Conditional rule: how the rule works in matrix tests

How the rule works

One attribute governs another: if the shape is a triangle it is always striped, if the first symbol is a ring the second is always a diamond. The link is the same throughout the matrix, but which value sits where may follow another rule.

It is a rule about pairs, not about direction. It is invisible if you read the row as a series, and only shows when you compare cells that have the same shape or the same first symbol. Two cells with the same condition must look the same in what is conditioned.

Solved example

The bottom right cell is the answer, marked. The explanation below the matrix is the same text the app gives.

Rules in the example

The first symbol determines the second symbol: plus means plus, dot means dot and ring means ring.
Everything else is the same in every cell.

Level 2 in the app. The same example is shown in the app after a wrong answer on this rule. Rules in the example: Conditional rule.

How to recognise it

Find two cells with the same shape or the same first symbol. Do they also have the same fill or second symbol?
Write down the pairs: triangle means striped, square means solid. Check that no pair breaks.
Decide the empty cell's condition from the row or column, then look up the pair.

More about the format: what a matrix reasoning test is and how logical reasoning tests are used in recruitment.

Practise for real.

In the app the tasks are generated on the phone and the answer explains every rule. Five tasks are free; the rest unlocks with a one-time purchase.

Get it on the App Store

Requires an iPhone with iOS 17 or later.