Rule type in matrix reasoning tests

Patterns cancelling out

How the rule works

The third cell in every row is the first two laid on top of each other, but whatever is in both is removed. A line present in both cell one and two is therefore missing from cell three. The rule applies to lines, sectors and arrows, in rows and in columns.

It is the rule most people miss on a first task, because the third cell can look sparser than the two before it. Anyone who thinks things disappear at random has not noticed that what disappears is always what the two have in common.

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 third cell is the first two laid on top of each other, but lines present in both disappear. This holds in rows and columns.
  • 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: Patterns cancelling out.

How to recognise it

  1. Is the third cell sparser than you expected after combining the first two?
  2. Look for a line present in both cell one and two. If it is missing from cell three, this is the rule.
  3. Combine the first two cells in the last row and remove what they share.

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.