How to solve: Raven-Style Patterns
What this category tests
Measures abstract nonverbal reasoning through matrix-completion puzzles — spotting how figures change across rows and columns of a grid and identifying the missing piece that keeps every rule consistent.
Where this typology comes from
Developed by psychologist John C. Raven in 1936 while working alongside geneticist Lionel Penrose, and first published in 1938. Raven built the test explicitly on Charles Spearman's theory of general intelligence ("g"), aiming to isolate pure abstract reasoning from language, culture, and prior schooling — which is why Raven's matrices remain one of the most widely used nonverbal IQ measures today.
How to approach it
Analyze each row and each column separately before trying to see the grid as a whole — most grids follow one of a few standard rules: a constant feature, a quantitative progression, or a change that must appear (or not repeat) somewhere in every row and column. Once you have a candidate rule, test it against every completed row and column, not just the one containing the missing cell. Only then pick the option that satisfies every rule simultaneously.
Worked example
In this 2x2 grid, the size of the circle changes according to a consistent rule across each row and down each column. What should replace the question mark?
- A circle larger than every other circle in the grid ✓ Correct answer
- A circle the same size as the one directly above it
- A square the same size as the largest circle
- A circle smaller than the one directly above it
Explanation Reading left to right, each circle in a row is larger than the one before it by a fixed amount — and the same growth happens reading top to bottom down each column. Since the missing cell is at the bottom-right, it inherits that growth from both directions, making it the largest circle in the grid.
Practice Raven-Style Patterns
- Raven-Style Pattern Matrices I · 12 questions · Difficulty 3 out of 5
- Raven-Style Pattern Matrices II · 12 questions · Difficulty 3 out of 5
- Raven-Style III — Figure Overlay (Addition/Subtraction) · 12 questions · Difficulty 4 out of 5
- Raven Style IV — Distribution of Three / Distribution of Two · 12 questions · Difficulty 4 out of 5