What is on the 11 plus (11+) non-verbal reasoning exam?

The main question types

Each of these asks your child to spot a rule in a set of shapes or images, then apply the same rule somewhere new:

• Odd one out: given a set of images, work out which one doesn’t fit with the rest.
• Matrix questions: complete a grid by working out the rule its rows and columns follow, then apply it to find the missing shape.
• Sequences: work out the pattern in a run of shapes and choose the one that completes it.
• Shape pairs: given a complete pair and an incomplete one, work out the rule that changes the first shape into the second, then apply it.
• Codes: each image carries a two or three-letter code, with a feature of the image represented by each letter. Work out which feature each letter stands for, then choose the code for a new image.

None of these needs any outside knowledge. What slows children down first time round is the instructions themselves, which is exactly what familiarity removes.

Spatial reasoning

Some papers test spatial reasoning as its own component alongside the pattern-based types above, most commonly nets (working out which 3D shape a flat, unfolded pattern would fold into), rotations and reflections, and ‘most alike’ groupings based on shared features. Several GL-style areas describe the whole component as ‘non-verbal and spatial reasoning’ rather than non-verbal reasoning alone, worth knowing if your target area uses that phrase.

Spatial questions ask your child to hold a shape in their head and manipulate it, turning it, folding it or flipping it, rather than comparing what’s printed on the page. It’s a distinct skill from flat pattern-matching, so if your area includes it, give it practice in its own right; general non-verbal reasoning work doesn’t fully cover it.

Where it sits in each area’s exam

In several GL-style areas, non-verbal reasoning is paired with maths in the second of two papers. Kent gives it a booklet of its own, shared with verbal reasoning. In the West Midlands and Trafford it gets its own timed section inside each of the two all-subjects papers. Henrietta Barnett’s first round allows just 10 minutes for 20 non-verbal reasoning questions, so pace counts as much as accuracy. Gloucestershire and Trafford are both switching to a curriculum-based test from 2028 entry, so check which test your child’s year group will be sitting.

Sutton’s SET and Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet don’t test reasoning of either kind, so read your target school’s admissions information before assuming anything.

Top tips

• Not every exam includes it; Sutton’s SET and Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet leave reasoning out entirely.
• If your area calls the paper ‘non-verbal and spatial reasoning’, make sure your child has practised nets and rotations as well as pattern and matrix questions.
• Learn each question type’s instructions in advance; these papers are often tightly timed.
• Practise on paper if your child’s exam is printed; diagram-heavy questions are easy to misread on a small screen image.
• Where non-verbal reasoning sits inside an all-subjects paper, rehearse the change of gear from other question types rather than always working it alone.
• These arrangements are current at the time of writing; look the details up again close to registration.

How to prepare

Once your child recognises the question types on sight, the highest-value practice is timed repetition across a mix of them, including spatial questions if your area tests those too. For the week-by-week detail on how much to practise and when, read our guide on how to improve your child’s 11+ non-verbal reasoning.