Non-Verbal Reasoning · 8 guides
Non-Verbal Reasoning study guides
Eight guides to the picture puzzles in 11+ non-verbal reasoning, each with diagrams, a checklist of what to look for and worked examples.
What to expect in the 11+
Non-verbal reasoning (NVR) uses shapes and patterns instead of words. You might find the odd one out, the next picture in a series, the missing square in a grid, or the net that folds into a cube.
Many 11+ tests include NVR, often with spatial questions about turning, mirroring and folding. Every question has a rule hiding in it. Once you know the usual rules (shape, size, number, shading, position, direction and lines), you can check them one at a time.
Start with odd one out and series: the checklist you learn there works for every other question type.
The guides
- Guide 1
Odd one out
Find the shape that doesn't belong: check shape, number of sides, shading, size, lines and direction one at a time, with diagrams and examples.
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- Guide 2
Series and sequences
Work out what comes next in a row of shapes: spot what moves, turns, grows or gets added each step, and check the rule on every box.
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- Guide 3
Shape analogies
Solve 'this is to that as this is to ?' with shapes: list every change from the first pair, apply them all to the new shape, with diagrams.
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- Guide 4
Matrices
Complete a grid of shapes: read across the rows and down the columns, look for repeats and changes, and check your answer fits both ways.
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- Guide 5
Rotation and reflection
Tell a turned shape from a mirrored one: quarter and half turns, clockwise and anticlockwise, mirror lines and the tricks 11+ questions use.
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- Guide 6
Shape codes
Crack the letter codes given to shapes: find which feature each letter stands for by comparing shapes that share a letter, then code the new shape.
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- Guide 7
Cube nets and 3D shapes
Which net folds into this cube? Learn which faces end up opposite, which touch, and how to rule out wrong nets fast, with diagrams.
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- Guide 8
Paper folding and hidden shapes
Unfold a punched sheet of paper in your head and find a shape hidden in a busy pattern, with step-by-step methods and diagrams.
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Tips for non-verbal reasoning
- Use a checklist: shape, size, number, shading, position, direction, lines. Check one thing at a time.
- Cross out answer options as soon as you know they're wrong.
- Turn the page (or your head) for rotation questions, if the rules of the test allow it.
- Practise with real paper: fold it, punch it with a pencil and unfold it.
- Don't stop at the first difference you see: check the rule works for every picture.
- Work quickly but carefully: NVR papers are often tightly timed.