Figural Reasoning
Figural reasoning uses abstract figures-geometric shapes, lines, dots, and shading-to test figural analogies, classification, and series. Success depends on tracking transformations precisely and applying the same rule to every option.
Transformation checklist
- Check rotation direction and degrees, reflection axis, translation, size, shading or fill, number of elements, sides and vertices, and position.
- In analogies, identify the exact change from A to B, then apply that change to C.
- In series, compare consecutive frames; look for constant, increasing, or alternating changes.
- In classification, find the invariant property shared by all but one figure.
Worked example
A series shows a square with a dot at the top, then the dot at the right, then bottom, then left. The rule is a 90-degree clockwise rotation of the dot each step. The next figure has the dot at the top. If an option also rotates the square itself, reject it unless the square changed in earlier frames. Apply one rule consistently across the whole sequence, not just the last transition.
Traps that cost marks
Applying a rule that fits only one transition; confusing clockwise with counterclockwise; missing a mirror reflection and calling it rotation; assuming a size change when only position changed; ignoring the number of sides or elements.