11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning: A Visual Guide
10 min read
Series, analogies, matrices, codes, nets and rotations — the shape-and-pattern families that make up non-verbal reasoning, explained with diagrams and a plan for a child who "just doesn't see it" yet.
Non-verbal reasoning is the paper with no words at all — just shapes, patterns and rules — which makes it feel completely alien the first time a child sees it, and completely familiar by the tenth. Here’s what it actually covers.
What non-verbal reasoning tests
Non-verbal reasoning tests logical pattern recognition using shapes and figures instead of words or numbers — spotting a rule (a shape rotating, gaining sides, changing fill or size) and applying it, or spotting what a group of shapes has in common. A GL-style non-verbal reasoning paper commonly runs to around 80 questions, often split into four timed sections of 20 — always check your target school or local authority’s specific format, since this varies by area.
The question families
| Family | What it asks | Example skill |
|---|---|---|
| Series | What comes next in a sequence of changing shapes | A shape gains a side each step — what comes after a pentagon? |
| Analogies | Apply the same change from one pair of shapes to a second pair | Shape A becomes shape B by rotating — apply that same rotation to shape C |
| Matrices | Work out the rule in a grid of shapes and find the missing one | A 3×3 grid where each row/column follows its own rule |
| Codes | Decode a rule linking a shape's properties to a 2-letter code, then apply it | A striped triangle is coded 'MP' — what code fits a striped square? |
| Odd one out | Find the shape that breaks a rule the other four share | Four shapes share a property (e.g. number of sides); one doesn't |
| Reflections & rotations | Identify a shape correctly mirrored or turned | Which option shows the shape rotated 90° clockwise? |
| Nets, cubes & 3D | Visualise a 2D net folded into a 3D shape, or vice versa | Which cube could this flat net fold up into? |
A worked example: shape series
Series questions show a sequence of shapes that change according to one rule, and ask what comes next. Here, the rule is straightforward once you see it: each shape gains one side.
What comes next?
Reveal the answer
Answer: a hexagon (6 sides).Each shape in the sequence has one more side than the last — triangle (3), square (4), pentagon (5) — so the next shape must have 6 sides. The most common wrong answer here is a heptagon (7 sides): a child who notices “the shapes are getting more complex” but not the EXACT rule (+1 side each time) can jump too far ahead. This is the core skill non-verbal reasoning tests: finding the precise rule, not an approximate impression of one.
When a child “just doesn’t see it”
It’s common for a child to stare at a matrix or a series and genuinely see nothing — no rule, no pattern, just shapes. This isn’t usually a sign of low ability; it’s a sign of not yet having a mental checklist of what to look for. Practising this systematically — asking each time: has the number of sides changed? Has it rotated? Has the shading changed? Has the size changed? Has an element been added or removed? — is what tends to turn a blank stare into a solvable puzzle with regular exposure. Many families find it one of the more responsive 11+ skills to targeted practice, precisely because the sticking point is usually familiarity with the checklist, not raw ability.
For a realistic sense of how much practice and how early to start, see our guide on when to start 11+ preparation.
Common questions
Is non-verbal reasoning about intelligence?
It's often marketed that way, but in practice it's a skill like any other 11+ paper — pattern recognition improves substantially with structured, repeated exposure. A child who seems to "not get it" at first almost always improves with practice on the same handful of question families.
Does it help to be good at maths or art?
Some overlap exists (spatial awareness, attention to detail), but plenty of strong mathematicians and artists still need direct practice with the specific NVR question formats — they're a distinct skill, not a byproduct of either subject.
How many questions are on a typical paper?
Format varies by area, but a GL-style non-verbal reasoning paper commonly runs to around 80 questions, often split into four timed sections of 20. Always check your target school or local authority's specific format.
My child can solve these on paper but is slow — does that matter?
Yes, this is the single most common NVR issue and it's entirely fixable with timed practice. The reasoning skill is usually already there; what's missing is pattern-recognition speed, which — like mental arithmetic — improves specifically through repeated, timed exposure rather than untimed puzzle-solving alone.