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Area 1 of 6 · 10 scored questions

Matrices

A grid of shapes with one empty cell. You work out the rule that changes from row to row and from column to column, and pick the piece that completes the pattern.

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  • 10 of the 37 scored questions
  • language-independent
  • shapes generated by rule

What it measures

What matrices ask of you

It’s the classic format of abstract reasoning, which is why it’s the area with the most questions in the test.

  • 1

    Notice what changes

    Shape, number, fill, size or rotation. In each grid, one or more of these features follows a rule.

  • 2

    Tell the rules apart

    The hardest grids have two or three rules at once, and one may run along the rows while another runs down the columns.

  • 3

    Check before you choose

    The wrong options are built to look right. If you check the rule against every cell, you find the only one that fits.

Practice question

A question like the ones in this area

It's from the practice bank, not the test. Try it before you open the reasoning.

Which figure completes the pattern?

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
See the reasoning

The fill changes from row to row (filled, striped and empty) and stays the same within each row; the rotation takes the values 0°, 90° and 180°, each once per row and once per column. Answer: one empty arrow pointing up.

In the test there's no time limit per question. In practice, the difficulty goes up when you get it right.

During the test

What helps with matrices

  • Look at one feature at a time: first the shape, then the number, then the fill.
  • Read the grid in both directions. One rule may move across the rows and another down the columns.
  • Build the answer in your head before looking at the options. That way a look-alike distractor carries less weight.
  • If you get stuck, move on. There’s no time limit per question, but dwelling too long on one wears you out for the next.

What the research says

Where this area comes from

A format from 1938

John C. Raven’s progressive matrices popularized the idea of measuring reasoning with shapes, without relying on reading. The format is still used in research and in open item banks such as ICAR.

Our own shapes, made by code

Every matrix in the test starts from a rule written in code and is checked to have a single correct answer. None is drawn by an image AI, because AI can’t guarantee the rule.

We don’t give an IQ per area: with only a few questions in each, the error would be too large. The report shows how many you got right and whether the area came out above, in line with, or below your overall result.

Questions

Questions about this area

Do I need to know math for the matrices?

No. Being able to count a few elements is enough. What the area asks is to notice the rule, not to do arithmetic.

Why do matrices have more questions?

Because they are the most studied marker of abstract reasoning and depend little on language or schooling. That’s why they make up 10 of the 37 scored questions.

Can you practice matrices?

You can get more comfortable with the format, and the daily training has matrices from level 1 to 5. Practice improves performance on this type of question; we don’t promise an IQ increase.

The 6 areas

Other areas of the test

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Taking the test is free · IQNorth is an educational reasoning test: the result is an estimate, with a margin of error, for personal and educational use.