Abstract Reasoning Sub-test
Welcome to the Abstract Reasoning Test. This assessment measures your ability to see patterns in shapes and figures: reasoning with no words and no numbers in it, which is why it is often the part of a battery that says most about general reasoning ability.
How the test works
This is an adaptive test. It chooses each question based on how you have answered the ones before it, so the questions become harder when you are doing well and easier when you are not. Almost everybody reaches questions they cannot solve, that is the test finding your level, not a sign that you are doing badly.
It is also not the same length for everybody. It stops as soon as it has measured you accurately enough, so finishing quickly is a good sign, not a short measure.
Test overview
- Questions: usually between 6 and 16, decided as you go
- Time per question: 60 seconds
- Format: multiple choice, one question at a time
What the questions look like
- Matrices: a 3 × 3 grid of figures with one cell empty. The figures change according to a rule along the rows and another down the columns. Work out both, and choose the figure that belongs in the gap.
- Series: a row of figures with one missing — at the end or somewhere in the middle. Work out how each figure becomes the next, and choose the one that fits the gap.
Look for one thing at a time: what moves, what rotates, what is added or taken away, what changes colour or count. Most questions combine two simple rules rather than using one complicated one.
Before you start
No pen, paper or calculator is needed — everything is in the picture. Use the largest screen you have: these questions ask you to hold several figures in view at once, and they are noticeably harder on a phone. Find somewhere quiet, because the clock does not stop once a question is on screen.
When you are ready, click Begin. You will start with a short untimed practice, which does not count towards your result.