Non-verbal reasoning
Figure matrices
Figure matrices are picture analogies. One figure changes into another; your child applies the same change to a third figure to complete the grid.
What the questions look like
Figures sit in a square grid. In the top row a figure changes in some way. The bottom row starts with a new figure and a gap, and five options could fill the gap.
In the digital test at Levels A to G this section lasts 10 minutes, with worked examples and untimed practice questions first.
What it measures
Seeing a relationship and using it again, the same idea as verbal and number analogies, while holding the change in mind. It sits in the non-verbal reasoning battery.
Try one
An original example at Level B. Choose an answer, then check it to see the explanation.
The top pair changes in a certain way. Which figure completes the bottom pair in the same way?
Keys 1 to 5 choose an answer. Enter continues.
How to approach it
- Say the change in words: 'turns a quarter clockwise and the shading goes'.
- Count every change. Wrong answers often make only one of two changes.
- Apply the change to the bottom-left figure, not to the top ones.
Common mistakes
- Making one of two changes, such as turning the shape but forgetting the new shading.
- Copying the top-right figure instead of changing the bottom-left one.
- Turning the shape the wrong way.