What is abstract reasoning?

Abstract reasoning is the ability to find the rule behind a set of shapes or patterns and apply it to new cases, without relying on words or numbers. Test items are usually series (what comes next), odd one out, or 3×3 matrices with a missing cell.

It is a measure of fluid, inductive reasoning. Because it needs no vocabulary, it suits test-takers in any language, and matrix-style items are among the strongest single indicators of general reasoning ability.

By What's Your IQ · Published 3 Oct 2026 · Updated 3 Oct 2026

Format: Shape series, odd one out, 3×3 matrices
Common rules: Count, rotation, fill, shape, arithmetic
Typical employer test: 20–30 items in 15–25 minutes
Measures: Inductive rule-finding and working memory
This test: 12 puzzles, 12 minutes, free

Five rules behind almost every puzzle

Check them in this order. It's roughly how often test writers use them.

01Count

Shapes are added or removed.

02Rotation

A shape turns by a fixed angle.

03Fill

Solid and outline swap.

04Shape / sides

The shape changes, often gaining a corner.

05Arithmetic

Box 3 = box 1 + box 2 (or minus).

WHAT MAKES A PUZZLE HARD

Not stranger shapes. More rules.

Two rules: you have to notice the fill is changing too, not just the count.

In an analysis of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, items needing more rules were harder, and the best solvers could hold several rules in mind at once (Carpenter, Just & Shell, 1990 [2]).

✓ Count✓ FillShapeRotation

One attribute at a time

The method that turns a three-rule puzzle back into three one-rule puzzles.

1Pick one attributeLook only at count. Is it changing in a pattern? Note it, then move on.

2Check the nextRotation, then fill, then shape, then position. Each either follows a rule or is decoration.

3Predict before you lookWrite down what the answer must have for every rule you found.

4EliminateStrike options that break any rule. If two remain, you've missed a rule: go back to step 2.

Take the test

12 puzzles · 12 minutes · series, odd one out, matrices

Series5 puzzles: what comes next?Odd one out3 puzzles: which box breaks the rule?Matrix4 puzzles: fill the missing cell of a 3×3 grid.

Puzzle 1 of 12Series

00:00

Which box comes next?

0/12Try the one-attribute method, then go again.Weakest: series (0/5) · 29854918:19

Series0/5Odd one out0/3Matrix0/4

Puzzle 1 · SeriesAnswer C · you chose nothingOne more circle each step: 1, 2, 3, 4, so 5.

Puzzle 2 · SeriesAnswer A · you chose nothingThe arrow turns 45° clockwise each step, so it points straight down next.

Puzzle 3 · SeriesAnswer D · you chose nothingShapes cycle triangle, square, circle, and fill alternates solid, outline. Next is a solid square.

Puzzle 4 · SeriesAnswer B · you chose nothingCount rises by one and fill alternates, so five solid diamonds.

Puzzle 5 · SeriesAnswer C · you chose nothingThe arrow turns 90° each step while the count alternates 1, 2. Next: one arrow pointing up.

Puzzle 6 · Odd one outAnswer A · you chose nothingEvery other box holds an even number of shapes; the three circles are odd.

Puzzle 7 · Odd one outAnswer E · you chose nothingEach box has exactly one solid shape. The diamonds have two.

Puzzle 8 · Odd one outAnswer B · you chose nothingThe number of shapes equals the corners on each shape: 3 triangles, 6 hexagons, 4 squares. Five squares breaks it.

Puzzle 9 · MatrixAnswer C · you chose nothingEach row keeps one shape; the count goes 1, 2, 3 across the columns.

Puzzle 10 · MatrixAnswer A · you chose nothingEach row uses each shape once, and the third column is always solid. The missing one is a solid square.

Puzzle 11 · MatrixAnswer D · you chose nothingEach step right turns the arrow 90°; each row starts 45° further on. 180° + 90° = 270°.

Puzzle 12 · MatrixAnswer B · you chose nothingIn every row the third box holds the first two added together: 3 + 1 = 4 diamonds.

Why shapes, not words

Non-verbal items were built to measure reasoning with as little help from schooling and language as possible.

1938Raven's Progressive MatricesJohn C. Raven publishes a shape-only test meant to measure reasoning with as little reliance on schooling and language as possible.

1940s“Culture-fair” testsRaymond Cattell develops non-verbal tests aimed at comparing people across languages and cultures.

1987The Flynn effectJames Flynn reports large generational gains, and the biggest ones turn up on Raven-type matrix tests.

1990What the test measuresCarpenter, Just & Shell trace matrix difficulty to the number of rules and the working memory needed to hold them.

1938First Progressive MatricesStill in use, revised several times since.

Raven, 1938 [1]

5Rule typesCount, rotation, fill, shape and arithmetic cover most items.

Carpenter et al., 1990 [2]

~20IQ points gained in a generationFlynn's figure for Dutch conscripts on a Raven-type test, 1952–1982.

Flynn, 1987 [3]

0Words neededWhy non-verbal items suit test-takers in any language.

How to solve an abstract reasoning puzzle

1Pick one attributeLook only at count first and note whether it follows a pattern.
2Check the nextThen rotation, fill, shape and position, one at a time.
3Predict the answerWrite down what the answer must have for every rule you found.
4EliminateStrike options that break any rule; if two remain, look for a missed rule.

Keep going

Matrix reasoning gameTrain the 3×3 puzzles with endless new items.Open

Verbal syllogismsThe deductive partner to this inductive test.Open

Spatial reasoning trainingMental rotation and folding, a close cousin.Open

References

Raven, J. C. (1938). Progressive Matrices: A Perceptual Test of Intelligence. London: H. K. Lewis.
Carpenter, P. A., Just, M. A., & Shell, P. (1990). What one intelligence test measures: A theoretical account of the processing in the Raven Progressive Matrices Test. Psychological Review, 97(3), 404–431.
Flynn, J. R. (1987). Massive IQ gains in 14 nations: What IQ tests really measure. Psychological Bulletin, 101(2), 171–191.
Cattell, R. B. (1940). A culture-free intelligence test. Journal of Educational Psychology, 31(3), 161–179.

Spot the rule, ignore the noise.