Figure Series Puzzles
Four figures, a hidden rule set, and a fifth figure missing. Work out what changes from frame to frame, then pick the figure that continues the series. Sixty named patterns, a fresh puzzle every time, and the full reasoning after every attempt — including why each wrong option is wrong.
Also known as series completion, complete the series, complete the sequence and next in series — all one puzzle under four labels.
What Comes Next In A Figure Series
A figure series puzzle shows a row of figures that change according to one or more hidden rules, with the last one missing. You work out what changes from each frame to the next — a shape gaining a side, a count rising, shading advancing, a figure turning — and pick the figure that continues the series. Most series run one or two rules at once; the hard ones run three or four.
Reading One Attribute At A Time
The mistake almost everyone makes is trying to see the whole figure change at once. Don't. A figure series is built from a small number of independent attributes, and the reliable method is to take them one at a time.
- Count the sides. Read the outline across all four frames first. If the count moves steadily, that is one rule found and you can stop looking at the outline.
- Find the marker. The small ringed circle sits on one corner of the shape. Ask only where it has moved to, not what the shape looks like. It usually turns by a fixed angle each step.
- Read the shading. Fills cycle through unshaded, hatched and solid. Because the cycle repeats every three frames, it is the attribute most often misread — check the direction, not just that it changed.
- Count what is countable. Dots beneath the figure, spokes inside it: these move by one at a time far more often than not.
- Check what travels. A corner dot that moves round the four corners is a position rule, not a counting rule. So is an inner shape that rotates while the outline stays still.
- Eliminate on the cheapest rule. Once you have one rule, apply it to the options before looking for the others. It will usually kill two of the four immediately.
The single most useful habit: anything identical in all four frames is not a rule, it is scenery. Options that change a fixed attribute are the most common trap in this item type, and they become obvious once you have listed what holds still.
The Eight Ways A Figure Can Change
The sixty patterns are not sixty separate things to learn. They are eight ways a figure can change, in combination:
- Rotation — the figure, or something inside it, turns by a fixed angle. Watch for turns that accelerate, and for an inner shape turning against the outer one.
- Shape change — the outline gains or loses sides, alternates between two shapes, or cycles through three.
- Shading — fills advance, reverse, alternate, or change on every second step only.
- Counting — dots or spokes are added and removed. Sometimes one count is tied to another.
- Position — an element travels rather than changing what it is.
- Size — the outline grows or shrinks in even steps.
- Reflection — the figure flips to its mirror image on some or all steps.
- Composite — two, three or four of the above running at once. This is where the type stops being a warm-up.
| Family | What moves | The check that catches it |
|---|---|---|
| Rotation | The figure or an inner part turns by a fixed angle | Pick one corner and follow only that corner |
| Shape change | The outline gains sides, alternates, or cycles through three | Count sides in every frame before looking at anything else |
| Shading | Fills advance, reverse, or change every second step | Read frames 1 and 3 together — an every-other rule hides between neighbours |
| Counting | Dots or spokes are added or removed | Write the counts down as a run of numbers |
| Position | An element travels without changing what it is | Ignore what the element is and track only where it sits |
| Size | The outline grows or shrinks in even steps | Compare frame 1 with frame 4, not neighbour with neighbour |
| Reflection | The figure flips to its mirror image on some steps | Look for handedness: which side the odd feature is on |
| Composite | Two to four of the above at once | Solve one attribute across all frames, then eliminate, then start the next |
What The Difficulty Levels Change
- Easy — a single rule runs through the series. 37 of the 60 patterns. The best place to learn the method, and the friendliest starting point.
- Medium — two rules at the same time. 17 patterns. The level most people settle at once the method is comfortable.
- Hard — three or four rules at once. 6 patterns. At this level, elimination beats prediction: apply one rule to the options rather than trying to picture the whole answer.
The Same Puzzle, Four Different Names
Figure series is one of the most common non-verbal reasoning item types anywhere in the world, which is why it has collected so many names. If you arrived here searching for any of the following, you are in the right place — the skill is identical and so is the practice below. All four sit under logical reasoning as the parent subject, in its non-verbal half: reasoning done in figures rather than in words.
Series Completion
The most common alternative name, and usually the one used when the figures are labelled A–E with numbered answers. Nothing about the puzzle changes — it is worth knowing only because searching that phrase turns up a great deal more of this format.
Complete The Series, Or Complete The Sequence
The phrasing most people meet first, and the friendliest version: usually a single rule running through the row. Start on the easy level, where exactly one attribute moves, and go up a level once you can say the rule out loud rather than recognising the answer by eye. Naming it is the skill; picking it is a by-product.
Next In Series
The compressed name, and it tends to mark the harder end — three or four rules running at once, where predicting the answer before looking at the options stops being practical. That is where elimination takes over: rule options out on one attribute at a time rather than trying to build the whole figure in your head first.
Figure Series And Picture Series — School And Olympiad Papers
NTSE, olympiad and school aptitude papers tend to say figure series or picture series. The figures are often busier than the ones here, but they are built from the same small set of changing attributes.
Figure Series Puzzles Frequently Asked Questions
Is figure series a logic puzzle or non-verbal reasoning?
Non-verbal reasoning. The two are often confused because logical reasoning is the umbrella term above both: it splits into verbal reasoning, which reasons in words, and non-verbal reasoning, which reasons in figures. Figure series sits firmly in the second. A logic puzzle means something different again — a grid deduction puzzle such as a zebra puzzle, sudoku or futoshiki, where you eliminate possibilities against a set of stated clues rather than infer a rule from pictures. Both are logical, but only one of them is this.
How many puzzles are there?
There is no fixed number. Each puzzle is rebuilt from the short seed in the page address, so the supply is effectively unlimited. Copying the puzzle link saves that exact puzzle permanently.
Are the explanations written by a person?
No — and that is the point. The rules that drew the figures are read back out to produce the explanation, which is why every wrong option can be explained individually rather than just marked wrong.
Can I practise one pattern at a time?
Yes. Pick any pattern from the catalogue above and the board switches to that pattern only, with its own address you can bookmark or hand out. Use Back to mixed practice to return to random patterns.
Is my score saved anywhere?
Only in your own browser. There is no account, no upload and no tracking of answers. Clearing your browser data resets the counter.
Can I use these questions with a class?
Yes. Use the Copy question link button to hand out a specific question — everyone who opens that link sees exactly the same figures.
How many figure series patterns are there on PuzzleType?
Sixty named patterns across eight families: rotation, shape change, shading, counting, position, size, reflection and composite. Each pattern generates unlimited questions rather than a fixed set.
Is it free and does it need an account?
It is completely free and there is no account. Nothing is uploaded; your score is kept only in your own browser.
What is a figure series?
A row of figures that change according to a hidden rule, with the next one missing. Something moves, turns, grows, gains a side or changes shading from one frame to the next, and your job is to work out what and apply it once more. It is the same idea as a number series, played on shapes instead of numbers.
How do you solve a figure series question?
Compare neighbouring frames rather than staring at the whole row. Take one attribute at a time — position, rotation, count, shading, size — and ask what it does from the first frame to the second, then check that same answer holds from the second to the third. Most series run two or three rules at once, so expect to find more than one, and apply every one you find before picking.