Rule type in matrix reasoning tests

Movement along a path

How the rule works

Something moves the same number of steps from cell to cell: a dot walking around the edge, arrows turning a fixed number of degrees, a figure changing place in the grid. The direction can be one thing to the right and another downwards.

It is a rule about position, not about shape. The figure is the same in every cell; only where it stands or which way it points changes. Anyone looking at what is drawn instead of where misses it.

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 figure alternates between standing and lying with every step to the right and every step downwards.
  • Everything else is the same in every cell.

Level 1 in the app. The same example is shown in the app after a wrong answer on this rule. Rules in the example: Movement along a path.

How to recognise it

  1. Follow the dot or arrow with your eyes along the first row. Does it move the same distance every time?
  2. Do the same downwards in the first column. The step may be different there.
  3. Move the second cell of the last row one more step. That is the empty cell.

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.