The main verbal and non-verbal reasoning question types in 11+ practice papers, what each one asks, and a tip for each.
Reasoning questions look strange the first time a child sees them, but each type follows a small set of rules. Once your child can name the type and knows the trick for it, these become some of the most improvable questions on the paper.
Verbal reasoning questions use words, letters and numbers. They reward a good vocabulary, careful reading and spotting patterns.
| Question type | What it asks | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Hidden Word | Find a word hidden across the end of one word and the start of the next. | Read the letters across each join slowly, out loud if it helps. |
| Missing Letters | Add the letters that complete a word in a sentence. | Read the whole sentence first so you know what the word means. |
| Letter Sequences and Number Sequences | Spot the pattern and find the next item. | Write the gaps between items. Patterns sometimes alternate. |
| Compound Words | Join two words to make a new one. | Try each option after the given word and say it out loud. |
| Closest Meaning and Opposite Meaning | Choose words with the same or opposite meaning. | Build vocabulary through reading; check the word type matches. |
| Letter-Word and Number-Word Codes | Work out a code and use it on a new word. | Line up the letters with their code and look for a shift. |
| Move a Letter | Move one letter from one word to another so both make new words. | Check that both new words are real words. |
| Anagrams and Shuffled Sentences | Rearrange letters or words to make sense. | Look for common endings such as -ing or -ed first. |
| Complete the Sum and Related Numbers | Find the missing number that makes a calculation or pattern work. | Work out the side without the gap first. |
| Explore the Facts and Solve the Riddle | Use a set of facts to answer a logic question. | Draw a quick table or diagram of the facts. |
Non-verbal reasoning questions use shapes and patterns instead of words. The key skill is checking one feature at a time: shape, shading, size, number, position and direction.
| Question type | What it asks | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Odd One Out | Find the figure that does not share the rule the others follow. | Check shape, shading, number, size and direction one at a time. |
| Find the Figure Like the First Two or Three | Choose the option that follows the same rule as the examples. | Name the rule in words before looking at the options. |
| Complete the Series, Pair and Grid | Continue a sequence, copy a change, or fill a missing square. | Track one feature at a time across the sequence. |
| Rotation and Reflection | Spot a shape that has been turned rather than flipped, or the reverse. | Follow one distinctive corner or mark. |
| Hidden Shape | Find which figure contains a given shape. | Trace the outline with a finger on each option. |
| Fold and Punch, Fold Along the Line | Work out what paper looks like once unfolded, or a shape folded over a line. | Unfold one step at a time, mirroring across each fold. |
| Cubes and Nets | Match a net to the cube it folds into. | Opposite faces can never be seen together. |
| 2D Views of 3D Shapes, 3D Building Blocks, 3D Rotation | See a 3D shape from another direction or after turning it. | Count cubes row by row; build with blocks if you can. |
| Horizontal and Vertical Codes | Match each feature of a figure to a code letter. | Find two figures that share one letter and compare them. |
| Connecting Shapes | Find the piece that completes a shape. | Count the squares that are left over. |
Our GL Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning packs cover all of these question types, with an explanation for every answer.