11+ non-verbal reasoning explained for parents

What is non-verbal reasoning?

Non-verbal reasoning (NVR) uses shapes, patterns and diagrams instead of words. It tests whether a child can spot rules and apply them to something new. Because it is unlike anything in the school curriculum, many children meet it for the first time when they start 11+ practice.

Some tests include NVR, some don't, and some use spatial reasoning instead, so check your child's exam.

Common question types

• Series: find the pattern in a row of shapes and choose what comes next.
• Odd one out: find the shape that breaks the rule the others follow.
• Matrices: complete a grid by working out how shapes change across rows and down columns.
• Reflections and rotations: picture a shape flipped or turned.
• Codes: match a shape to a code that describes its features.
• Cubes and nets: imagine how a flat net folds into a cube, or how a cube looks from another side.
• Hidden shapes: find a simple shape inside a more complex figure.

How to get better at it

Teach children to look at one feature at a time: size, shading, number of sides, position, direction, rotation. Most NVR rules change just one or two of these, and a child who names the changes out loud usually finds the answer faster.

Hands-on practice helps with reflections and nets. Folding paper, using a small mirror and building cubes make spatial questions much less abstract.

NVR improves with exposure. Even short sessions of varied question types help, as long as mistakes get explained and not just marked wrong.