11+ Non-verbal reasoning · Topic explained
Hidden shapes
Can you find this shape hiding in the tangle?
The big idea
The shape is in the big picture at exactly the same size and the same way round. Extra lines disguise it.
Picture it
Spotting a friend in a crowd: same face, same size, just surrounded.
Key words
- hidden shape
- a shape tucked inside a busier picture
- same size
- it is never bigger or smaller
- same way round
- it is never turned or flipped
- disguise
- extra lines that cross the shape to hide it
Worked examples
- 1Warm-up
Find the triangle in the picture.
- Trace its outline: three straight sides, the same size.
- Lines crossing it don't matter.
- 211+ standard
Find the L-shape in the picture.
- Find its most unusual part first: the corner where the foot meets the upright.
- Then trace the rest.
- 311+ standard
Find the parallelogram in the picture.
- Its two slanted sides lean the same way.
- Follow them, then join the top and bottom.
- 411+ standard
Find the trapezium in the picture.
- One slanted side, three straight ones.
- It overlaps the hexagon, but every edge is there.
The common mistake
The mistake
The hidden shape can be bigger, smaller or turned.
Instead
It's always exactly the same size and the same way round.
Why: Options with a turned or resized shape are built to catch this.
Where it comes up in the 11+
Hidden shapes appear in GL NVR papers and in some CEM-style tests. Start with the shape's most unusual corner.
The video
Video coming soon
We're making a short video that explains hidden shapes step by step. Until then, everything it covers is on this page.
Free printable
Hidden shapes worksheet
Practice questions on this topic to print and try on paper, at home or on the way to school.
Download the worksheet (PDF)Free account needed: it takes a minute.
Quick quiz
Have a go first, then tap to see the answer.
1. In a hidden shape question, can the shape be turned?
- No, never
- Yes, a quarter turn
- Yes, any way
- Only upside down
Show the answerHide the answer
No, never
Same size, same way round.
2. Lines cross over the hidden shape. Does that matter?
- No, they're a disguise
- Yes, then it's not there
- Only if they're thick
- Only if they're curved
Show the answerHide the answer
No, they're a disguise
Extra lines are added to hide it.
3. Where's the best place to start looking?
- the shape's most unusual corner
- the middle of the picture
- the biggest line
- the bottom edge
Show the answerHide the answer
the shape's most unusual corner
Unusual corners are easiest to spot.