Glossary
Odd one out
Definition
An odd-one-out puzzle shows several figures that all follow one hidden rule and one figure that breaks it. Your task is to find the figure that does not belong. The trick is to ignore the features that vary freely, such as size or tilt, and find the one that matters.
Want your own number? The test is 25 visual puzzles, about 12 minutes, no sign-up.
Why it matters for IQ scores
Odd-one-out items test a quiet but important skill: deciding which differences matter. Most figures in the set differ from each other in several ways, so you cannot just look for the one that looks different. You have to form a rule that five figures share and one does not. That is inductive reasoning with shapes.
An example
Six figures appear: some large, some small, some solid, some outlined, all tilted at different angles. Count the straight sides and you find five pentagons and one four-sided figure. The four-sided one is the odd one out, even though it is not the one that looks most unusual at first glance.
A method
- List the features that vary: size, fill, tilt, position, count.
- For each feature, ask whether exactly one figure differs from the rest.
- If none does, look for a structural feature, such as side count or where a dot sits.
Common confusions
The most eye-catching figure is often a distractor. Try the odd one out puzzles, read spatial reasoning, explained, or compare with mental rotation.
Try one · Spatial Reasoning
Which option is the same shape, only rotated?
Tap the option you think is right, or show the answer.
Show the answer
Option 2 is the original figure turned a half turn.
How to solve it
- Pick a landmark: the marked cell or the end of the longest arm.
- Turn the figure in your head and watch where that landmark goes, and which side the other cells end up on.
- Turning the figure a half turn gives option 2.
- Each of the other options is a mirror image: flipping it over would match, but no turn does.
That was 1 puzzle. The full test has 25.