How the Componenten test works
On the left (or at the top on screen) is a figure cut into pieces. Next to it are six complete figures, a to f. Exactly two of them are built from those pieces fitted together, usually turned to a different angle. You need to find both.
On the MCT-M the figure is cut into two pieces. NOA’s MCT-H example sheet says two or more, so expect three-piece items at the higher level.
Componenten is in the MCT-M, the MCT-H and the adaptive MCT-A, and Harver uses the same item type as “Spatial Ability (Components)”.
How to solve a Componenten item
Rule options out before you try to fit anything:
- Count the pieces, then count the parts in each option. Cross off any option with a different number.
- Pick the most distinctive piece, one with a sharp corner or an unusual edge, and look for it in each remaining option.
- Compare sizes as a share of the whole. A triangle that fills half the option cannot be a piece that is a quarter of the figure.
- The two right answers are usually the same assembly at different angles. When you find one, look for its turned twin.
Worked example
The pieces are a square and a right-angled triangle whose two short sides are each as long as the side of the square. The options: a, a trapezium divided into a square and that triangle; b, a rectangle divided into two squares; c, a trapezium divided into a square and a triangle with one short side half the length of the square’s side; d, option a turned through 180 degrees; e, a large triangle divided into two triangles; f, a square divided along its diagonal.
Options b, e and f do not contain both a square and a triangle, so they go. Option c has a triangle of the wrong size. That leaves a and d, the same trapezium at two angles, which is the pair you tick.
Tips for the real Componenten test
- Nine minutes for 30 items is 18 seconds each. Leave an item you cannot crack rather than lose time on it.
- Every item has exactly two answers. Find one and you have halved the search for the other.
- Pieces are turned in the options, so do not reject an option just because it looks upside down.
- Do the practice items carefully. You must answer them correctly before the timed items start.
- Use a desktop or tablet if you can. Small figures on a phone are harder to compare.
Practise Componenten on CogniPrep
Our Components game gives you 30 items on a 9-minute clock. You tick two of six shapes and press Next. Items start with two pieces and move to three and four as they get harder. An item counts only if both ticks are right, because NOA publishes no partial credit. The results page gives your number right and the Lager, Midden or Hoger band against CogniPrep users.