The order to check
- Count first. How many elements in each frame? A changing count is the easiest rule to confirm.
- Then rotation. Fix on one element and track its angle.
- Then position. Is anything travelling along a path?
- Then shading. Does fill follow an element or a position?
- Then reflection, which is easy to mistake for rotation.
Counting first is deliberate. It is the fastest to verify, it needs no spatial reasoning, and it resolves a surprising share of sequences on its own.
Rotation against reflection
The two look alike and behave differently. A rotated asymmetric shape keeps its handedness; a reflected one reverses it. Pick one asymmetric detail — a notch, a shorter arm, a dot off-centre — and track only that.
Where a figure is symmetric, rotation and reflection can be indistinguishable, and the sequence must be resolved on another dimension. Noticing that quickly saves the minute otherwise spent proving it.
The dimensions — FAQs
2 questions
It is the fastest dimension to verify and resolves many sequences without any spatial reasoning.
Track one asymmetric detail. Reflection reverses handedness; rotation does not.
More figure sequences question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.