Non-Verbal Reasoning
Puzzles made of shapes and patterns, with no words at all. Once you know what to look for, they turn from baffling into rather satisfying.
Non-verbal reasoning swaps words for shapes. Every puzzle is a small pattern to crack: something is changing from one picture to the next, and your job is to spot exactly what, then carry it on or use it. There’s no reading and no vocabulary, just careful looking.
None of this is taught in school, so nearly every child meets it cold. That’s the good news, really: because it’s all about familiarity, a little time with each type makes a real difference. The exam won’t tell you in advance which types will appear, so it’s worth meeting all of them at least once. Pick a topic below and start whenever you like.
Worth knowing: there are only a handful of things these puzzles ever change, and nearly every question is one of them: size, shape, shading, how many, position, or rotation. Once you get into the habit of checking each one in turn, most questions come apart quickly. We’ll point them out as we go.
Odd ones out & matches
Spot the shape that doesn’t belong, or the one that fits best with a group. It’s the most natural way in, since you’re simply comparing pictures, and it builds the habit of noticing small differences that every other type leans on.
Start hereThe other topics
Each one stands on its own, so there’s no set order. Explore whatever looks interesting.
Sequences
A row of figures changing step by step. Work out the rule driving the change, then choose the figure that comes next.
ExploreAnalogies & grids
Work out the rule that links a pair, or fills a grid, then use it to find the missing figure. The same idea, wearing a few different costumes.
ExploreShape codes
Each shape is described by a small code of letters. Work out what each letter stands for from the examples, then read, or build, the code for a new shape.
ExploreHow each topic works
Explanation
A plain, jargon-free description of the puzzle and the trick to it.
Worked example
One question taken slowly, step by step, so you can see the thinking.
Your go
A set to try yourself, with instant feedback that explains each answer.
Nothing here is timed, scored or saved. Get it wrong as many times as you like, that’s how it’s meant to work.
Every question type, covered
GL Assessment, the board most areas use, publishes 12 non-verbal reasoning question types, and it doesn’t say in advance which will appear on the day. Here is every one, and which topic above it lives in. Not every paper uses every type, so treat this as the full map rather than a to-do list.
Odd ones out & matches
Sequences
Analogies & grids
Shape codes
A note for Buckinghamshire, Kent and a few other areas: your test may also include Spatial Reasoning (folding nets, rotating 3D shapes, and the like). That’s a separate section with its own page, not part of the 12 above.