Figural Reasoning: Abstract Shapes, Rotations, and Matrices
What this domain tests
Figural Reasoning works with abstract shapes - circles, squares, arrows, lines, dots, and shaded regions - rather than pictures of objects. The standard task types are figural classification, figural analogies, figural series, and pattern matrices (a grid, often 2×2 or 3×3, with one cell missing).
Concepts to master
- Transformations. Shapes may rotate, reflect (flip), translate (slide), grow or shrink, gain or lose an internal line, or change shading from solid to outline.
- Rotation vs. reflection. A rotated figure keeps the same "handedness"; a reflected figure is a mirror image. Arrows, flags, and letter-like shapes make this distinction visible.
- Additive and subtractive rules. Many series add one element per step (an extra dot, an extra line, an extra side) or remove one.
- Alternating rules. Some series apply rule A on steps 1, 3, 5 and rule B on steps 2, 4, 6. If a single rule seems to fail, look for two interleaved rules.
- Matrix logic. In a grid, the rule usually runs across rows, down columns, or both; the missing cell must satisfy every line it sits on.
Traps
The classic distraction is a choice that satisfies one rule but not the other - for example, the correct shape at the wrong rotation, or the correct shading on the wrong shape. Another is a mirror image offered where a rotation is required. Choices that repeat the last figure exactly, or that introduce a brand-new element, are almost always wrong.
Rule of thumb
Test one rule at a time and eliminate: first check shape, then check shading, then check number of elements, then check orientation. Never judge a figure on overall resemblance - check each attribute separately.
Worked example
A 2×2 matrix: top row shows a solid triangle then an outlined triangle; bottom row shows a solid square then a blank. Reading across, the rule is solid becomes outlined, same shape. Reading down, the rule is triangle becomes square, same shading. The missing cell must therefore be an outlined square - the only choice that satisfies both lines.