Aptitude test preparation: item types, strategies, timing
Aptitude tests used by employers, public agencies, the military, police forces and universities differ in detail, but the reasoning section almost always consists of the same five to eight item types. Anyone who knows these types and has a fixed procedure for each no longer loses time working out what is being asked. According to the research on practice effects, that is where most of the gain comes from.
The item types and where they appear
- Number series. In almost every test, from the Wonderlic to the CogAT to Mensa pre-tests. A sequence of numbers follows a rule, and you find the next one.
- Figure matrices. The core of Raven's tests and of every culture-fair procedure. A 3×3 grid follows rules across rows and columns, the last cell is missing.
- Figure series. CogAT, NNAT, most assessment-centre tests. Four figures change step by step, you pick the fifth.
- Mirror images and rotations. Wonderlic, CogAT, technical aptitude tests, police and military. Spatial reasoning under time pressure.
- Operators and arithmetic. Clerical, banking, military. Number sense under time pressure, not higher mathematics.
- Digit span and memory items. A subtest of the Wechsler scales, in many aptitude tests as a memory section.
- Analogies and verbal relations. Language-bound tests such as the Wonderlic. Transfer the relation between two words to a second pair.
Number series: take the differences
The first step is always the same: write down the differences between neighbouring numbers. If they are constant, the series is arithmetic. If they grow evenly, take the differences of the differences. If they grow fast, check multiplication: each number divided by the previous one. If the values jump back and forth, two interleaved series are likely, so look at every other number. If nothing fits, check alternating operations such as times 2, minus 3, times 2, minus 3, and the classics: squares, cubes, primes and Fibonacci.
That order covers over ninety percent of test items in practice. The rest is a matter of time: if you see no rule after thirty seconds, guess and move on.
Matrices: check attributes one at a time
A matrix is not solved as a whole but attribute by attribute. Shape, count, fill, rotation, size, position. For each attribute there are only a few possible rules: constant across each row, constant down each column, each value exactly once per row and column, or increasing left to right or top to bottom. As soon as the rule for one attribute is fixed, cross out every answer option that violates it. Usually only one option remains after two attributes. In detail: how to solve matrix reasoning.
Figure series: note the step
In figure series the figure is not what matters, the change between two figures is. For each attribute ask: how many degrees does it rotate per step, and in which direction? How does the count change? Does the fill toggle every step or every second step? Once you know the steps for all attributes, carry each one step further and you have constructed the answer before you look at the options. That is faster and safer than comparing options.
Mirror images: pick one detail
Three figures are rotations of the same figure, one is mirrored. Pick a distinctive detail, for instance which way a tip points relative to the stem, and walk through the figure's details clockwise. Rotation keeps that order, mirroring reverses it. This works regardless of the angle and without rotating the figure in your head.
Operators: work from the result
For "4 ? 3 ? 2 = 10", start with the result. If it is larger than every number involved, there is a multiplication in it. If it is smaller than the largest number, a subtraction or division. Then compute the one or two plausible combinations, with precedence. Checking all combinations systematically takes too long.
Digit span: chunk
Holding digits one by one overloads working memory from about seven items. Chunk them in groups of two or three and say them as numbers: 47, 12, 9 instead of 4, 7, 1, 2, 9. For the backwards version, hold the sequence as an image and read it from the right rather than reversing it.
Managing the clock
Most tests are designed so that nobody finishes. That is intentional. Three rules follow. First: never get stuck on one item. If you have no approach after a minute, guess and move on; in most tests guessing costs nothing. Second: known types first. If you are confident with number series, do those first and keep the hard matrices for the end, where the format allows it. Third: practice under a time limit beforehand. Anyone who never had a clock running in training underestimates how fast five seconds per item go in the real thing.
How much preparation makes sense
The practice effect kicks in fast. The meta-analysis by Hausknecht et al. (2007) shows that a single repetition of a test format raises performance by about a quarter of a standard deviation. Two to three weeks at twenty minutes a day is enough to have seen every type several times and to have internalized the strategies. Practising longer adds little because the effect saturates. What does not work is general brain training as a substitute, see Can you train your IQ?
Frequently asked questions
How long should you prepare for an aptitude test?
Two to three weeks at about twenty minutes a day is enough to have seen every item type several times and to have internalized the strategies. The practice effect kicks in quickly and then saturates.
Can you practice for an aptitude test?
Yes. Item types are very similar across tests, and familiarity with the format demonstrably raises scores by several points.
What should you do with an item you cannot solve?
Guess and move on. Almost all aptitude tests are designed so that nobody finishes, and wrong answers usually cost no points.
IQ Prep drills exactly these item types under test conditions, with an explanation after every answer. Free to try, full version $4.99 one time, no subscription.
Get the app