In this checkpoint we’re going to look at two different types of questions:

• Tricky questions
• Odd one out

Tricky questions

There are certain questions that stump a lot of students and certain questions that many student think are easy, but are in fact, are quite difficult.

There’s nothing new in terms of patterns with these tricky questions as the patterns are already explored in this course. However, these tricky questions are difficult because they usually:

• Combine multiple patterns together.
• Designed intentionally to make it seem easy – lead to the wrong answer unless a specific small detail is picked up. For example, seeing a whole shape instead of a part of a shape, and the presence of potential multiple patterns to filter through.
• Use of odd arrangements e.g. in a wheel or blocks and you have to decide how images relate to one another.

Mistakes made are usually because of:

• incorrect selection of pattern – for example, a question may look like shape transformation, but is in reality a number pattern (when you look at the parts of a shape).
• inability to eliminate patterns which then takes up a lot of time.
• lack of relationship detection between images in odd shapes.

To do well in these tricky questions, you need to work through systematically and really:

• break down the parts and,
• find similar shapes (grouping), and,
• go through potential patterns and eliminate where needed.

Now, let's see how to use this systematic process to answer tricky abstract reasoning questions successfully.

Example Question/s

Source: NSW Schools

Key Rules to remember

• Tricky questions are designed to confuse with multiple patterns, odd shaping and distractors, combined or individually.
• Remember to use a systematic process where you:
• break down the parts and,
• find similar shapes (grouping), and,
• go through potential patterns and eliminate where needed.

Odd one out

In abstract reasoning, you may be asked to find the image that is the ‘odd one out’.

To do that in a systematic way:

1. Find two images that are alike in some way and group them together. Be clear as to why it is that you are grouping them together.
   
2. Continue to add images. If you’re having trouble doing so, then revise the ‘reason’ for why you are grouping them, this reason (or pattern) might be faulty.
3. Do this until you have 1 left over that doesn’t form part of the group. This is your odd one out.

The ‘reason’ for grouping is very important and sometimes, it’s not always obvious. For example, you may be ‘curves’ and one image may have a pointy corner, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the odd one out.

Consider other things like:

• parts of shapes
• whole shapes
• internal angles
• number of sides/corners etc…

Because abstract reasoning involves visual pattern detection, let’s apply this to the following question/s.

Example Question/s

Key Rules to remember

• Use a systematic approach to group together so that you can re-evaluate your ‘reason’ for grouping in case it is faulty.
• The ‘reason’ for grouping isn’t always obvious, consider things like parts of shapes, whole shapes, internal angles, numbers of sides etc…

Practice time!

Now, it's your turn to practice.

Click on the button below and start your practice questions. We recommend doing untimed mode first, and then, when you're ready, do timed mode.

Every question has two solutions videos after you complete the question. The first is a quick 60 second video that shows you how our expert answers the question quickly. The second video is a more in-depth 5-steps or less explainer video that shows you the steps to take to answer the question. It's really important that you review the second video because that's where you'll learn additional tips and tricks.

Once you're done with the practice questions, move on to the next checkpoint.

Now, let’s get started on your practice questions.

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