How the abstract questions work
Abstract questions sit among the verbal and numerical ones in the 60-question NZ Police test. Each shows a row or pair of tiles containing shapes, arrows or clock faces, and asks one of three things: what comes next, which tile is the odd one out, or which tile completes an analogy.
The changes from tile to tile include rotation, reflection, steady progression and alternation, and more than one can happen at once. In Podium’s practice tests the tiles are dark squares with white figures, and you choose from six options by clicking or pressing keys 1 to 6.
Because these questions use no language or numbers, they depend least on what you already know. That makes getting used to the format the most useful preparation.
How to solve an abstract question
Work through the tiles like this:
- Look at one element at a time: position, rotation, size, shading and the number of parts.
- Compare tile 1 with tile 2, then tile 2 with tile 3. A change that repeats is the rule.
- For rotations, note the direction and the size of each step, such as 45 degrees clockwise.
- If two things change, track each one separately. The answer has to satisfy both.
- Predict the answer before looking at the options, then find it. If nothing matches, recheck the rule.
Worked example
Tile 1 shows an arrow pointing up, with a small dot in the top-left corner. In tile 2 the arrow points right and the dot is top-right. In tile 3 the arrow points down and the dot is bottom-right. What comes next?
Track each element on its own. The arrow turns 90 degrees clockwise each time, so next it points left. The dot moves one corner clockwise each time, so next it sits bottom-left. The answer is the tile with a left-pointing arrow and the dot bottom-left. Expect options that get only one of the two right, such as a left arrow with the dot top-left.
Tips for the abstract questions
- Expect the questions to get harder. The test adapts upwards after correct answers, and NZ Police says reaching difficult questions does not mean you are doing badly.
- Try Podium’s free abstract practice tests, 10 questions in 10 minutes on the real interface. They give no score or answers.
- Choose an answer for every question before you press Next. You cannot return to it.
- Do not sink a minute into one tile set. Across the test the average is 30 seconds a question.
- Sit the test rested, somewhere quiet, and earlier in the day if you can, as NZ Police suggests.
Practise NZ Police abstract questions on CogniPrep
Our abstract drill gives you 20 questions in 10 minutes, six options each, adaptive and with no going back. Every question is generated fresh: rotating shapes, arrows and clock hands, shapes moving round the corners of a tile, figures that build up or change fill, and boxed symbol sets in the style of Podium’s older practice tests. A skipped question counts as wrong, and you get a score out of 100 with a sten and band.