Raven’s Progressive Matrices

What is Raven’s Progressive Matrices?

Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM) is one of the most widely used non-verbal cognitive ability assessments, designed to measure abstract reasoning and general mental ability (GMA). Originally developed by John C. Raven in 1938 and now published by Pearson Assessments, it remains a global standard for evaluating problem-solving skills, logical thinking, and learning agility across industries and job levels.

The test presents visual matrix puzzles: a pattern with one piece missing. Candidates must select the correct option from several choices to complete the pattern logically. Because RPM relies on abstract figures rather than language, it’s considered culture-fair and language-independent, making it suitable for international hiring.

Here, we’ll cover what you need to know about Raven’s Progressive Matrices.

Test Formats

Raven’s Progressive Matrices comes in several versions, tailored for different levels and contexts:

• Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) – The classic fixed-form version with 60 matrix puzzles of increasing difficulty. Typically completed in about 40 minutes, it’s widely used for general hiring and talent identification.
• Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) – A more challenging fixed-form version designed for higher-level roles, leadership selection, and candidates expected to handle complex, abstract reasoning. The most recent version of this test is the Raven’s APM-III, which includes 23 questions and a time limit of 40 minutes.
• Raven’s Adaptive – A modern, computer-adaptive version of the test that adjusts question difficulty in real time based on your responses. The test includes 15 test questions and has no time limit.

What questions can I expect on the Raven’s Progressive Matrices test?

Raven’s Progressive Matrices is a non-verbal test built around matrix puzzles. In each question you see a 3×3 grid of visual patterns with one cell missing. Your task is to identify the rule(s) governing the rows and columns and choose the option that correctly completes the grid.

How items are structured

• The grid follows consistent rules across each row and column (often more than one rule at a time).
• Answer choices contain plausible distractors that satisfy some but not all rules—precision matters.
• Difficulty increases as rules become subtler, combine, or interact.
• In the adaptive version, the test selects easier or harder items based on your previous answers.

Common rule families you’ll see

• Progression: A feature increases/decreases stepwise (size, number of shapes, line thickness).
• Movement/Shift: Elements move left/right/up/down or wrap around the grid.
• Rotation/Reflection: Shapes rotate (e.g., 90° each step) or mirror across an axis.
• Overlay/Layering: Rows/columns combine shapes (superimpose) to produce the next cell.
• Logical operations: Presence/absence combines via rules like AND/OR/XOR (e.g., overlapping parts appear/disappear).
• Counting/Parity: The number of elements follows a pattern or alternates odd/even.
• Attribute cycling: Color/shading, texture, or fill style cycles through a fixed order.
• Permutation/Substitution: Parts swap positions or exchange attributes in a predictable way.
• Consistency constraints: A property remains constant across a line while others change (e.g., total corners always equals 12).

What’s not on the test

• No reading comprehension, vocabulary, or job-specific knowledge.
• No arithmetic or word problems—only visual logic.

How is the Raven test score calculated?

The Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM) is scored as an ability-based, norm-referenced test. Your answers are converted into an estimate of overall abstract reasoning ability and then compared with a reference (norm) group to produce an interpretable result — often reported as a percentile and/or a descriptive band (e.g., Below Average, Average, Above Average).

Standard & Advanced Progressive Matrices (fixed-form)

• Raw score: The number of correct answers you provide across the fixed set of matrix items.
• Scale conversion: Your raw score is transformed to the publisher’s standard score scale, allowing results to remain comparable across different forms (e.g., Standard vs. Advanced).
• Norms: Your scaled score is compared to a selected norm group (such as general population, graduates, or managerial professionals) to produce a percentile rank and/or banded interpretation.

Raven’s Adaptive (computer-adaptive)

• Item difficulty matters: Each matrix item has a calibrated difficulty level. The adaptive algorithm selects easier or harder puzzles based on your previous responses.
• Ability estimate: After each answer, the system updates an underlying ability parameter (often called θ) using an item-response theory (IRT) model; this θ reflects both the correctness of your answers and the difficulty of the items you saw.
• Precision: The algorithm estimates the measurement precision (standard error). The better the item targeting to your ability level, the more accurate your final score.
• Reporting: Your final ability estimate (θ) is mapped onto the same reporting scale as the fixed-form RPM and then compared to norms to produce a percentile rank and/or descriptive band.

What affects your result

• Correct vs. incorrect answers: Getting more puzzles correct drives a higher score in both fixed and adaptive formats.

• (Adaptive only) Difficulty of items: Solving more challenging matrices increases your ability estimate more than solving easier ones.

• Chosen norm group: The same raw ability can yield different percentiles depending on the comparison group (e.g., general population vs. managerial norms).

What Typically Does Not Affect Your Result

• Response time: Speed is usually reported separately (if at all). Only items you fail to answer before time expires count as incorrect when the test is timed.
• Guessing penalties: There is no extra penalty for guessing; incorrect responses are simply scored as wrong.

How to prepare for Raven’s Progressive Matrices?

Preparing for the Raven test will help you perform better and increase your chances of landing the job. There are several things you can do to prepare for the Raven test:

• Get fluent with the rule families most items use. These are covered in detail in our Raven Test Prep course
• Practice questions similar to those on the Raven test, this will familiarize you with the questions and help you feel more confident about taking the test.
• Set up a simulated Raven’s Progressive Matrices with the same question types and time limit. We recommend running the format you expect to face: Adaptive or non-adaptive.

We can help you prepare for the Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test. With our Raven Test Prep package, you get more than 170 Raven practice questions with explained solutions, three full-length simulated Raven tests (adaptive and non-adaptive),  and guidance throughout your training. Get access now.

Try our free Raven’s Progressive Matrices practice test below.