NON VERBAL REASONING

Non verbal reasoning questions cover the following areas

Similarities,
Odd one out,
Analogies,
Series,
Hidden pictures,
Reflected pictures,
Matrices, Codes,
Combined pictures,
Nets of cubes.
The acronym SPANSS helps you to focus on …

S SHAPE

P POSITION

A ANGLE

N NUMBER

S SIDES

S SHADING
Shape
 Shape

1) Sides
Shapes might be different because they have:
1. Different numbers of sides.
The third shape is the odd
one out because it has four
sides, not five.

2. Different numbers of curved sides.

The second shape is the

odd one out because it has
only one curved side, not
two.
3. Different lengths of sides.
The fourth shape is the odd
one out because its sides are
different lengths.
 Shape
Shapes

2) Size
The size of the shape could be important.

These shapes all have five

sides, but the second
shape is the odd one out
because it’s bigger than
the others.

The fourth shape is the

odd one out in this group
because it’s bigger than
the other shapes, which
are all about the same size.
 Shape
Shapes

3) Symmetry
Some shapes are symmetrical.
A shape is symmetrical if you can draw a line through it that divides the shape into
halves which are mirror images of each other.

One line of symmetry Two lines of symmetry Four lines of symmetry

Which shape is the odd one out?

The third shape is the odd

one out because it has two
lines of symmetry, not one.
Position
 Position
Shapes

3) Arrows can point clockwise or anticlockwise.

Clockwise means the direction in which the hands on a clock move.
Anticlockwise means the opposite direction.
All these arrows point in a
clockwise direction. You can
have straight arrows and curved
arrows.

All these arrows point in a

anticlockwise direction.

Arrows next to shapes can also

suggest a clockwise or
anticlockwise direction.
Anticlockwise Clockwise Anticlockwise Clockwise
Angle
 Angle
Shapes

There are several arrow-style lines with different arrow heads. For example:

1) Arrows point in a direction

Diagonally up Diagonally up Diagonally down Diagonally down

Up Down Right Left to the left to the right to the right (SE) to the left (SW)
(N) (S) (E) (W) (NW) (NE)
2) Arrows can point at or away from objects
All of the arrow-style
lines are pointing at a
three-sided shape.

All of the arrow-style

lines are pointing away
from a circle.
Number
 Counting
Shapes

You can count different elements of shapes – numbers of sides, dots, lines, lines of
symmetry, vertices and etc. - to figure out a pattern.
The numbers of:
What can you count? • sides
• vertices
• dots
• lines of symmetry
• order of rotational symmetry
The numbers of:
• sides (straight and curved)
• vertices
What is the pattern for these shapes? • lines of symmetry
• order of rotational symmetry

The number of sides of each

figure is one more than the
Sides: 4 Sides: 3 Sides: 6 Sides: 4 number of dashed lines
Dashed lines: 3 Dashed lines: 2 Dashed lines: 5 Dashed lines: 3 inside the shape.
Sides
 Sides

3) Which shape comes next in the series?

A B C D E

The shape A has three sides and so comes next in the series because the
number of sides decreases by one each time: six, five, four, three.
 Sides

1) Which shape is the odd one out?

A B C D E

The shape C is the odd one out because

it is the only shape with three sides.
Shading
 Shading

5) Which of the options best fits in place of the missing hexagon in the grid.

LOGIC: There are 6 types of

shading and each circle and square
has 1 instance of it therefore A

A B C D E
Other examples
 Example

2) Which is the most like the first two shapes?

A B C D E

The shape D is most like the first two

shapes because it has three sides.
 Example

10) Work out which of these options best fits in the place of the missing square in the series.

A B C D E

LOGIC: Circle is moving clockwise around the inside of the square

Explanation: The number of dots should be one less than the
number of sides on the shape. Figure E is the odd one out. All
of the other figures contain a number of dots that is one less
than the number of sides on the larger shape. Figure E has
seven sides, and therefore there should be six dots. However,
there are only 5.
Non Verbal Reasoning
 Question 1

1) Work out which of the options best fits in place of the missing hexagon in the grid.

A B C D E
 Question 1

1) Work out which of the options best fits in place of the missing hexagon in the grid.

A B C D E
LOGIC: 2 of each surrounding shapes around the central pentagon
 Example

2) Work out which of the options is most like the three figures on the left.

A B C D E

LOGIC: All LHS shapes have 3/4 shaded, therefore B

 Example

3) Work out which of the options best fits in place of the missing square in the grid.

LOGIC: Each row has small,

medium & large of the same shape
and three types of shading

A B C D E
 Question 8

8) Work out which of these options best fits in the place of the missing square in the series.

A B C D E

LOGIC: 2 activities
1. All three move down the leading diagonal
2. The shapes move left to right and the end one returns to the left