How DAA Spatial Reasoning works
The section is sat in two parts with separate clocks, and each part’s instructions include a worked example.
Part 1 is 10 questions in 4 minutes. You see three or four flat shapes, each with at least one side labelled x, y or z. You imagine joining them so that sides with the same label sit together, turning shapes round where needed, and choose which of five outlines they make.
Part 2 is 10 questions in 3 minutes, 18 seconds each. You see two objects, each with a dot on one corner. Each of the five options shows both objects turned, and only one keeps both dots on the same corners as before.
How to solve each part
The two parts need different checks:
- Part 1: join the pieces with the most distinctive labelled sides first, then add the rest.
- Part 1: compare outlines by their notches, points and slopes. The answer shapes are solid, with no lines showing where the pieces meet.
- Part 2: check one object at a time. If either dot is on the wrong corner, the whole option is wrong.
- Part 2: place the dot relative to a feature that stays obvious after turning, such as an end that sticks out, not relative to the page.
Worked example
Part 1 style: a square has its top side labelled y and its right side labelled x. A triangle has its base, the same length as the square’s side, labelled y. A thin strip as tall as the square has one long side labelled x.
Join y to y and the triangle sits on the square as a roof. Join x to x and the strip stands against the square’s right side. The outline is a house whose roof covers only the left part, because the strip widens the base but not the roof. An option with the roof centred over the full width is the near miss.
Tips for the real Spatial Reasoning section
- Study the worked example on each part’s instruction screen. It shows how the real drawings look before the clock starts.
- Part 2 gives you only 18 seconds a question. Decide on each option quickly rather than turning the whole scene in your head.
- Use the summary to fill any blanks before each part’s clock runs out; the two parts are timed separately.
- Practise on the screen size you will sit on. Small drawings are harder to read, and the real DAA needs at least 10.2 inches.
Practise DAA Spatial Reasoning on CogniPrep
Our Spatial Reasoning practice runs both parts at the official counts and clocks: 10 shape-joining questions in 4 minutes, then 10 rotation questions in 3 minutes, each with its own instructions and worked example. Our part 2 uses block shapes where the real test uses shaded drawings of everyday objects; the skill is the same. Shapes are generated fresh, nothing is deducted for wrong answers, and you get your mark out of 20.