Puzzle 1
Which cell completes the grid?
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Answer: A
Why. In each row the shapes shrink by one step: large, medium, small. The shape, the number of shapes and the fill do not change along a row. So the gap holds one small empty square.
Matrix Reasoning Practice: How to Solve the Puzzles
In matrix reasoning, you complete a 3 by 3 grid by choosing the missing cell that fits the pattern. Compare rows and columns, tracking changes in shapes, counts, sizes, fills, angles, or lines.
Puzzle 2
Which cell completes the grid?
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Answer: B
Why. In each row the shapes shrink by one step: large, medium, small. The shape, the number of shapes and the fill do not change along a row. So the gap holds four small striped triangles pointing up.
Puzzle 3
Which cell completes the grid?
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Answer: C
Why. In each row the shapes shrink by one step: large, medium, small. Each row uses the counts 1, 5 and 6 once. The shape and the fill do not change along a row. So the gap holds five small empty squares.
Puzzle 4
Which cell completes the grid?
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Answer: D
Why. In each row the shapes turn a quarter turn clockwise from one cell to the next. Each row uses the sizes small, medium and large once. The shape, the number of shapes and the fill do not change along a row. So the gap holds four large solid triangles pointing right.
Puzzle 5
Which cell completes the grid?
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Answer: E
Why. Each row uses the quarter turns 0 degrees, 90 degrees and 180 degrees once. In each row the shapes shrink by one step: large, medium, small. Each row uses the counts 2, 5 and 6 once. The shape and the fill do not change along a row. So the gap holds six small striped triangles pointing down.
Puzzle 6
Which cell completes the grid?
Show the answer
Answer: F
Why. In each row the third cell keeps only the line segments that appear in both the first and the second cell. So the gap holds the line segments left edge.
Puzzle 7
Which cell completes the grid?
Show the answer
Answer: G
Why. Each row uses the fills empty, striped and solid once. In each row the third cell shows the line segments of the first cell with those of the second cell taken away. The shape, the number of shapes and the size do not change along a row. So the gap holds three medium solid pentagons pointing up with the line segments top edge and bottom edge.
Puzzle 8
Which cell completes the grid?
Show the answer
Answer: H
Why. Each row uses the sizes small, medium and large once. In each row the number of shapes goes up by one: 2, 3, 4. In each row the third cell keeps the line segments that appear in exactly one of the first two cells; a segment in both cancels out. The shape and the fill do not change along a row. So the gap holds three small striped squares with the line segments top edge, right edge, bottom edge and diagonal from top left to bottom right.
How should you read a matrix?
Read each row and column as a possible pattern. Compare cells to see what changes and what stays the same. The missing cell should fit the pattern in both directions when the puzzle uses a shared rule.
Track one feature at a time: shape, number, size, fill, angle, or lines. The page has eight puzzles with answers and explanations, so you can compare your reasoning with the rule for each puzzle.
Which patterns should you look for?
A row may change steadily, such as shapes growing or shrinking one step at a time, or a shape turning by a fixed angle. Another rule gives each value one place in the row, such as each number, size, angle, or fill appearing once.
Line puzzles may combine two cells to make the third. The third cell may keep only shared lines, remove the second cell's lines from the first, or keep lines that appear in only one cell. Test a possible rule against the other completed rows or columns.
What mistakes make these puzzles harder?
A trap is treating the whole picture as one feature. Shape and fill can change while the count stays fixed, so check each attribute separately before deciding that a pattern fits.
A rule that explains one row may not explain the rest of the grid. Check it against all the completed cells, and add another rule only if needed. The full test includes matrices, number and letter series, spatial rotation, and logic questions in a 30-puzzle form.
Questions
Should I check rows or columns first?
Start with the direction where a change is easiest to see, then check whether the same idea fits the other direction. If neither shows a clear pattern, follow a single feature through the cells before trying a more complex rule.
How do I tell a steady pattern from a one-of-each rule?
In a steady pattern, the value changes by the same step from cell to cell, such as a turn or a change in size. In a one-of-each pattern, the values can appear in any order, but each row contains every value once.
What does it mean when lines are combined?
Compare the line segments in the first two cells one by one. The third may keep shared segments, remove the second cell's segments from the first, or keep segments found in just one cell. See whether the same operation explains other rows or columns.