11 Plus (11+)
Non-verbal Reasoning
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Non Verbal Reasoning Test (NVR)  is also called as diagrammatic or abstract reasoning tests.

11 Plus Non-verbal reasoning tests involves the ability to understand and analyse visual information and attempt the problems using visual reasoning.

NVR  test includes the questions which are presented in diagrammatic and pictorial formats. It helps students to analyse and solve complex problems.

Why 11+ non verbal reasoning Test are used by Grammar schools?

Non-verbal reasoning tests form the part of the 11 Plus entrance exam testing procedure. NVR tests are designed to see how the student uses their original critical thinking and logical problem-solving skills.

Most of the grammar schools want their exams to be tutor free and nvr tests are the best choice as the school get a clear idea about child’s original intelligence rather than the child’s learned abilities after coaching.

11 Plus grammar school exams test the students on Non-verbal reasoning and 11+ spatial reasoning. These subjects roughly cover around nine various topics, and each of this topic falls under 11+ Non-verbal reasoning, and few of them include in 11+ spatial reasoning as well. The 11+ exam Non-verbal Reasoning syllabus as followed:

• Analogies
• Odd One Out
• Series
• Matrices
• Codes
• Like Figures
• Reflection and Rotation
• Merge shapes
• Nets & 3D Shapes

Detailed explanation and importance of these topics given below.

One of the most important topics in 11+ Non-verbal Reasoning is Analogies. Analogy deals with altering a given shape based on a specific rule. You will be given a pair of shapes which are related to each other by a rule. A separate shape will be given beside them, and you will be asked to alter that shape by following the rule of the first given pair of images.

Analogies non verbal reasoning examples:

Answer is option (E)

The rule of this analogy problem is that “the number of sides of the first shape increases by 1 and all the unshaded portions become shaded and vice-versa”.

The analogy topic helps children to improve their logical ability and also makes them try for different ways of solving a problem, thus increasing the parallel thought process.

Odd one out is a well-known and the most used topic in 11+ Non-verbal Reasoning. The name itself explains the question pattern. You will be given a group of shapes, out of which all except one are similar to each other in some way. You have to find out that one shape which is different in a given group.

Odd One Out non verbal reasoning examples:

Answer is option (E)

In all other figures, there are four equal divisions.

Odd one out topic helps children to concentrate on minute details. It increases the concentration levels of children, and it helps them to focus more on the necessary things.

Series (or Sequences) is a topic which is most often appears in Maths. But it is also equally crucial in 11+ Non-verbal Reasoning. Series can be termed as one of the most logical topics in Non-verbal Reasoning. You will be given a series of shapes which follow a pattern, and you will be asked to find the missing shape from the series.

Series non verbal reasoning examples:

Answer is option (B)

The line with the circular tip moves one step in the anticlockwise direction in every next step, and the line with the square tip moves two steps in the clockwise direction in every next step. The line with triangular tip moves two steps in the clockwise direction in every next step. The square tip becomes shaded or unshaded in every next step depending upon its present condition.

Series problems help children to analyse multiple different factors of the shape and then apply them all at once. This increases their ability to multitask and also helps them to understand how various patterns work.

Matrices, also known as grids, can be one of the toughest topics in 11+ Non-verbal Reasoning. You will be given a (2 x 2) or a (3 x 3) grid which will be filled with various shapes in each block. You will be asked which shape would replace the missing block of the grid so that the grid can be completed. The blocks will be related to each other in various ways, and you have to understand that relation to answer these questions.

Matrices non verbal reasoning examples:

Answer is option (B)

Working from top to bottom, all the elements of each grid join to make the figure at the centre of the bottom row.

To solve a Matrix (or Grid) problem, a child needs to use various other Non-verbal Reasoning concepts. If the child is good with this topic, it can be said without a doubt that he/she is on a decent level in other topics too.

Code (or Codebreaker) is arguably the most exciting topic in 11+ Non-verbal Reasoning. Each code question will be provided with a set of images and the codes corresponding to each image. Each image will be a combination of different shapes, and you have to decode the corresponding letter applicable for each shape. You have to find out the code of a new image with a different combination of the given coded shapes.

Codes non verbal reasoning examples:

Answer is option (C)

Decoding the shapes will give us the individual codes of a single shape.

P = Plus symbol, Q = Black colour, R = Grey colour, S = Square,

T = Tilted square, U = Triangle, V = Circle

Coding questions will make children to see the common terms of two different images, and they will learn to compare the exact values that are necessary. It helps them to identify the similarity between various aspects and thus improve their understanding ability.

Like figures (or Similar shapes) can be one of the easiest but also a tricky topic in 11+ Non-verbal Reasoning. You will be given a group of shapes which are similar to each other in some way, and you have to choose the option which belongs to this group. There will also be questions involving different shapes, and you have to select the option, which is the same shape from the given shapes.

Like figures non verbal reasoning examples:

Answer is option (A)

All the figures must have two similar shapes intersecting each other. All the vertices of one shape among them are shaded.

Like figures focusses more the similarity and orientation of the shapes. It helps children to improve their reasoning ability and concentration at the same time.

Spatial reasoning 11+ tests the child’s ability to work on complex diagrams. Spatial reasoning test 11+ exam paper includes rotating 2D shapes of three-dimensional shapes.

11 + Spatial reasoning is quite a challenging topic for many children. Our special team of tutors crafted beautiful spatial reasoning 11+ examples which are great practice for 11 Plus Grammar school entrance exams.

11+ spatial reasoning syllabus includes Merge shapes, Rotating and reflecting 2D and 3D shapes Nets of Cubes. 11+ spatial reasoning improves the cognitive ability of children.

11+ spatial Reasoning is a branch of 11+ Non-verbal Reasoning. It includes those topics which involve 3-D and 2-D imagination of the objects. 11+ spatial Reasoning improves the cognitive ability of children, and it can be a tremendous asset to those who aim to be creative and competitive. The cognitive ability of a child will grow over time. So, the stronger a child is with spatial Reasoning, the better his/her performance in many other aspects of education.

11+ non verbal reasoning deals with the logical and diagrammatic type of problems. 11+ spatial reasoning can be termed as a branch of 11+ non verbal reasoning, which deals with the spatial position and manipulation of 2D and 3D shapes exclusively. Major differences between 11+ non verbal reasoning and spatial reasoning 11+ tests are as follows:

Reflection and rotation of the shapes is the most common topic to be practiced by all the children and parents preparing for 11+ Non-verbal Reasoning. You will be asked to find out the shape which is formed by rotating the original shape by some specific angle. You will also be asked about the reflection (or mirror image) of a given shape.

Reflection and Rotation non verbal reasoning examples:

Which option on the right is formed by rotating the shape on the left by 90° in the anti-clockwise direction?

Answer is option (D)

If the given shape is rotated 90° anti-clockwise you get the shape in option D.

Reflection and rotation of the shapes is a significant part of the whole 11+ Non-verbal reasoning syllabus. Almost 50% of the topics include rotation or reflection based questions. Reflection and rotation are the basics of spatial Reasoning, which help the children to kickstart the training of their cognitive ability.

Merge shapes is one more topic under spatial Reasoning, which can be the best scorable topic in 11+ Non-verbal Reasoning. You will be given two or more shapes which are to be to added together or subtracted from each other to form a new shape. This topic also includes a different type of question where you have to find out a small hidden shape from the given options.

Merge shapes non verbal reasoning examples:

Answer is option (D)

After subtracting the given shape from the original shape, three elements will remain inside the square in their respective positions.

Merging shapes is a topic where one can score marks easily but have to be very careful on the spatial position and orientation of the given shapes. Children can quickly learn how to combine shapes, and they can see more small details hidden inside the shapes through this topic.

Cubes, Nets, and 3-D shapes are arguably the most challenging topic in 11+ Non-verbal Reasoning. Nets & 3D Shapes can be termed as the apex topic of 11+ level spatial reasoning. You will be given various cubes to find out the corresponding nets and vice-versa. This topic also includes the questions on 3-D shape elevation, plans, and directional views.

Cubes, Nets and 3-D shapes non verbal reasoning examples:

Answer is option (B)

Option A is ruled out because the cube face with six dots must be opposite to the cube face with two dots, options C and E are ruled out because the cube face with three dots must be opposite to the cube face with one dot. Option D is ruled out because the cube face with five dots must be opposite to the cube face with four dots. The only remaining possibility is option B.

Mastering the cubes, nets, and 3-D shapes topic helps the child to be more creative as his/her cognitive and Reasoning ability will be ignited with the practice of these topics.

All these topics are covered in Piacademy 11+ Non-verbal reasoning papers which are exclusively designed to help students for their 11 Plus exam preparation. These tests are also suitable for 9-year-olds and 10-year-olds as well. Our practice papers are segregated topic wise to help children master each topic for 11+ exam and you can also find the mixed practice papers with various combinations of different topics which help the children to get familiar with 11 Plus grammar school exam pattern.

The best tips and tricks

• Separate each given shape into smaller shapes and work out the patterns of those small shapes.
• Look out for key points like shape, size, colour, position, shading, number and angle.
• Time is a key factor. If a problem feels time taking skip it and return to it after solving other questions..
• Observe minute details like the size, angle rotated and space between the elements etc.
• Eliminate the wrong options whenever possible so that you can reach to correct answer quickly.
• Sometimes working out from the options help. Try to fit each option in question, so you know exactly which one fits.