Analogy Questions
A is to B as C is to ? Identify the relationship, transfer it to the new pair, and complete the analogy. Used in every major IQ and aptitude test.
Analogy Questions in IQ Tests
Analogy questions present a relationship between two terms and ask you to complete a parallel relationship: A is to B as C is to ?. They appear in virtually every major intelligence and aptitude test because they measure relational reasoning, the ability to identify abstract relationships and transfer them to new domains. This is a core component of general intelligence that predicts academic success, professional performance, and problem-solving ability across almost every field.
Visual analogies, which use images rather than words, test the same relational reasoning without requiring language skills or domain knowledge. The relationship between A and B might be a transformation (rotation, size change, element addition), a category relationship (container and contents), or a functional relationship (tool and its effect). Your task is to identify the precise nature of the A:B relationship and apply it to C to derive D.
Types of Analogy Relationships
Transformation Analogies
B is a transformed version of A, rotated, scaled, reflected, or modified by addition or removal of elements. The transformation from A to B must be applied identically from C to D. Identify the transformation precisely: not just "it rotated" but "it rotated 90 degrees clockwise and one line was removed."
Part-to-Whole and Category Analogies
A is a part of B (wheel : car), a member of B's category (dog : mammal), or a subcategory of B. These relationships require you to determine the hierarchical or compositional connection and find a D that stands in the same relationship to C, not merely in the same general domain.
Function and Use Analogies
A is used for B (key : lock), produces B (hen : egg), or is the instrument for achieving B. The precision of the functional relationship matters: "key : lock" is not the same as "key : door." Identify the narrowest possible description of how A relates to B before applying it to C.
Opposition and Degree Analogies
A is the opposite of B (hot : cold), a weaker or stronger version of B (warm : boiling), or a related contrast (question : answer). Degree analogies require you to match not just the direction of the relationship but its magnitude, "warm is to hot" is not the same relationship as "lukewarm is to boiling."
Frequently Asked Questions
How precisely should I state the A:B relationship before looking at the options?
As precisely as possible. Vague relationships like "A and B are similar" will match multiple answer choices. The more precise your statement, "B is A rotated 90 degrees clockwise with one element removed", the more directly it eliminates wrong answers. Precision is the single most important skill in analogy reasoning.
What if my derived D is not among the answer choices?
Re-examine the A:B relationship. You have likely identified a relationship that is correct but not specific enough, allowing multiple Ds to seem valid. Tighten the relationship description: add a dimension you missed (size, orientation, count) until only one of the given options matches.
Do analogy questions appear on non-verbal IQ tests?
Yes, frequently. Visual analogy matrices are a staple of non-verbal tests including Raven's Progressive Matrices and many employer cognitive assessments. The format typically shows A, B, and C as images, with four or five image options for D. The reasoning process is identical to verbal analogies, only the medium changes.
How do analogy questions differ from pattern recognition questions?
Pattern recognition questions find a rule that governs an entire grid. Analogy questions find a directed relationship between a specific pair and transfer it to a new pair. Both require rule extraction, but analogies test directional and relational reasoning rather than the grid-wide consistency that pattern questions demand.