Which figure belongs: 11+ non-verbal reasoning
Two or three figures are alike in some way. Your child finds what they share, then the one option that shares it too.
What the questions look like
On the left, two or three figures; on the right, five options labelled A to E. Every feature the figures on the left all have is part of the rule, and anything that changes between them can be set aside.
The wrong options usually get the rule nearly right: the right shading but the wrong number of marks, or the right marks on the wrong shading.
List what they share
Go through the features of the figures on the left and note every one they have in common.
Set aside what changes
A feature that’s different in each of them can be anything in the answer.
Rule options out
Cross out each option that breaks something on the list, until one is left.
A worked example
Which figure on the right belongs with the figures on the left?
The three figures on the left: a circle, a hexagon and a kite. Their shapes and sizes are all different, so set those aside.
What they share: all three are grey, and each has one small black square under it. That’s the rule.
- ABCDE
Now the options. A is white, B has two squares, D has a white dot, and E is black. Each breaks the rule.
- ABCDE
C is grey with one small black square under it. C belongs, even though no figure on the left is a star.
Try 8 questions
New questions every time, in the style of GL Assessment’s papers, and marked when you finish.
The usual mistakes
Matching the look
Choosing E because it’s a hexagon like one of the figures on the left. A shape that changes on the left can’t be the rule.
Finding half the rule
Spotting that they’re all grey and choosing B, which is grey but has two squares. Every shared feature counts.
Not checking every option
Choosing the first option that seems to fit, when a later one fits better. Ruling each one out takes a moment and saves the mark.
The other kinds of question
Each has its own page with a worked example and questions to try. What non-verbal reasoning is, and who tests it.
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 which figure belongs
How is this different from odd one out?
It’s odd one out turned round. Instead of finding the figure that breaks the rule, your child finds the rule in the figures on the left, then the one option that follows it. Every feature the figures on the left share is part of the rule.
What does it mean to set a feature aside?
Any feature that changes between the figures on the left (their size, say) can’t be part of the rule, so it doesn’t matter what the option has. Setting it aside stops a child choosing an option because it looks most like one of the figures.
Thena goes over every question your child gets wrong
She draws it on her board, finds where it went wrong and works it through with them, then gives them one like it to do alone.
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