The abstract reasoning test gives you ten series of figures and ten minutes. Reading about rule families helps, but what moves your score is practice on series you have never seen, followed by an honest look at why you picked what you picked. These eight questions are new, mostly hard, and every answer is worked out element by element, with the mistake behind each wrong option named.
How to use this page. EPSO shows five figures and asks which of five options
comes next. In the AD5 competition (EPSO/AD/427/26) there are 10 questions in 10 minutes, and abstract reasoning shares
its pass mark with numerical reasoning: 10 out of 20 across the two tests. The real test allows about a
minute per question; these are harder than average, so give yourself up to two. Choose an answer before you open the
explanation, and write it down: the explanations are only useful if you can compare them with what you actually
did.
How to work through each question
- List the elements. Name everything in frame 1: shapes, dots, arrows, shaded cells. Most series have two or three elements, each with its own rule.
- Solve the quickest element first, usually a count or a colour, and cross out every option that breaks it. One clear rule often removes two options.
- Compare neighbouring frames, not the first and the last. A rule is a change from one frame to the next; written down as a list (“up, right, down”, “3, 1, 8, 6”), it is far easier to continue than a picture.
- When two options are left, find what differs between them. That difference is where the last rule lives, and it is usually the one designed to catch you.
The rules behind these questions are explained, with a demonstration of each, in our guide to the 10 rule families. Question 8, where the turn grows with a count, is close to the coupled step sizes in the advanced rules guide.
The eight questions
Two medium, four hard and two very hard, in that order. The headline of each question names its rule families; cover it with your hand if you would rather find them yourself.
Question 1 · Medium · Counting + Colour cycles + Movement
Which figure comes next in the series?
?
Options:
A
B
C
D
E
Show answer
Answer: B.
Rule 1. The polygon gains one side at every step.
Rule 2. Its colour cycles white → grey → black.
Rule 3. The black dot moves one station anticlockwise round the edge (corners and midpoints are stations).
Element by element. Count first: the polygon has three, four, five, six, seven sides, so the next one has eight. The colours run white, grey, black, white, grey, so the cycle moves on to black. The dot goes from the top-right to the bottom-left: one station anticlockwise at every step, so it ends at the middle of the bottom side. Only one option has all three.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The polygon still has seven sides, and the dot moved one station clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• C — The colour went back to white instead of moving on to black, and the dot moved one station clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• D — The dot moved one station clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• E — The polygon still has seven sides, and the colour went back to white instead of moving on to black.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Counting the sides of a seven- or eight-sided figure under time pressure is error-prone. Count from the previous frame instead: if the rule is “one more side”, the answer has one more than frame 5, and you only need to tell a heptagon from an octagon.
Rule 1. The polygon gains one side at every step.
Rule 2. Its colour cycles white → grey → black.
Rule 3. The black dot moves one station anticlockwise round the edge (corners and midpoints are stations).
Element by element. Count first: the polygon has three, four, five, six, seven sides, so the next one has eight. The colours run white, grey, black, white, grey, so the cycle moves on to black. The dot goes from the top-right to the bottom-left: one station anticlockwise at every step, so it ends at the middle of the bottom side. Only one option has all three.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The polygon still has seven sides, and the dot moved one station clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• C — The colour went back to white instead of moving on to black, and the dot moved one station clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• D — The dot moved one station clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• E — The polygon still has seven sides, and the colour went back to white instead of moving on to black.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Counting the sides of a seven- or eight-sided figure under time pressure is error-prone. Count from the previous frame instead: if the rule is “one more side”, the answer has one more than frame 5, and you only need to tell a heptagon from an octagon.
Question 2 · Medium · Movement with wrap-around
Which figure comes next in the series?
?
Options:
A
B
C
D
E
Show answer
Answer: D.
Rule 1. The black circle moves one cell down; from the bottom of a column it goes to the top of the next column.
Rule 2. The grey square moves two cells back in reading order (right to left, then up a row); from the top-left cell it wraps to the bottom row.
Element by element. Follow one element at a time. The circle visits the top-left, middle-left, bottom-left, top-middle, centre cells: down the first column, then to the top of the second, so it moves next to the bottom-middle cell. The square visits the top-right, top-left, bottom-middle, middle-right, middle-left cells. Number the cells 1 to 9 in reading order and it reads 3, 1, 8, 6, 4: two back each time, so next is cell 2, the top-middle cell.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The black circle moved along the row instead of down the column.
• B — The black circle moved along the row instead of down the column, and the grey square moved back one cell instead of two.
• C — The grey square moved back one cell instead of two.
• E — The black circle moved along the row instead of down the column, and the grey square did not move.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Two elements moving through the same grid in different orders is designed to make you track the wrong one. Write each position as a cell number. The square’s jump from cell 1 to cell 8 looks like a new rule; it is just the wrap-around of “two back”.
Rule 1. The black circle moves one cell down; from the bottom of a column it goes to the top of the next column.
Rule 2. The grey square moves two cells back in reading order (right to left, then up a row); from the top-left cell it wraps to the bottom row.
Element by element. Follow one element at a time. The circle visits the top-left, middle-left, bottom-left, top-middle, centre cells: down the first column, then to the top of the second, so it moves next to the bottom-middle cell. The square visits the top-right, top-left, bottom-middle, middle-right, middle-left cells. Number the cells 1 to 9 in reading order and it reads 3, 1, 8, 6, 4: two back each time, so next is cell 2, the top-middle cell.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The black circle moved along the row instead of down the column.
• B — The black circle moved along the row instead of down the column, and the grey square moved back one cell instead of two.
• C — The grey square moved back one cell instead of two.
• E — The black circle moved along the row instead of down the column, and the grey square did not move.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Two elements moving through the same grid in different orders is designed to make you track the wrong one. Write each position as a cell number. The square’s jump from cell 1 to cell 8 looks like a new rule; it is just the wrap-around of “two back”.
Question 3 · Hard · Movement + Rotation
Which figure comes next in the series?
?
Options:
A
B
C
D
E
Show answer
Answer: A.
Rule 1. The black dot moves one station clockwise.
Rule 2. The white dot moves two stations anticlockwise.
Rule 3. The grey arrow turns 135° anticlockwise (three eighths of a turn).
Element by element. Treat the two dots as strangers. The black one goes top-left, top, top-right, right, bottom-right: one station clockwise each time, so next is the middle of the bottom side. The white one goes bottom, right, top, left, bottom: two stations anticlockwise, so next is the middle of the right side. The arrow points up, down-left, right, up-left, down. Those are steps of 135° anticlockwise, so after down comes up-right.
What each wrong option does:
• B — The white dot moved clockwise instead of anticlockwise, and the arrow turned 135° clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• C — The black dot moved two stations instead of one, and the arrow turned 135° clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• D — The black dot moved two stations instead of one, and the white dot moved clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• E — All three elements are wrong: the black dot moved two stations, the white dot moved clockwise and the arrow turned clockwise.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. A 135° turn is the one candidates misread most: it looks like “roughly opposite”, and 135° clockwise lands in a plausible place too. Check the direction on two pairs of frames, not one. And the white dot’s fifth position equals its first: that is a coincidence of the step size, not a signal that it stops.
Rule 1. The black dot moves one station clockwise.
Rule 2. The white dot moves two stations anticlockwise.
Rule 3. The grey arrow turns 135° anticlockwise (three eighths of a turn).
Element by element. Treat the two dots as strangers. The black one goes top-left, top, top-right, right, bottom-right: one station clockwise each time, so next is the middle of the bottom side. The white one goes bottom, right, top, left, bottom: two stations anticlockwise, so next is the middle of the right side. The arrow points up, down-left, right, up-left, down. Those are steps of 135° anticlockwise, so after down comes up-right.
What each wrong option does:
• B — The white dot moved clockwise instead of anticlockwise, and the arrow turned 135° clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• C — The black dot moved two stations instead of one, and the arrow turned 135° clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• D — The black dot moved two stations instead of one, and the white dot moved clockwise instead of anticlockwise.
• E — All three elements are wrong: the black dot moved two stations, the white dot moved clockwise and the arrow turned clockwise.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. A 135° turn is the one candidates misread most: it looks like “roughly opposite”, and 135° clockwise lands in a plausible place too. Check the direction on two pairs of frames, not one. And the white dot’s fifth position equals its first: that is a coincidence of the step size, not a signal that it stops.
Question 4 · Hard · Superimposition
Which figure comes next in the series?
?
Options:
A
B
C
D
E
Show answer
Answer: E.
Rule 1. At every step one column is flipped: its black cells turn white and its white cells turn black.
Rule 2. The flipped column moves left → middle → right, then starts again on the left.
Element by element. Compare neighbouring frames and mark only what changed. From frame 1 to 2 the whole left-hand column changes, and every cell in it changes, black to white and white to black. From 2 to 3 it is the middle column, from 3 to 4 the right-hand one, and from 4 to 5 the left-hand column again. So frame 6 flips the middle column of frame 5: its black cells turn white and its white cells turn black.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The right-hand column flipped instead of the middle one: the order was skipped.
• B — The middle column’s white cell turned black, but its two black cells stayed black: a flip removes them too.
• C — Nothing changed: this is frame 5 again.
• D — The middle column’s black cells turned white, but its white cell stayed white: a flip adds as well as removes.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Superimposition looks like random change until you compare only neighbouring frames. Then each step is “the same small change, somewhere else”. The commonest error is to see only the squares that appear: a flip removes as many as it adds.
Rule 1. At every step one column is flipped: its black cells turn white and its white cells turn black.
Rule 2. The flipped column moves left → middle → right, then starts again on the left.
Element by element. Compare neighbouring frames and mark only what changed. From frame 1 to 2 the whole left-hand column changes, and every cell in it changes, black to white and white to black. From 2 to 3 it is the middle column, from 3 to 4 the right-hand one, and from 4 to 5 the left-hand column again. So frame 6 flips the middle column of frame 5: its black cells turn white and its white cells turn black.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The right-hand column flipped instead of the middle one: the order was skipped.
• B — The middle column’s white cell turned black, but its two black cells stayed black: a flip removes them too.
• C — Nothing changed: this is frame 5 again.
• D — The middle column’s black cells turned white, but its white cell stayed white: a flip adds as well as removes.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Superimposition looks like random change until you compare only neighbouring frames. Then each step is “the same small change, somewhere else”. The commonest error is to see only the squares that appear: a flip removes as many as it adds.
Question 5 · Hard · Reflection + Rotation
Which figure comes next in the series?
?
Options:
A
B
C
D
E
Show answer
Answer: C.
Rule 1. The left flag turns 135° clockwise at every step.
Rule 2. The right flag is always the mirror image of the left one, as if a mirror stood between them. So it turns 135° anticlockwise.
Element by element. Start with the left flag: its pole points up, down-right, left, up-right, down, a turn of 135° clockwise each time, so in frame 6 it points up-left. Now compare the two figures inside one frame rather than across frames: in every frame the right one is the left one reflected in the vertical centre line. So the answer’s right flag is the mirror image of its left flag: pole pointing up-right, pennant on the other side of the pole.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The left flag turned only 45° instead of 135°; the right one still mirrors it, so both point the wrong way.
• B — The right flag is a copy of the left one, not its mirror image.
• D — The right flag’s pole points the right way, but its pennant is on the wrong side: it is the flag turned round, not its mirror image.
• E — The right flag turned clockwise, the same way as the left one.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Candidates who track each figure separately can solve the right one too (it turns anticlockwise), but they meet two options in which it points the right way. Only one of them is a mirror image; the other is the flag turned, not reflected. Turning can never move the pennant to the other side of the pole; only a mirror can. If two options differ only in that, look at the pennant.
Rule 1. The left flag turns 135° clockwise at every step.
Rule 2. The right flag is always the mirror image of the left one, as if a mirror stood between them. So it turns 135° anticlockwise.
Element by element. Start with the left flag: its pole points up, down-right, left, up-right, down, a turn of 135° clockwise each time, so in frame 6 it points up-left. Now compare the two figures inside one frame rather than across frames: in every frame the right one is the left one reflected in the vertical centre line. So the answer’s right flag is the mirror image of its left flag: pole pointing up-right, pennant on the other side of the pole.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The left flag turned only 45° instead of 135°; the right one still mirrors it, so both point the wrong way.
• B — The right flag is a copy of the left one, not its mirror image.
• D — The right flag’s pole points the right way, but its pennant is on the wrong side: it is the flag turned round, not its mirror image.
• E — The right flag turned clockwise, the same way as the left one.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Candidates who track each figure separately can solve the right one too (it turns anticlockwise), but they meet two options in which it points the right way. Only one of them is a mirror image; the other is the flag turned, not reflected. Turning can never move the pennant to the other side of the pole; only a mirror can. If two options differ only in that, look at the pennant.
Question 6 · Hard · Movement with wrap-around + Conditional rules
Which figure comes next in the series?
?
Options:
A
B
C
D
E
Show answer
Answer: A.
Rule 1. The row moves one place to the left; the shape at the left-hand end wraps round to the right-hand end.
Rule 2. The shape that wraps round changes colour (white to black, black to white). The others keep theirs.
Element by element. Follow one shape. The circle starts at the left-hand end, reappears at the right-hand end and walks back one place per frame, so the row moves one place to the left. Now the colours: the circle was white in frame 1 and black once it had wrapped round; the square was black, then white; the triangle black, then white; the diamond white, then black. Every shape changes colour exactly when it wraps round, and at no other time. In frame 5 the circle is back at the left-hand end, so it wraps again and turns white; the square, triangle and diamond move left and keep their colours.
What each wrong option does:
• B — A copy of frame 2: the order of the shapes repeats, but their colours do not.
• C — The circle kept its colour when it wrapped round to the right-hand end.
• D — The shape arriving at the left-hand end changed colour instead of the one that wrapped round.
• E — Every shape changed colour, not only the one that wrapped round.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Frame 5 has the same order of shapes as frame 1, which tempts you to copy frame 2. But the colours are not those of frame 1: every shape has wrapped round once and changed colour. A series that seems to repeat should be checked attribute by attribute before you rely on it.
Rule 1. The row moves one place to the left; the shape at the left-hand end wraps round to the right-hand end.
Rule 2. The shape that wraps round changes colour (white to black, black to white). The others keep theirs.
Element by element. Follow one shape. The circle starts at the left-hand end, reappears at the right-hand end and walks back one place per frame, so the row moves one place to the left. Now the colours: the circle was white in frame 1 and black once it had wrapped round; the square was black, then white; the triangle black, then white; the diamond white, then black. Every shape changes colour exactly when it wraps round, and at no other time. In frame 5 the circle is back at the left-hand end, so it wraps again and turns white; the square, triangle and diamond move left and keep their colours.
What each wrong option does:
• B — A copy of frame 2: the order of the shapes repeats, but their colours do not.
• C — The circle kept its colour when it wrapped round to the right-hand end.
• D — The shape arriving at the left-hand end changed colour instead of the one that wrapped round.
• E — Every shape changed colour, not only the one that wrapped round.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Frame 5 has the same order of shapes as frame 1, which tempts you to copy frame 2. But the colours are not those of frame 1: every shape has wrapped round once and changed colour. A series that seems to repeat should be checked attribute by attribute before you rely on it.
Question 7 · Very hard · Pointers and operators + Rotation
Which figure comes next in the series?
?
Options:
A
B
C
D
E
Show answer
Answer: D.
Rule 1. The arrow is an instruction: the circle it points at changes colour in the next frame. No other circle changes.
Rule 2. The arrow turns 135° clockwise at every step (three stations).
Element by element. Exactly one circle changes between neighbouring frames: the top one, then the bottom-right, then the left, then the top-right. Each time it is the circle the arrow pointed at in the frame before. The arrow points up, down-right, left, up-right, down: a turn of 135° clockwise each time. In frame 5 it points at the middle of the bottom side, so in frame 6 that circle turns white, and the arrow turns on to point up-left, at the top-left corner.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The arrow moved on, but the circle it pointed at did not change.
• B — The arrow turned 90° instead of 135°, and the circle it points at now changed instead of the one it pointed at in frame 5.
• C — Wrong timing: the circle the arrow points at in frame 6 changed, not the one it pointed at in frame 5.
• E — The arrow turned 135° anticlockwise instead of clockwise.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Two timing traps. The circle that changes is the one the arrow pointed at before it turned, so compare each frame with the previous one, never with itself. And do not solve it by counting black circles: the count goes up and down only because of which circle the arrow hits.
Rule 1. The arrow is an instruction: the circle it points at changes colour in the next frame. No other circle changes.
Rule 2. The arrow turns 135° clockwise at every step (three stations).
Element by element. Exactly one circle changes between neighbouring frames: the top one, then the bottom-right, then the left, then the top-right. Each time it is the circle the arrow pointed at in the frame before. The arrow points up, down-right, left, up-right, down: a turn of 135° clockwise each time. In frame 5 it points at the middle of the bottom side, so in frame 6 that circle turns white, and the arrow turns on to point up-left, at the top-left corner.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The arrow moved on, but the circle it pointed at did not change.
• B — The arrow turned 90° instead of 135°, and the circle it points at now changed instead of the one it pointed at in frame 5.
• C — Wrong timing: the circle the arrow points at in frame 6 changed, not the one it pointed at in frame 5.
• E — The arrow turned 135° anticlockwise instead of clockwise.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. Two timing traps. The circle that changes is the one the arrow pointed at before it turned, so compare each frame with the previous one, never with itself. And do not solve it by counting black circles: the count goes up and down only because of which circle the arrow hits.
Question 8 · Very hard · Rotation + Counting + Colour cycles
Which figure comes next in the series?
?
Options:
A
B
C
D
E
Show answer
Answer: B.
Rule 1. The number of small squares goes up by one at every step.
Rule 2. The arrow turns clockwise by 45° for every small square in the frame it leaves: 45°, then 90°, 135°, 180°…
Rule 3. The arrow is black and white in turn.
Element by element. The squares and the colour are quick: one, two, three, four, five squares, so the answer has six; the arrow alternates, so after black comes white. The arrow’s direction is the real question. It points up, up-right, down-right, left, right. Measure each turn: 45, 90, 135 and 180° clockwise. The turn grows by 45° every time, and it always equals 45° times the number of squares in the frame it leaves. Frame 5 has five squares, so the last turn is 225°: from right the arrow ends up pointing up-left.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The arrow repeated the last turn (180°) instead of turning 45° more, and the colour stayed black instead of turning white.
• C — The number of squares did not go up, and the arrow repeated the last turn (180°) instead of turning 45° more.
• D — The arrow turned 135°, 45° less than the last turn instead of 45° more.
• E — The number of squares did not go up, and the colour stayed black instead of turning white.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. A growing turn hides well: the directions themselves (up, up-right, down-right, left, right) look random. Measure the turns between frames, not the directions. Two readings fit frames 1–5 here (the turn grows by 45°, or it equals 45° per square) and both give the same answer, which is what you want to check before you commit.
Rule 1. The number of small squares goes up by one at every step.
Rule 2. The arrow turns clockwise by 45° for every small square in the frame it leaves: 45°, then 90°, 135°, 180°…
Rule 3. The arrow is black and white in turn.
Element by element. The squares and the colour are quick: one, two, three, four, five squares, so the answer has six; the arrow alternates, so after black comes white. The arrow’s direction is the real question. It points up, up-right, down-right, left, right. Measure each turn: 45, 90, 135 and 180° clockwise. The turn grows by 45° every time, and it always equals 45° times the number of squares in the frame it leaves. Frame 5 has five squares, so the last turn is 225°: from right the arrow ends up pointing up-left.
What each wrong option does:
• A — The arrow repeated the last turn (180°) instead of turning 45° more, and the colour stayed black instead of turning white.
• C — The number of squares did not go up, and the arrow repeated the last turn (180°) instead of turning 45° more.
• D — The arrow turned 135°, 45° less than the last turn instead of 45° more.
• E — The number of squares did not go up, and the colour stayed black instead of turning white.
Shortcuts and pitfalls. A growing turn hides well: the directions themselves (up, up-right, down-right, left, right) look random. Measure the turns between frames, not the directions. Two readings fit frames 1–5 here (the turn grows by 45°, or it equals 45° per square) and both give the same answer, which is what you want to check before you commit.
These questions are written by EU Testing in the EPSO format. They are not official EPSO questions.
What the eight questions teach
Every wrong option above is a real mistake, and the same mistakes come back in every abstract reasoning test. If you chose a wrong option, find its row: the trap is what to watch for next time.
| Question | Level | What it tests | The trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medium | Three rules, three quick checks | Counting an element that changes shape |
| 2 | Medium | Two paths through the same grid | Losing track of which element is which |
| 3 | Hard | Same track, opposite directions, different speeds | Assuming both dots follow one rule |
| 4 | Hard | A change that moves, not a figure that moves | Seeing only the squares that appear |
| 5 | Hard | A rule between two figures in the same frame | A turned figure where a mirrored one belongs |
| 6 | Hard | A condition triggered by the movement | Copying an earlier frame because the order repeats |
| 7 | Very hard | An element that gives instructions | Applying the instruction one frame too early |
| 8 | Very hard | A rotation that accelerates | Repeating the last turn |
How to practise after this page
- Redo the ones you missed in two days’ time, without looking at the explanation first. If you get one right only because you remember the answer, the practice did not take.
- Keep a list of your traps. Most candidates fall into the same two or three: timing (acting one frame too early or too late), direction (clockwise or anticlockwise) and stopping after one element. Knowing yours tells you what to check last.
- Move to the clock. Once you get most series right in two minutes, practise at one minute each. The test rewards a quick elimination far more than a perfect proof.
- Guess rather than leave a blank. The AD5 notice sets no penalty for wrong answers, and one clear rule usually leaves you choosing between two options.
60 more series, with the same explanations
The Abstract Reasoning Focus II card has 60 series built from the ten rule families, and Focus III has 60 built on the advanced ones, each with a worked, element-by-element explanation.
See all practice cards → All 60 with Premium · try 5 free questions firstFrequently asked questions
How many questions are in the EPSO abstract reasoning test?
In the AD5 competition (EPSO/AD/427/26), 10 questions in 10 minutes, scored from 0 to 10. It shares a combined pass mark of 10 out of 20 with the numerical reasoning test.
How long should I spend on each question?
About a minute in the real test. When practising on hard series like these, allow up to two minutes, then work towards one. If a question is taking much longer, eliminate what you can, guess and move on.
Is there a penalty for wrong answers?
No. The AD5 notice sets no penalty for wrong answers, so never leave a question blank. Solving one element usually removes two or three options, which makes a guess worthwhile.
Are these the same as EPSO’s questions?
No. They are written by EU Testing in EPSO’s format: five figures in a series and five options. EPSO does not publish its test questions, only a few samples on its website. These are pitched on the hard side on purpose, so that the real test feels manageable.
What should I do if I cannot see the rule?
Solve one element at a time and eliminate. If an element changes with no pattern after three frames, check whether it depends on another element, as in questions 6 and 7, or whether the options even differ in it.
Figures drawn by EU Testing for this article, 25 October 2026. Test format and pass mark: EPSO notice of competition EPSO/AD/427/26.