Glossary
Abstract reasoning
Definition
Abstract reasoning is the ability to find rules in shapes, patterns and relationships that have no words or real-world meaning attached, and to apply those rules to a new case. Matrix puzzles, figure sequences and figure analogies are the classic abstract reasoning items.
Want your own number? The test is 25 visual puzzles, about 12 minutes, no sign-up.
Why it matters for IQ scores
Abstract items reduce the role of language and schooling, so they are a common core for nonverbal and culture-reduced tests. Raven's matrices, first published in 1938, are the best-known example and are widely used as a measure of fluid reasoning (Wikipedia: Raven's Progressive Matrices). Cattell's 1963 distinction between fluid and crystallized ability (Wikipedia: Fluid and crystallized intelligence) explains why these items are grouped together.
An example
In a 3x3 grid, each row contains a circle, a square and a triangle in some order, and the number of shapes goes up by one from left to right. The missing cell must be the shape not yet used in its row, drawn three times. Nothing about circles or triangles in daily life helps; only the rules on the page do.
Common confusions
Abstract does not mean vague. These puzzles have exactly one right answer, defined by rules you can state in a sentence. It is also not the same as inductive reasoning, though most abstract items are inductive. Try the abstract reasoning test, read matrix reasoning, explained, or see Raven's Progressive Matrices and fluid intelligence.
Try one · Abstract Reasoning
Which tile completes the grid?
Tap the option you think is right, or show the answer.
Show the answer
The missing tile has one outlined star (option 2).
How to solve it
- Start with the first column and name what changes from tile to tile.
- Every row and every column contains each shape (star, diamond and circle) exactly once.
- Every row and every column contains each number of shapes (three, one and two) exactly once.
- The fill (outline) stays the same in every tile.
- Check the rules on the second column, then apply them to the third.
- So the missing tile has one outlined star.
That was 1 puzzle. The full test has 25.
Sources
- Raven's Progressive Matrices. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven%27s_Progressive_Matrices
- Fluid and crystallized intelligence. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_and_crystallized_intelligence