11+ non-verbal reasoning
Questions about shapes and patterns rather than words or numbers. Here’s what they test, which 11+ tests include them, each kind of question with a worked example, and free practice marked as soon as it’s done.
What non-verbal reasoning is
Non-verbal reasoning asks a child to find a rule in a set of figures and use it: which shape is the odd one out, what comes next in a row, which square is missing from a grid. There are no words to read in the figures, so it shows how a child thinks rather than how much they’ve read.
Spatial reasoning is the part about picturing shapes moving: turning a figure, reflecting it, folding a net into a cube or a punched sheet of paper out flat. Most 11+ papers mix the two, and many call the whole section non-verbal reasoning.
Who tests it
Many grammar school tests in England are set by GL Assessment, and in many areas they include a non-verbal reasoning paper or section alongside English, maths and verbal reasoning. The ISEB Common Pre-Test, used by many independent schools, includes it too. So do Quest Assessments’ tests for Bexley and Wirral, and Kent’s from September 2027. FSCE’s and CSSE’s tests, which are mostly English and maths, don’t, and Trafford and Gloucestershire drop it when they move to FSCE in 2027. Each area and school publishes which papers it sets, so check its admissions page.
GL’s papers are multiple choice, usually with five figures labelled A to E for each question, in runs of one kind of question at a time, each run with its own instructions.
The kinds of question
Each has its own page with a worked example, the usual mistakes and questions to try.
- Finding the rule
Odd one out
Four figures share something. Find the one that doesn’t.
- Finding the rule
Which figure belongs
Find what the figures share, and the one that belongs with them.
- Finding the rule
Analogies
Make the same change to a third figure.
- Finding the rule
Series
Find the step from box to box and fill the gap.
- Finding the rule
Matrices
Fill the missing square of a grid from its rows and columns.
- Finding the rule
Codes
Work out what each letter means and code a new figure.
- Spatial reasoning
Turned figures
Find the figure turned, not its mirror image.
- Spatial reasoning
Reflected figures
Find the figure reflected in a mirror line.
- Spatial reasoning
Hidden shapes
Find a shape hidden among other lines.
- Spatial reasoning
Folding and punching holes
Fold, punch holes, and picture the sheet opened out.
- Spatial reasoning
Nets of cubes
Find the cube a net folds into.
- Spatial reasoning
Cube models from above
See a model made of cubes from above.
Try a mixed set of 10
Two kinds of question, five of each, in the style of GL Assessment’s papers. New every time, and marked when you finish.
How to practise
One kind at a time
Start with a single kind of question until the method for it is second nature.
Say it out loud
Ask your child to say each feature as they check it: shape, shading, size, number, direction. It stops guessing.
Go over every mistake
The wrong answers show which feature was missed. That’s worth more than another set of questions.
Use real things
Fold and punch paper, turn a cut-out shape, build a model from building bricks and look down on it.
Leave the clock for later
Timed mixed papers belong to the last few months before the test, not the start.
With Exam Prep, Thena sets practice papers in your child’s test’s style and goes over every mistake with them on her board: £49 a month with the Solo plan.
Questions about non-verbal reasoning
What is non-verbal reasoning in the 11+?
Questions about shapes and patterns instead of words or numbers: finding the odd one out, what comes next in a series, the missing square of a grid, or the code for a figure. They test how well a child spots a rule and applies it, and depend much less on reading and vocabulary than the other papers.
Is spatial reasoning the same thing?
It’s close, and most 11+ papers mix the two. Spatial reasoning is the part about picturing shapes moving in space: turning a figure, reflecting it, folding a net into a cube or unfolding a punched sheet of paper. Non-verbal reasoning is the wider name for both.
Which 11+ tests include non-verbal reasoning?
Many grammar school tests set by GL Assessment include it, though each area chooses its own mix of papers, and so does the ISEB Common Pre-Test that many independent schools use. So do Quest Assessments’ tests for Bexley and Wirral, and Kent’s from September 2027. FSCE’s and CSSE’s tests, which are mostly English and maths, don’t, and Trafford and Gloucestershire drop it when they move to FSCE in 2027. Your area’s or school’s admissions page says which papers your child will sit.
Can a child get better at non-verbal reasoning?
Yes. The questions come in a dozen or so kinds, and each kind has a method that can be learned: check one feature at a time, rule options out, and follow one distinctive part of a figure through a turn or a fold. Knowing the kinds before the day also means nothing on the paper is a surprise.
How much practice does it need?
Little and often works best: ten minutes a few times a week, one kind of question at a time to start with, talking through how each answer was found. Mixed papers against the clock are for the last few months before the test, not the first.
More on the 11+
Thena teaches the method, not just the answer
She draws each kind of question on her board, checks one feature at a time out loud with your child, and goes over every mistake in their practice papers.
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