Non-Verbal Reasoning › Odd ones out & matches
Odd ones out & matches
The friendliest way into non-verbal reasoning. You simply compare pictures: spot the shape that does not belong, or the one that fits best with a group.
What these questions are
These puzzles show you a handful of small pictures and ask you to compare them. Sometimes four go together and one does not, and you find the odd one out. Sometimes a little group belongs together and you pick the extra picture that joins them. Either way, the skill is the same: notice what the pictures have in common, and what makes one different.
On this page you will meet three kinds:
- Most unlike — five shapes, four share something. Find the one that does not belong.
- Most like (3 figures) — three shapes go together. Pick the option that belongs with them.
- Most like (2 figures) — the same idea, but with only two shapes to learn the rule from.
The six-point check
Almost every difference in non-verbal reasoning is one of six things. When a picture puzzle looks baffling, run through them in order and one will usually jump out:
- Shape — how many sides; curved or straight?
- Shading — white, shaded, or solid?
- Size — large or small?
- Number — how many shapes, dots or lines?
- Position — where things sit, and which way up?
- Rotation — has it been turned?
A worked example
Here is a “most unlike” question, taken slowly. Four of these five belong together; one does not.
- Do not grab the first difference you see. Go through the six-point check one at a time: shape, shading, size, number, then any marks inside.
- Shape. They are all different — circle, square, triangle, pentagon, hexagon. Because they are all different, shape cannot be the answer: an odd one out needs four the same and one different.
- Shading, size, number. All are shaded, all the same size, all a single shape. None of those singles anyone out.
- Inside. Four have a dot in the middle. One does not. That is the odd one out.
Now your go
Three short sets, one for each kind. Tap a shape to answer and you will get an explanation straight away. Nothing is timed or saved, so get it wrong as often as you like.
A little tip: when the shapes all look different, that is usually the distraction. Keep running the six-point check until the real pattern shows itself.
Most unlike
Four of the five shapes share something. Tap the one that does not belong.
Most like (3 figures)
These three shapes go together. Work out what they share, then tap the option below that belongs with them.
Most like (2 figures)
Now only two shapes to learn from. Spot the one thing they share, then tap the option that shares it too.
That is odd ones out & matches
You have started building the habit every other type leans on: noticing small differences. When you are ready, head back and try another topic.
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