How the Logiks abstract section works
Each question shows a row of blocks, each holding a few shapes or shaded cells. Something changes from block to block by a fixed rule, and you choose the block that completes the sequence from a set of lettered options.
Talogy’s examples use rules such as shapes rotating anti-clockwise, one more cell shaded at each step, each shape followed by a different shape of the same size, a shaded area growing at the top while one at the bottom shrinks, and two rules running at once on different shapes.
In Logiks General the abstract section is 10 questions in 4 minutes at both levels, about 24 seconds each. The standalone Logiks Abstract Advanced test is 30 questions in 15 minutes, 30 seconds each.
How to solve a Logiks abstract question
Work through the same steps each time:
- Pick one element, such as the shaded shape, and follow it across every block before you look at anything else.
- Ask the usual questions in order: does it move, rotate, change shading, change size or change in number?
- If one element does not explain every change, look for a second rule on another element. Harder items often run two at once.
- Predict the next block before you look at the options, then find the option that matches.
- If you cannot predict it, rule out options that break a rule you are sure of and choose from what is left.
Worked example
A row of four blocks, each a 2 by 2 grid. In block 1 the top-left cell is black, in block 2 the top-right, in block 3 the bottom-right and in block 4 the bottom-left. The blocks also hold 1, 2, 3 and 4 dots.
The black cell moves one place clockwise each step and the dots go up by one, so block 5 has the top-left cell black and 5 dots. An option with the right cell but 4 dots, or 5 dots with the wrong cell, follows only one of the two rules.
Tips for the real Logiks abstract test
- Try the abstract examples on Talogy’s candidate site so the block format is familiar before the day.
- Keep to about 24 seconds a question. If a sequence will not crack, skip it and come back if time allows, as Talogy suggests.
- Learn the common rule families: movement, rotation, shading, size and count. Most items combine one or two of them.
- Do not over-read. If one simple rule fits every block, it is almost certainly the intended one.
- Use the largest screen you can. The differences between options are often small.
Practise Logiks Abstract on CogniPrep
Our Logiks Abstract game trains the same rule-spotting in a different format. You get 18 puzzles from a bank of 30: three 3 by 3 grids of shapes change by one or two rules (colour, direction, size or position), and you build the fourth grid yourself. Each puzzle has a 50-second clock and only counts if every cell matches. Your score out of 100 weighs accuracy most, then how you handle two-rule puzzles, then pace. The real section has you pick the next block from options, which is quicker, so practise its pace on Talogy’s own examples too.