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Abstract reasoning test questions: figure series, matrices and odd one out
Shapes instead of words or numbers. Abstract reasoning questions look different from each other, but they test one skill: finding the one feature that changes by a rule. Here is how to find it fast.
Updated October 14, 2026 · by TimedPrep. The 8 examples are practice questions written by us; tap an answer to check yourself.
An abstract reasoning question shows figures (shapes, dots, arrows, shading) and asks which one comes next, which one completes a grid, or which one does not belong. The CCAT, the PI Cognitive Assessment and many aptitude tests use them, and a few appear on the Wonderlic.
The method for all three kinds: look at one feature at a time. Position, count, shading, rotation, size. Name the rule for that one feature, cross out every answer that breaks it, then check the next feature on what is left. Looking at the whole picture at once is what makes these feel hard.
1. Figure series: follow one element
Pick the element that is easiest to track, a dot, an arrow or a shaded part, and say what it does each step: moves one corner clockwise, turns 90 degrees, adds one. Apply that step once more and cross out the answers that get it wrong. Usually one or two answers survive; check a second element on those.
Sample · Figure series · by TimedPrep
Which figure comes next in the series?
Answer: C. The dot moves two positions clockwise around the frame each step. Fast method: follow ONE element across the frames, eliminate the options that get it wrong, then check the second element.
Sample · Figure series · by TimedPrep
Which figure comes next in the series?
Answer: D. The arrow turns 45° counterclockwise each step. Fast method: follow ONE element across the frames, eliminate the options that get it wrong, then check the second element.
Sample · Figure series · by TimedPrep
Which figure comes next in the series?
Answer: D. The number of shapes goes up by one each step, and the color switches between solid and gray. Fast method: follow ONE element across the frames, eliminate the options that get it wrong, then check the second element.
2. Matrices: read the rows
In a 3x3 grid every row usually applies the same rule. Two rules cover most grids: each shape appears once in every row and column, and a count or shading that steps up from left to right. Find the rule in the top row, check it in the middle row, then fill the bottom row's gap.
Sample · Figure grids · by TimedPrep
Which figure completes the grid?
Answer: A. The shape stays the same along each row. The shading appears once in every row and once in every column. The number of shapes grows by one from left to right in every row. So the missing cell has 3 gray crosses. Fast method: solve one feature at a time (shape, then shading, then count) and cross out options after each.
Sample · Figure grids · by TimedPrep
Which figure completes the grid?
Answer: E. The shape stays the same along each row. The shading appears once in every row and once in every column. So the missing cell has 1 gray triangle. Fast method: solve one feature at a time (shape, then shading, then count) and cross out options after each.
3. Odd one out: look for a 4-to-1 split
Go through the features one at a time and look for one where four figures agree and one does not: the number of shapes, the shading, a mirror image instead of a turn. A feature where the figures split 3 to 2 is noise; ignore it.
Sample · Odd one out · by TimedPrep
Which figure does not belong with the other four?
Answer: C. Four figures share the same shading; the odd one differs in shading. The other differences are shared by at least two figures, so they do not single anything out. Fast method: test one feature at a time (shape, shading, count, size) and look for a 4-to-1 split.
Sample · Odd one out · by TimedPrep
Which figure does not belong with the other four?
Answer: C. Four of the figures are the same shape turned to different angles. The odd one is a mirror image: no amount of turning makes it match. Fast method: pick one feature (for example, which side the short arm is on as you walk from the long end) and check it on every figure.
Sample · Odd one out · by TimedPrep
Which figure does not belong with the other four?
Answer: B. In four figures the number of dots equals the number of sides of the shape. In the odd one it does not. Fast method: when shapes and dots both vary, look for a link between two features instead of a single odd feature.
The timing rule
Figure questions reward elimination. Give a series or an odd-one-out about 15 seconds and a 3x3 grid up to 30. If the first feature you check does not split the answers, switch features instead of staring. When two answers are left and time is up, pick one: on the CCAT and the PI a wrong answer costs nothing.
Now try them on the clock. The free general cognitive test mixes figure questions with the other common question types: 50 questions, 15 minutes, no sign-up. When the clock stops you see which types cost you points.
Start the free testTests that use these questions, each with its own free full-length test: Wonderlic · CCAT · PI Cognitive Assessment.
Common questions
What is an abstract reasoning test?
A set of figure questions (series, grids, odd one out) that measure how quickly you spot rules without words or numbers. It is often one section of a broader aptitude or cognitive ability test.
How do you get faster at abstract reasoning questions?
Check one feature at a time (position, count, shading, rotation) and cross out answers after each check. Timed practice on the three common kinds does the rest.
Which hiring tests have abstract reasoning questions?
The CCAT (spatial reasoning), the PI Cognitive Assessment (abstract reasoning: series, analogies, common features) and a few questions on the Wonderlic, plus many general aptitude tests.
More question types, one worked example each: the Wonderlic, CCAT and PI sample-question pages · all guides.