CAT4 lessonsNon-verbal reasoning
CAT4 figure classification
Three pictures that are alike in one way. Your child picks the fourth picture that belongs with them.
What your child sees
Level C, Year 6, a question like this one
The three pictures in the row are alike in some way. Which picture goes with them?
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
Worked example
The same question, one step at a time.
- 1Look for what is the SAME in all three pictures: the shape, the number of sides, the shading, or the dots inside.
- 2Ignore what changes from picture to picture, such as size or which way a shape points.
- 3Here the three pictures are all shapes with four sides.
- 4Final answer: the picture that is also one of the shapes with four sides.
Common traps
Every wrong choice is built from a mistake children really make.
Close, but it breaks the rule
The picture looks very like the three, yet one thing about it is different. Name the rule the three share first, then check each choice against that rule alone.
In the example: choices B, C, D and E.
Matching one picture, not all three
The choice shares a detail with one of the three, which feels like a match. The rule has to hold for all three pictures, not just the nearest.
Where it is on the test
Figure classification is one of the two tests in the non-verbal reasoning battery. Each test has its own time limit.
| Level | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Level X (Year 2) | 12 | 12 minutes |
| Level Pre-A (Year 3) | 15 | 10 minutes |
| Level A (Year 4) | 24 | 10 minutes |
| Level B (Year 5) | 24 | 10 minutes |
| Level C (Year 6) | 24 | 10 minutes |
| Level D (Year 7) | 24 | 10 minutes |
| Level E (Year 8) | 24 | 10 minutes |
| Level F (Years 9 and 10) | 24 | 10 minutes |
| Level G (Year 11 and above) | 24 | 10 minutes |
Times are GL Assessment's published figures; question counts are ours where GL publishes none.
Try it
Practise this test online, new every time with the score at the end, or print the free worksheets.
The other test in this battery
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