Abstract Reasoning Tests: How to Spot the Pattern Faster

Abstract reasoning tests are the ones people describe as "random". A row of shapes, a gap at the end, four options and a minute on the clock. Some people see the answer straight away. Others stare at it until time runs out.

The difference is rarely raw intelligence. People who do well have a way of looking at the shapes — a short checklist they work through — and they've seen enough sequences to recognise the common rules. Both can be learned.

What an abstract reasoning test measures

Abstract reasoning (sometimes called inductive, diagrammatic or non-verbal reasoning) tests whether you can spot a rule in unfamiliar information and apply it to predict what comes next. There's no language or maths involved, which is why employers use it to see how you handle new problems without relying on what you already know.

It's common in graduate programs, technical and engineering roles, and anywhere the job involves working things out from first principles.

What the test usually looks like

• Series. A sequence of frames where you choose the next one.
• Odd one out. Several figures where one breaks the rule the others share.
• Matrices. A grid with a missing cell, where rules run across the rows and down the columns.
• Sets. Two groups of figures that each follow a rule, and you decide which group a new figure belongs to.
• A tight time limit. Often somewhere around a minute per question, with questions that get harder as you go. Your result is generally compared with a benchmark group — more on that in Psychometric Testing in Job Interviews.

The five-point checklist

When a sequence doesn't make sense straight away, check these one at a time, in this order:

• Number. Are shapes, sides, lines or dots being added or taken away?
• Position. Is something moving around the frame — clockwise, one corner at a time, up and down?
• Rotation. Is a shape turning by the same amount each step?
• Shading. Is the fill or colour alternating or building up?
• Size. Is something growing or shrinking?

Harder questions usually run two rules at once. When you find one, check the options against it, then look for the second rule to decide between whatever's left.

Three example questions (with explanations)

Try each one before reading the explanation, with about a minute per question.

Question 1: two rules at once

Frame 1: a triangle with a dot in the top-left corner. Frame 2: a square with a dot in the top-right corner. Frame 3: a pentagon with a dot in the bottom-right corner. Frame 4: a hexagon with a dot in the bottom-left corner. What comes in frame 5? A) Heptagon, dot top-left. B) Heptagon, dot bottom-left. C) Hexagon, dot top-left. D) Octagon, dot top-right.

Answer: A, a heptagon with the dot top-left. Two rules run together. The shape gains one side each frame (3, 4, 5, 6, so 7 next), and the dot moves one corner clockwise (top-left, top-right, bottom-right, bottom-left, then back to top-left).

Each wrong option follows only part of the pattern. B gets the shape right but leaves the dot where it was. C moves the dot but keeps the hexagon. D overshoots both rules. When two options each match one rule, you've probably missed that there are two.

Question 2: rotation and shading

Frame 1: a black arrow pointing up. Frame 2: a white arrow pointing right. Frame 3: a black arrow pointing down. Frame 4: a white arrow pointing left. What comes in frame 5? A) Black arrow pointing up. B) White arrow pointing up. C) Black arrow pointing right. D) Black arrow pointing left.

Answer: A, a black arrow pointing up. The arrow rotates 90 degrees clockwise each frame, so after pointing left it points up again. The shading alternates black and white, and odd-numbered frames are black.

The tempting wrong answer is B. People spot the rotation, assume the colour changes along with the direction reset, and pick white. Track each rule separately and count the frames.

Question 3: odd one out

Figure A: three circles and one square. Figure B: two triangles and two circles. Figure C: one star and three squares. Figure D: two squares and three circles. Which figure is the odd one out?

Answer: D. Figures A, B and C each contain four shapes. Figure D contains five.

The tempting wrong answer is C, because the star is the only shape that appears once across all the figures. Unusual-looking features are often decoys. Run the checklist — number first — before you choose the figure that looks different.

The mistakes that cost the most marks

• Stopping at the first rule. If more than one option fits, there's a second rule.
• Chasing the most eye-catching feature. Colour and odd shapes grab attention; counts and positions are more often the actual rule.
• Trying to see the whole pattern at once. Follow one element at a time through every frame.
• Not using the options. Eliminate options that break a rule you've already found. It's often faster than working the answer out in full.
• Losing time on one question. Questions get harder as the test goes on. Make your best choice at your time limit and move on.

How to practice so it actually helps

Start untimed with the checklist. Work through sequences one at a time and read the explanation after each. The aim is to build a library of rules in your head, so the next time you see a rotating shape you recognise it on sight.

Name the rule out loud. Before you choose, say the rule in a sentence — "one more side each frame, dot moves clockwise". If you can't say it, you're guessing.

Then add the clock. Once you're finding the rules reliably, move to timed sets to build speed.

Review every set and keep the sequences fresh. If you repeat the same questions, you remember the answers without improving your pattern-spotting. New sequences each time keep the practice honest.

Practice abstract reasoning in the Practice Lab

Abstract reasoning is about spotting the rule quickly. Start in Learning mode, where each answer comes with a plain-English account of the rule you missed. When you can usually name the rule before you check, move to a Timed mock and practice deciding when to skip a sequence. Every session generates new sets, so you can't coast on memory.

Psychometric practice is included in All Access and covers numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning and situational judgement. Try psychometric practice.

Related reading: Psychometric Testing in Job Interviews, Numerical Reasoning Tests and Verbal Reasoning Tests.