CAT4 lessonsNon-verbal reasoning
CAT4 figure matrices
A grid of pictures with one square empty. The pictures change in a regular way across the rows and down the columns, and your child picks the picture that fills the gap.
What your child sees
Level C, Year 6, a question like this one
The first two pictures go together in a certain way. Which picture goes with the third picture in the same way?
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
Worked example
The same question, one step at a time.
- 1Name the change in the first pair: the shape is turned a quarter turn clockwise.
- 2Check that is the ONLY change: nothing else about the shape moves — same parts, same sizes, and the shading stays as it was unless the change says otherwise.
- 3Do the same to the third shape, and no more than that.
- 4Final answer: the picture showing the third shape turned a quarter turn clockwise.
Common traps
Every wrong choice is built from a mistake children really make.
Leaving it as it was
The choice is the picture before the change. The change in the other rows has to be applied to this one too.
The right kind of change, the wrong one
A turn, a flip or a change of shading, but not the one this grid uses. Work out what happens in the complete row first.
Shading the wrong way round
The shape is right but the black and white parts are swapped. Look at the shading as well as the outline.
In the example: choice C.
Where it is on the test
Figure matrices is one of the two tests in the non-verbal reasoning battery. Each test has its own time limit.
| Level | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 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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