Nested figures: how the rule works in matrix tests

How the rule works

One figure lies inside another, and the inner one follows a rule of its own: it changes shape row by row, or is distributed as three values over rows and columns. The outer one may follow another rule at the same time, or stand still.

The task therefore has two layers, and they must be read separately. Anyone who sees the cell as a single figure finds no rule at all. Start with the outer one, then the inner one, and check the options against both.

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 inner figure is circle, heptagon and octagon, once in every row and every column.
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: Nested figures.

How to recognise it

Is there a figure inside another? Read the outer shape on its own first.
Then read the inner one: does it change shape along the row, or are three shapes distributed over the matrix?
The answer must match in both layers. The options often differ only in the inner one.

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.