Non-verbal reasoning question types, explained

Look for what changes

Most non-verbal puzzles hide a rule about how shapes change. Teach your child to check the same short list every time, one feature at a time, instead of staring at the whole picture.

• Number: how many shapes, sides, lines or dots.
• Position: where each shape sits, and whether it moves round.
• Rotation and reflection: whether a shape turns or flips.
• Shading and size: what is filled in, and what grows or shrinks.

Series and odd one out

In a series, each picture follows the one before by the same rule. Find the change between the first two, check it holds for the next pair, then apply it once more.

In odd one out, four shapes share a rule and one does not. Pick one feature, check it across all five, and move to the next feature if they all match.

Reflections and rotations

A reflection is a mirror image: what was on the left appears on the right. A rotation turns the whole shape without flipping it. A common trap is an answer that has been rotated when the question asked for a reflection, so check one small detail, such as a dot or a corner, in every option.

Cubes and nets

A net is a flat shape that folds into a cube. Faces that sit opposite each other on the cube can never touch on the folded shape. Folding a real paper net once or twice helps many children picture the rest in their head.