In pattern completion, ignoring the position of the missing piece within the whole.