Abstract Reasoning Test: free practice
Spot the rule in a pattern of shapes. Seven timed tests, each scored as an age-normed IQ with a percentile, and a worked guide for every question type.
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What is an abstract reasoning test?
Abstract reasoning (also called inductive, diagrammatic or non-verbal reasoning) tests measure how well you find a rule in unfamiliar patterns and apply it. There is no language and no maths knowledge to learn, only shapes. It is the core of many IQ tests.
Each AZTest test below is a fixed set of 10 to 15 questions, about 85 in all, so take each under real exam conditions rather than skimming. When it ends you see your score, an IQ estimate and a percentile for your age, and every question with its explanation.
Where you will meet it
The question types, and where to practise each
Matrices
A 3x3 grid of figures with one missing. A rule runs along the rows or down the columns: shapes that rotate, overlay, subtract or change in number or shading. Choose the figure that completes the grid.
Visual analogies
A is to B as C is to ? Work out what changed between the first pair and apply the same change to the second.
Progressive series
A row of figures changes step by step. Track each change, a rotation, a shape added, a shading flipped, and pick the figure that comes next.
Odd one out
Several shapes share a property and one breaks it. Name the property, then find the figure that violates it.
Tips that work
- Check one attribute at a timeShape, number, size, shading, position, orientation. Look at each separately across a row, instead of trying to see the whole pattern at once.
- Test rows and columnsDecide whether the rule runs across, down, or both. Many matrices use a different rule in each direction.
- Use the answer options as cluesSee which attributes differ between the options. Those are the ones the question is about.
- Rotation is usually a fixed stepCount the angle between neighbouring figures: 45 or 90 degrees at a time is common.
- Eliminate instead of findingCross out every option that breaks any rule you have found. Often one is left standing before you have worked out the whole pattern.
- Prefer the simpler ruleIf two rules fit, the question-setter almost always meant the simpler one.
Common traps
- Two rules at once: a shape may rotate while its shading alternates. Find both before you choose.
- Options that differ in an eye-catching but irrelevant way. Go back to the attributes the rows actually change.
- Spending too long on one hard question. Time matters in the timed tests, so leave it and return if you can.
What is not here yet
The abstract tests here are fixed question sets, not endless generated practice. For unlimited practice of a similar kind, try the spatial reasoning page.
Questions people ask
What is an abstract reasoning test?
A test of finding rules in patterns of shapes, with no words or numbers needed. It is also called non-verbal, inductive or diagrammatic reasoning.
How is my score worked out?
Right answers earn the question's points, wrong answers cost a fraction, and the total is scaled to 1000. Your score is then compared with people of your age to give an IQ-style estimate and a percentile.
Can I improve with practice?
Yes. Knowing the common rules (rotation, overlay, count, shading) and the habit of checking one attribute at a time makes the questions faster and more reliable.
Is it free?
Yes. Every test here is free and you do not need to sign up.
Are these the real tests?
No. AZTest is independent and not connected to the makers of Raven's matrices, UCAT or any other test. This is practice for the question types.
Ready? Start with one test
Ten minutes a day is enough to notice the difference. Read the review after every session: it shows the right answer and why.
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AZTest is independent and not connected to the publishers of the tests named on this page. Test names belong to their owners. This is practice for the question types, not the official tests.