Non-Verbal Reasoning Puzzles
Reasoning done in figures rather than in words. Every puzzle here is generated from a named pattern the moment you load it, so the supply never runs out — and every attempt ends with the reasoning worked out, including why each wrong option is wrong.
Patterns & Series
The rule is hidden. The work is inference — reading a sequence, a grid or a pair and deducing what is changing before you can extend it.
Figure Series
Four figures follow a hidden rule and the fifth is missing. Infer the rule, then apply it one step further.
- Series completion
- Complete the sequence
- Next in series
Figure Matrix
The same rule algebra arranged in a 3×3 grid, with rules running along the rows and down the columns.
- Progressive matrices
- Matrix reasoning
- Latin squares
Figure Analogy
A is to B as C is to what. One change, shown exactly once, that you have to name precisely and carry across.
- Picture analogy
- A : B :: C : ?
- Abstract analogy
Odd One Out
Four figures share a rule and one breaks it. Naming the shared rule is the whole answer.
- Figure classification
- Shared rules
- One answer, always
Spatial Set
The rule is stated up front. The work is execution — holding a shape accurately in your head while you fold, reflect or turn it.
Paper Folding
A sheet is folded, punched through every layer and opened out again. Each fold doubles the holes.
- Hole punching
- Paper folding & cutting
Mirror Image
A vertical mirror beside the figure: left and right swap, and a row of characters reverses its order.
- Reflection
- Vertical axis
Water Image
A horizontal mirror beneath the figure: top and bottom swap, and the order never changes.
- Reflection
- Horizontal axis
Cube Nets
Fold a flat net into a cube and work out which faces end up opposite each other.
- Opposite faces
- The eleven nets
- Net to cube
Dice
Two views of the same die, and the question of which number lies opposite which.
- Opposite faces
- The seven rule
- Two views
Rotation Of Figures
The same shape turned through an angle — and the rotations that only look right.
- Quarter and half turns
- Rotation vs reflection
- How far
Visual Search
Nothing transforms at all. The work is finding or counting something reliably, without missing one and without counting it twice.
Embedded Figures
A simple shape is drawn using a complex figure’s own lines, so its outline disappears. Find it.
- Hidden figures
- Find the hidden shape
Counting Figures
How many triangles, squares, rectangles or lines? Every one of them is listed out, group by group.
- How many triangles
- Counting of figures
What Is Non-Verbal Reasoning?
Non-verbal reasoning is reasoning done in figures rather than in words. It sits under logical reasoning as the parent subject, alongside verbal reasoning: one half reasons in language, the other in diagrams. The questions look like puzzles because they are puzzles — a hidden rule, a single correct answer, and no vocabulary or general knowledge required to get there.
That last point is why it is so widely used for selection. A non-verbal reasoning question tests pattern recognition and spatial thinking without testing how much English a candidate has been taught, which makes it comparatively fair across very different backgrounds.
The Three Groups Within It
Non-verbal reasoning is usually split three ways, and every puzzle type on this page belongs to one of them. Knowing which group a question is in tells you which method to reach for:
- Patterns & series — a rule is hidden in a sequence, a grid or a pair, and you have to infer it before you can apply it. Figure series, figure matrix, analogy, odd one out.
- Spatial set — the rule is known and stated; the work is holding a shape in your head while you transform it. Paper folding, mirror image, water image, cube nets, dice, rotation.
- Visual search — nothing transforms at all; the work is finding or counting something reliably. Embedded figures, counting figures.
Spatial reasoning is sometimes printed as its own section in an exam paper, and some publishers sell it as a separate workbook, which makes it look like a separate subject. It is not — it is the part of non-verbal reasoning that works in shapes and space rather than in patterns.
| Type | Group | What varies |
|---|---|---|
| Figure series | Patterns & series | A rule runs in one direction across several frames |
| Figure matrix | Patterns & series | Two rules at right angles, or three values distributed |
| Figure analogy | Patterns & series | One rule shown once, to be transplanted |
| Odd one out | Patterns & series | A rule four figures share and one breaks |
| Mirror image | Spatial | Reflection about a vertical axis; order reverses |
| Water image | Spatial | Reflection about a horizontal axis; order is kept |
| Paper folding | Spatial | Folds, a punch, then unfolding |
| Cube nets | Spatial | Which flat net folds into which cube |
| Dice | Spatial | Opposite and adjacent faces across two views |
| Rotation of figures | Spatial | A whole-canvas turn, never a flip |
| Embedded figures | Visual search | Whether a shape is hidden inside a busier one |
| Counting figures | Visual search | How many triangles, squares or rectangles there are |
How The Twelve Types Relate To Each Other
They are less separate than they look. Series, matrix and analogy are one rule system in three framings — one direction, two directions, and a single step applied elsewhere. Odd one out is the same system used to classify rather than continue. Mirror and water images are the same reflection about two different axes. Cube nets and dice share their geometry outright. Get good at one member of a group and the others come much faster.
Drilling one named pattern until you recognise it on sight beats random mixed practice, which is why every type here lets you filter to a single pattern. Once several patterns are automatic, switch to mixed practice so you recognise each type without being told which it is.
Non-Verbal Reasoning Puzzles Frequently Asked Questions
What is non-verbal reasoning?
Reasoning done in figures rather than in words: spotting the rule behind a sequence of shapes, reflecting a figure in a mirror, folding and unfolding paper, or picking the odd one out from a set of diagrams. Nothing you need to read, and nothing you need to know beforehand — every puzzle carries all the information required to solve it.
How do you solve non-verbal reasoning puzzles?
Take one attribute at a time instead of trying to see the whole figure change at once. Shape, count, size, shading, rotation and position each follow their own rule, and reading them separately turns an overwhelming picture into six small questions. Check what stays the same as well as what changes — the constants are usually what rule out the wrong options.
Which type should I start with?
Figure series. It shows the rule running in one direction across several frames, so you get the most evidence for the least effort, and the same rule algebra then reappears in figure matrix, figure analogy and odd one out. Once those feel automatic, the spatial types are a different skill and worth starting fresh on.
What is the difference between mirror image and water image?
The axis. A mirror image reflects left to right, so the order of a row reverses. A water image reflects top to bottom, so the order stays put and each shape flips vertically instead. That single difference is why AHIMOTUVWXY survive a mirror unchanged while BCDEHIKOX survive water.
Are the puzzles here the same every time?
No. Every puzzle is generated when the page loads, so the supply does not run out and you cannot memorise a bank. Each one has a permanent address though — the seed in the URL always rebuilds exactly the same puzzle, so a puzzle worth returning to can be bookmarked.
Do I get told why the wrong answers are wrong?
Yes, and that is the point of the site. The generator built each wrong option by making one specific mistake, so it can name that mistake rather than guess at it — which attribute was misread, which rule was applied one step too many times. Knowing why an answer is right teaches far less than knowing why the other three are not.