The UCAT Abstract Reasoning section tests your ability to identify patterns. You’ll be presented with a series of abstract shapes where you’ll need to identify patterns amongst other irrelevant material that may hinder your ability to answer correctly. Here are some strategies to tackle this section:

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Brief

1. Know what to look for

• Knowing what to look for only comes through practice. This is a section of the test that candidates are most likely to show significant improvement with just a little practice

2. Investigate the simplest box first

• There is no strict guide on how to spot the pattern, however, a good way to start is by looking at the simplest box (of a set) first

• Your method will be different to everybody else's. Find one that works for you.

3. Go with your instinct

• The old saying "you know, when you know" truly does apply here. Your brain can pick up visual information in patterns before you've had time to consciously rationalise it. You may instinctively feel that a particular image goes with a particular set or perhaps it belongs to neither set. If you feel this inclination, go with it.

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1. Try to spot at least one pattern

Questions will often include more than one pattern. You’ll often get some points if you can only spot one of them. Always think about finding the possibility of another pattern as it is usually not that simple otherwise “neither” would never be a viable option

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2. Know your intersections

The edges of the boxes are not intersections. If the line does not cross over, it is not an intersection.

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3. Use elimination strategies

It’s worth rote learning rules about what patterns random shapes can have. If you get a hexagon, rule out curves. If you get an oval rule out angles.

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Commonly Tested

1. Position

2. Rotation and Orientation

3. Symmetry

4. Colour

5. Order

6. Numbers

7. Angles

8. Intersections

9. Reflection

10. Curved Sides/Straight Sides

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