Non-Verbal Reasoning

In the Gloucestershire GL 11+ Test, there are six types of non-verbal reasoning (NVR) questions.

The Six Non-Verbal Reasoning Types

All answers will be multiple-choice. NVR question types include identifying rotated/non-rotated patterns, finding missing patterns in sequences, finding the odd-one-out, identifying missing patterns in a grid and finding patterns from codes.

If you look at the familiarisation materials provided by GL Assessment regarding NVR, there is no reference to Spatial Awareness (3D shape manipulation). However, we recommend spending some time looking at these types of questions as well as they could appear, though perhaps in the Maths section. 

Shapes & Lines

With shapes & lines, your child may need to notice aspects such as the direction arrows are pointing, the number of sides on the shape, shading or patterns and the format of lines. Our tips for these types of questions are:

• Pointing: If the shapes include arrows, look to see how many are pointing in each direction. Arrow can point clockwise or anti-clockwise so this may also be an important factors!

• Lines: Take note of the format of lines which may be part of shading, or as separate lines. When looking for trends or differences, focus on the length and thickness of lines, whether they have arrow heads/tails and whether they have solid lines or dashes. The direction of the lines may also be important

• Shading: Shapes may have different types of shading. If so, this will be quite clear, but may involve line shading, cross hatching or shades of grey. As with the other tips – the direction of the shading may also be important

• Counting: Sometimes, the answer is simpler than what it may seem. Your child may need to just focus on the number of sides of the shapes shown or how many of each particular object there is. Depending on the question type, your child may be asked to find the missing pattern in a sequence or grid, or find the odd-one-out in a group of patterns.

Symmetry & Rotation

Rotation is often used in non-verbal questions. Rotations may be clockwise or anti clockwise, of different sizes and are most often, but not only, used in questions involving sequences. Some shapes look similar when rotated but need to be identified to make the sequence work. Your child will need to keep an eye out for when the shape has been reflected rather than rotated, particularly with parallelograms as they can look quite similar at first glance!

Some shapes may be layered, which is related to ordering but specifically refers to shapes being above or below others. You child may also need to look for shapes formed from overlaps of two or more shapes.

When tackling sequences, look for rotations, increases, decreases, directions, shading and line styles to find missing patterns. Be particularly careful when the gap in the sequence isn’t at the end! Some questions may provide a 3 x 3 grid with patterns in each box apart from one. With these styles, your child will need to find the correct pattern to fit into the grid. It can help to look for features which are added, rotated or merged to help find the missing pattern.

Reflective symmetry can be along a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line for the reflection questions.

Codes & More

For the coded questions, your child may be asked to match a pattern with a two or three letter multiple-choice code. For these ones, they will be given some example patterns with their corresponding codes to help them. The task it to then work out what each of the code letters represent to work out the answer. The answer may be the same code as one of the examples even if it looks different so don’t assume it needs to be different!

For some questions, your child may see the answer straight away but remember to go back and double check just in case. If they have no idea about the answer it may be worth moving on and coming back later to make sure they have answered more questions. If your child gets stuck there’s a mnemonic they can use below!

Remember your child can move the paper! If the question involves a rotation, encourage them to turn the paper around if it helps them to see the shapes more clearly.