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Abstract Reasoning Test Practice

Shapes only, most often a three by three grid with the last cell missing. Find what changes along the rows and down the columns, then complete it.

One of the logical reasoning formats, alongside inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning and diagrammatic reasoning.

Abstract Reasoning Practice Tests

What Abstract Reasoning Measures

Two directions at once

A matrix changes along its rows and down its columns at the same time, so the answer has to satisfy both rules. That is what makes a grid harder than a single row of frames.

Reasoning without language

With no words or numbers, the score does not depend on language or schooling. That is why matrices suit multilingual selection: EPSO sets abstract reasoning for EU careers in every official language.

Handling rising difficulty

Most abstract tests start easy and climb, either in a fixed order, as in LTP Matrix and Master CORE, or adaptively, as in Adaptive Matrigma, GITP Matrices and Alva Logic. Late items are meant to be hard.

Question Formats

Three by three matrices

Eight figures in a grid, one cell missing, and four to eight options. Cubiks Logiks Abstract, Assessio Matrigma, GITP Matrices, LTP Matrix, Master CORE, Alva Logic and the Bundeswehr Matrizen all use this style.

Figure series sold as abstract

A row of frames and the next one to find: the EPSO, Clevry and TestGorilla abstract tests and the abstract items in the PI Cognitive Assessment. The task is inductive; the vendor calls it abstract.

Odd ones out and mixed styles

Revelian RART shows six figures and asks for the two that differ. ACER TAR mixes next in the sequence, complete the pattern, and a style where you put shapes in order and choose the middle one.

Build the missing figure

AssessFirst BRAIN has you build the missing figure by stacking pieces rather than choosing from a list, and adapts its difficulty as you answer.

How to Prepare

1

Read rows, then columns, then diagonals

Most matrices run one rule across and another down. If neither explains the grid, check the diagonals, and whether the third cell is the first two combined or one taken from the other.

2

Predict before you look at the options

Name or sketch the missing figure first. Options are built to look right at a glance, and comparing them before you have a prediction pulls you toward a distractor.

3

Practise at your own test’s pace

Timing varies more than the items do. ACER TAR runs 45 questions in 20 minutes for Victoria Police and 30 in 35 for Fire Rescue Victoria and Queensland Police, while Classic Matrigma allows 40 minutes for 35 items.

4

Check whether you can skip

Master CORE and LTP Matrix let you skip an item and come back to it. Alva Logic and GITP Matrices count a blank as wrong, so on those always answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an abstract reasoning test?

A test that uses shapes and symbols with no words or numbers, asking you to find the rule across a grid or sequence and select the missing figure. Most use three by three matrices; some use figure series or odd-one-out sets instead.

What is a matrix reasoning test?

A grid of figures, normally three by three, with one cell missing. The figures change by rules running across the rows and down the columns, and you choose the figure that satisfies both. Matrigma, Logiks Abstract, LTP Matrix and Master CORE are all matrix tests.

Is non-verbal reasoning the same as abstract reasoning?

Usually, yes. Non-verbal reasoning is the wider term for any test without language, and in recruitment it nearly always means matrices or figure series. Some batteries also file spatial items under non-verbal, which is a different skill with its own page.

What score do I need on an abstract reasoning test?

There is rarely a fixed pass mark. Most results are reported as a percentile against a comparison group, so you are judged against other candidates. EPSO is an exception: abstract reasoning is scored with numerical reasoning against one combined bar of 10 out of 20.

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