Abstract Reasoning Test With Answers: 16 Practice Questions

Abstract reasoning tests measure how quickly you can find a rule in unfamiliar figures and apply it. No maths, no vocabulary: just shapes that change according to a pattern.

Below are 16 practice questions we wrote ourselves, in the four formats you are most likely to meet: odd one out, figure series, 3×3 matrices and Set A / Set B. Every figure is described in words, so you can picture it or sketch it. Questions get harder as you go.

How to use this page: solve each question first, then read the Answer and Why.

Part 1: Odd one out

Find the figure that breaks the rule.

Question 1

Five shapes, all white outlines of similar size:

A: a square
B: a rectangle
C: a parallelogram
D: a triangle
E: a rhombus

Which is the odd one out?

Answer: D

Why: Count the sides. Square, rectangle, parallelogram and rhombus each have 4. The triangle has 3. Right angles don't help: three figures lack them, so that property doesn't single out one.

Question 2

Each figure contains a group of small shapes:

A: 2 circles and 3 squares
B: 4 triangles and 1 circle
C: 3 stars and 3 circles
D: 1 square and 4 stars
E: 2 triangles and 3 stars

Which is the odd one out?

Answer: C

Why: Add up the shapes in each figure: A = 2 + 3 = 5, B = 4 + 1 = 5, C = 3 + 3 = 6, D = 1 + 4 = 5, E = 2 + 3 = 5. Only C has 6. Every figure uses two shape types, and circles and stars each appear in three figures, so shape type is not the rule.

Question 3

Each figure is a capital letter F, drawn in the same size and line weight:

A: F upright (vertical stem on the left, two bars pointing right)
B: F with the stem on the right and both bars pointing left
C: the upright F rotated 90° clockwise
D: the upright F rotated 180°
E: the upright F rotated 270° clockwise

Which is the odd one out?

Answer: B

Why: A, C, D and E are the same F, just turned. B is a mirror image. No rotation turns an F into its reflection, because the F has no line of symmetry. A mirror image hidden among rotations is a classic trap.

Question 4

Each figure is a large white shape with a smaller white shape centred inside it:

A: triangle outside, square inside
B: square outside, pentagon inside
C: pentagon outside, hexagon inside
D: hexagon outside, heptagon (7 sides) inside
E: hexagon outside, pentagon inside

Which is the odd one out?

Answer: E

Why: Compare the sides of the inner shape with the outer one. A: 3 → 4. B: 4 → 5. C: 5 → 6. D: 6 → 7. Each time the inner shape has one side more. E goes 6 → 5, one fewer. The shared hexagon in D and E is a distractor.

Part 2: Figure series (what comes next?)

Pick the frame that comes next.

Question 5

Each frame is a square with a single black dot in one corner:

Frame 1: top-left
Frame 2: top-right
Frame 3: bottom-right
Frame 4: bottom-left

Which frame comes next?

A: dot bottom-left
B: dot top-left
C: dot top-right
D: dot in the centre

Answer: B

Why: The dot moves one corner clockwise each step: top-left → top-right → bottom-right → bottom-left. The next clockwise corner after bottom-left is top-left.

Question 6

Frame 1: a triangle containing 1 dot
Frame 2: a square containing 2 dots
Frame 3: a pentagon containing 3 dots
Frame 4: a hexagon containing 4 dots

Which frame comes next?

A: an octagon containing 5 dots
B: a heptagon containing 4 dots
C: a heptagon containing 5 dots
D: a hexagon containing 5 dots

Answer: C

Why: Two rules run together. The shape gains one side per step (3, 4, 5, 6, so next 7 = heptagon). The dots go up by one (1, 2, 3, 4, so next 5). Only C satisfies both.

Question 7

Each frame shows one arrow:

Frame 1: black arrow pointing up
Frame 2: white arrow pointing up-right (45° clockwise from up)
Frame 3: black arrow pointing right
Frame 4: white arrow pointing down-right

Which frame comes next?

A: white arrow pointing down
B: black arrow pointing down-left
C: black arrow pointing down
D: white arrow pointing down-left

Answer: C

Why: Direction: 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, so the arrow turns 45° clockwise each step and the next one is 180°, pointing down. Colour: black, white, black, white, so the next is black. Black and pointing down is C. A has the wrong colour; B has turned too far.

Question 8

Each frame is a horizontal strip of 6 cells, numbered 1 to 6 from left to right. A star and a circle sit in the strip. Anything that moves past cell 1 continues from cell 6, and vice versa.

Frame 1: star in cell 1, circle in cell 6
Frame 2: star in cell 2, circle in cell 4
Frame 3: star in cell 3, circle in cell 2
Frame 4: star in cell 4, circle in cell 6

Which frame comes next?

A: star in cell 5, circle in cell 2
B: star in cell 5, circle in cell 4
C: star in cell 4, circle in cell 4
D: star in cell 5, circle in cell 3

Answer: B

Why: The star moves 1 cell right per step: 1, 2, 3, 4, then 5. The circle moves 2 cells left per step: 6 → 4 → 2, then two steps left from 2 is 1 and then 6 (wrap-around), which matches frame 4. Two more steps left from 6 gives 4. Star 5, circle 4.

Question 9

Each frame is a circle divided into 8 equal slices, like a pizza. The slices are numbered 1 to 8 clockwise, starting with the slice just to the right of 12 o'clock. In every frame one slice is black and one is grey; the rest are white.

Frame 1: black slice 1, grey slice 4
Frame 2: black slice 2, grey slice 7
Frame 3: black slice 3, grey slice 2
Frame 4: black slice 4, grey slice 5

Which frame comes next?

A: black slice 5, grey slice 7
B: black slice 4, grey slice 8
C: black slice 5, grey slice 1
D: black slice 5, grey slice 8

Answer: D

Why: The black slice moves 1 position clockwise each step: 1, 2, 3, 4, then 5. The grey slice moves 3 positions clockwise: 4 + 3 = 7; 7 + 3 = 10, which wraps to 10 − 8 = 2; 2 + 3 = 5; 5 + 3 = 8. Black 5 and grey 8 is D.

Part 3: 3×3 matrices (find the missing cell)

Find the missing bottom-right cell.

Question 10

Row 1: black circle, white square, striped triangle
Row 2: white triangle, striped circle, black square
Row 3: striped square, black triangle, ?

Which cell completes the grid?

A: white circle
B: black circle
C: white square
D: striped circle

Answer: A

Why: Each row and column holds one circle, square and triangle, and one black, white and striped shape. Row 3 already has a square and a triangle, so the missing shape is a circle. Column 3 already has striped (row 1) and black (row 2), so the missing shading is white. White circle.

Question 11

Each cell contains a number of black dots:

Row 1: 1, 2, 3
Row 2: 2, 4, 6
Row 3: 3, 6, ?

How many dots belong in the missing cell?

A: 7
B: 8
C: 12
D: 9

Answer: D

Why: The number of dots equals row number × column number. Row 3, column 3: 3 × 3 = 9. Check: row 3 rises by 3 each step (3, 6, 9), and column 3 gives the same result.

Question 12

Every cell is a square frame. Only the lines inside the frame change.

Row 1: (1) one vertical line through the centre; (2) one horizontal line through the centre; (3) a vertical and a horizontal line (a cross)
Row 2: (1) a diagonal from top-left to bottom-right plus a vertical line; (2) a vertical line plus a horizontal line; (3) a diagonal from top-left to bottom-right plus a horizontal line
Row 3: (1) both diagonals (an X); (2) a diagonal from top-left to bottom-right plus a horizontal line; (3) ?

Which cell completes the grid?

A: both diagonals plus a horizontal line
B: a diagonal from top-right to bottom-left plus a horizontal line
C: a diagonal from top-left to bottom-right plus a horizontal line
D: a diagonal from top-right to bottom-left only

Answer: B

Why: Cell 3 is cells 1 and 2 laid on top of each other, but any line that appears in both disappears. Row 1 can't show this, as nothing overlaps. Row 2 does: the vertical line is in cells 1 and 2 but missing from cell 3, so simple adding is ruled out. In row 3, the top-left-to-bottom-right diagonal appears in both cells and cancels. What remains is the top-right-to-bottom-left diagonal plus the horizontal line. Option A is what you get if you forget the cancelling.

Question 13

Each cell contains one arrow and a number of dots below it:

Row 1: arrow up, 1 dot | arrow right, 2 dots | arrow down, 3 dots
Row 2: arrow up-right, 2 dots | arrow down-right, 3 dots | arrow down-left, 4 dots
Row 3: arrow right, 3 dots | arrow down, 4 dots | ?

Which cell completes the grid?

A: arrow left, 5 dots
B: arrow left, 4 dots
C: arrow up, 5 dots
D: arrow down-left, 5 dots

Answer: A

Why: Arrows: within a row, the arrow turns 90° clockwise each step (row 1: 0°, 90°, 180°). Going down a column, the starting arrow turns 45° clockwise (0° in row 1, 45° in row 2, 90° in row 3). Row 3 runs 90°, 180°, so the missing arrow is 270°, pointing left. Dots: each row starts with one more dot than the row above and gains one dot per step, so dots = row + column − 1. For row 3, column 3: 3 + 3 − 1 = 5. Left arrow, 5 dots.

Part 4: Set A / Set B / Neither

Does the test figure belong to Set A, Set B or neither?

Question 14

Set A:

black circle, white square, white triangle
white star, black square, white circle, white circle
white triangle, white triangle, black triangle, white square, white star
black star, white star, white circle

Set B:

black circle, black square, white triangle
black triangle, white circle, black star, white square
white square, white square, white square, black circle, black circle
black square, white circle, black square

Test figure: white circle, black triangle, white star, black circle, white square.

A: Set A
B: Set B
C: Neither

Answer: B

Why: The number of shapes varies (3, 4 or 5) in both sets, so that's not the rule. Count the black shapes: every Set A figure has exactly 1, every Set B figure exactly 2. The test figure has 2 (the triangle and the circle), so it belongs to Set B. Its 3 white shapes occur in both sets and decide nothing.

Question 15

All shapes are white outlines.

Set A:

square, square, square
hexagon, triangle, triangle
pentagon, heptagon
triangle, triangle, triangle, triangle

Set B:

pentagon, pentagon
square, hexagon
triangle, triangle, square
heptagon, triangle

Test figure: pentagon, hexagon.

A: Set A
B: Set B
C: Neither

Answer: C

Why: Shape counts and types vary in both sets. Add up the sides instead. Set A: 4 + 4 + 4 = 12; 6 + 3 + 3 = 12; 5 + 7 = 12; 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12. Every Set A figure totals 12. Set B: 5 + 5 = 10; 4 + 6 = 10; 3 + 3 + 4 = 10; 7 + 3 = 10. Every Set B figure totals 10. The test figure has 5 + 6 = 11 sides, which matches neither rule.

Question 16

Each figure is one large shape with black dots scattered inside it. The shape's shading changes from figure to figure.

Set A:

white triangle, 3 dots
grey square, 4 dots
black pentagon, 5 dots
white hexagon, 6 dots

Set B:

black square, 3 dots
white pentagon, 4 dots
grey triangle, 2 dots
black heptagon, 6 dots

Test figure: grey heptagon, 7 dots.

A: Set A
B: Set B
C: Neither

Answer: A

Why: Shading varies in both sets, so ignore it. Compare dots with sides. Set A: 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 6/6, so dots equal sides. Set B: 3/4, 4/5, 2/3, 6/7, so dots are always one fewer than the sides. The test heptagon has 7 sides and 7 dots: Set A. The heptagon in Set B is a trap for anyone matching on shape.

Looking for an "answers PDF"?

Many people search for an abstract reasoning test with answers as a PDF, hoping for the real answer key of SHL, Aon (cut-e) or Talogy tests. No usable one exists. These providers draw each candidate's items from large, randomised item banks, so two candidates rarely see the same set and a leaked sheet won't match your test.

What does carry over is the rules: rotation, movement, counting, shading, overlaying lines and Latin squares. All 16 questions here are our own, written to train those rules. Want them on paper? Print this page: every figure is described in text.

How to get faster

Name the elements first: shape, count, colour, position, direction. The rule is almost always a change in one or two of these.
Follow one element at a time. In Questions 8 and 9, watching both objects at once causes mistakes.
Predict, then check. Decide what the answer looks like before reading the options.
Eliminate by single rule. Sure about colour but not direction? Cross out the wrong colours first.
Test your rule on every row. In Question 12, row 1 fits a rule that row 2 breaks.
Add a timer once you can solve these untimed: about 45 seconds per item.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a PDF with the answers to real abstract reasoning tests?

No. Real tests draw items from large randomised banks, so a leaked answer sheet won't match your test. Practising the question types is what helps.

How long should one abstract reasoning question take?

Most employer tests allow 30 to 60 seconds per item. Learn the rules untimed, then work towards about 45 seconds.

What are the most common rules in abstract reasoning tests?

Rotation, movement around a grid, counting (sides, dots, shapes), shading, adding or cancelling lines, and Latin-square patterns where each element appears once per row and column.

How should I answer Set A / Set B questions?

Find the rule all Set A figures share, then the Set B rule. If the test figure breaks both, the answer is Neither.

Can I guess on abstract reasoning tests?

On most tests a wrong answer costs nothing extra, so never leave an item blank. Eliminate what you can, then pick.

Next steps

Scored 13 or more? The next gain comes from speed. Scored lower? Write down the rule of every question you missed in one sentence.

For more of one specific format, see our figure series questions and matrix reasoning questions. Facing SHL? Read abstract reasoning for SHL tests.

Ready for real figures and a timer? The abstract reasoning test package at Assessment-Training.com has full-length timed tests in these formats, with explanations for every item.

Abstract Reasoning Test With Answers: 16 Practice Questions