Abstract reasoning is the most time-pressured test in the EPSO selection. Sixty seconds per question, shapes you have never seen before, and rules you must reconstruct on the fly. The candidates who do well are not the most intelligent — they are the most systematic. There is a small repertoire of rules EPSO uses, and once you can name them, the test becomes a recognition exercise rather than a creative one.
Each question shows a short sequence of figures and asks which figure comes next. The candidate must identify the pattern that links them and pick the option that continues it. The pattern is almost never a single rule. It is two or three independent rules running in parallel, each governing a different feature of the shape.
What the test looks like
In the current EPSO format, the abstract reasoning test is a non-verbal multiple-choice test. There is no language to translate, no culture-specific content, and no calculator is needed:
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 10 |
| Duration | 10 minutes |
| Scoring | 0 to 10 |
| Pass mark | 4 out of 10 |
| Language | None — figures only |
| Calculator | Not needed |
One minute per question. That is by far the tightest budget in the EPSO selection. The pass mark is correspondingly lower — four out of ten — which acknowledges that the test rewards speed at least as much as accuracy.
What it actually measures
The test measures whether you can isolate the moving parts of a pattern and reconstruct its rules under time pressure. Concretely: most questions track several features at once — the shape itself, its orientation, its fill, the position of a smaller marker, the colour or pattern of an arrow. Each feature evolves on its own rule. Your job is to identify each rule independently and combine them.
The recurring rules
EPSO abstract sequences are built from a small toolkit. Once you recognise the building blocks, identification becomes almost mechanical:
- Rotation. A shape, arrow, or marker rotates a fixed number of degrees per step (45°, 90°, 120°, 180°). Rotation can be clockwise or anti-clockwise; alternation between the two is itself a common pattern.
- Side count. A polygon gains or loses one side per step (triangle → square → pentagon → hexagon…). Often combined with an alternating fill.
- Fill alternation. Black, white, black, white — or a three-way cycle (black, white, grey).
- Position cycle. A small marker moves around the figure: corners (TL, TR, BR, BL), edges, or sectors of a wheel.
- Counting growth. The number of dots, lines, or stars increases by one each step.
- Reflection. The figure is mirrored across an axis — sometimes alternating with the original.
Almost every question combines two of these. A few combine three. Identifying just one of the rules will often eliminate two of the distractors but leave you guessing between the remaining three. Two rules narrows it to one option.
The recurring traps
- The single-rule distractor. An option that satisfies one rule perfectly but breaks a second. Easy to pick if you stopped at the first rule you spotted.
- The plausible wrong direction. Rotation looks like 90° clockwise, but it is actually 90° anti-clockwise. The wrong-direction distractor mirrors the correct answer.
- The visual decoy. A small detail (a shading hatch, a dot) is decorative, not part of the rule. Candidates waste time trying to find a pattern in it.
- The off-by-one. A polygon's side count grows 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 — the answer is 8. The wrong option keeps it at 7.
Train your abstract reasoning
Realistic EPSO-style sequences with the same parallel-rule structure used by the real test. See the patterns before they catch you.
Start practising → First set free · no costHow to prepare
The single most useful drill for abstract reasoning is to verbalise the rule out loud as you look at each step. Saying "triangle, square, pentagon — sides are growing by one; black, white, black — fill alternates" forces you to track each feature separately. Within a week of daily practice this becomes silent and automatic.
Two practical tips for the real test. First: if you have not spotted both rules within fifteen seconds, guess and move on — the test rewards completion. Second: when you have two rules and three remaining options, look at what is different between those options. The third rule, if there is one, will live in that difference.
Worked examples
Three examples in the EPSO format — a short sequence ending in a question mark, five options to complete it. The figures are simplified for the article; the real test uses more elaborate combinations.
Options:
Show answer
• Rotation: 90° clockwise per step (up → right → down → left → up).
• Fill: alternates black, white, black, white → black.
Only option B satisfies both rules: arrow pointing up and filled black.
Why each distractor fails:
• A — correct direction (up) but wrong fill (white when it should be black).
• C — black fill, but pointing right instead of up.
• D — down + white: matches neither rule.
• E — left + black: matches fill, wrong direction.
The single-rule trap. A, C and E each satisfy one rule but fail the other. Only B satisfies both. This is the classic EPSO structure — one option per missing-rule combination, and exactly one option that satisfies the full set.
Options:
Show answer
• Sides: 3, 4, 5, 6 → 7 (heptagon).
• Fill: black, white, black, white → black.
Why each distractor fails:
• A — 7 sides but wrong fill (white).
• C — black fill but wrong side count (hexagon, 6 sides).
• D — pentagon (5 sides), wrong on both rules.
• E — 8 sides (octagon) and black: off-by-one trap on the side count.
The off-by-one trap. Option E is the most dangerous: it satisfies the fill rule and "feels" like the next step because octagons are visually common. But the side count is 3, 4, 5, 6 — the next term is 7, not 8.
Options:
Show answer
Why each distractor fails:
• A — top-left (the starting position, not the next step).
• B — centre: position not in the established cycle.
• D — top-right (a repeat of step 2).
• E — right corner, but unfilled: an outside-the-rules visual decoy. There is no fill change anywhere in the sequence, so introducing one in the answer is wrong.
The visual decoy trap. Option E is built to tempt candidates who feel a sequence must include some "trick". The principle of parsimony applies: if a feature does not change in the visible sequence, it will not change in the answer.
These examples use simplified figures for clarity. Our Set 1–4 abstract practice bank uses richer combinations — rotated arrows with hatched fills, polygons with internal markers, sector wheels — matching the actual EPSO style.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the EPSO abstract reasoning test?
Ten questions in ten minutes, scored from 0 to 10, with a pass mark of 4 out of 10. It is the most time-pressured test in the EPSO selection.
Does abstract reasoning need any prior knowledge?
No prior knowledge is needed. The test uses only abstract shapes and patterns. It measures whether you can spot rules quickly under time pressure.
What is the most common mistake?
Looking for one rule when two or three are running in parallel. Most EPSO abstract sequences combine several independent rules (shape, rotation, fill, position); the answer must satisfy all of them.
The fastest way to improve is to practise under realistic, timed conditions with explanations that name every rule and every trap. The first set is free.