Figural Reasoning: Figural Analogies, Figural Classification, and Figural Series
Figural Reasoning uses abstract shapes-squares, triangles, dots, lines, and shaded regions-rather than recognizable objects. The three formats are figural analogies, figural classification, and figural series. These items test transformation rules, so you must describe exactly what changed from one figure to the next.
Core rules
- Figural analogies: Compare the first pair and state the transformation: rotation, reflection, enlargement, shading, adding or removing a part, or moving a dot. Apply that same transformation to the third figure.
- Figural classification: Find the figure that lacks a property shared by the others. Properties include number of sides, symmetry, open/closed lines, shading, and number of interior shapes.
- Figural series: Track each attribute separately. A shape may gain one side while its shading alternates; a dot may move clockwise while the outer shape stays fixed. Check position 1 to 2, 2 to 3, and 3 to 4 before predicting.
Worked example
Figure A is a square with a dot at the top. Figure B is the same square with the dot on the right. The transformation is a 90° clockwise rotation of the dot. If Figure C is a triangle with a dot at the top, the answer is a triangle with the dot on the right-provided the outer shape does not rotate. If the whole figure rotates, the triangle's orientation must change too.
Traps
- Applying a transformation in the reverse direction.
- Noticing the dot but missing a simultaneous change in shading or size.
- Assuming a series is arithmetic (add one side each time) when it alternates.
- Choosing a figure that looks like the prompt but breaks one attribute.
- Forgetting that reflection and rotation produce different results.
Describe the change in one precise sentence, then verify it against every figure.