Let’s look at an example #1 X X X X X
X X X X
X
X X X X X X
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How would you select the correct answer? First look at the overall pattern. The lower right corner is missing, and that is the piece you must find among the possible answers to complete the pattern in its entirety. Answer No. 1 is wrong. The x’s are in the wrong place to complete the pattern as it has been established. Answer No. 2 is wrong for the same reason. Answer No. 3 is blank, and there are no other blank spaces, so it won’t complete the pattern either. Both Answer No. 4 and No. 6 are diamonds. These answers can’t be correct, because there are no diamonds in the pattern. That leaves No. 5 as the correct answer. The x’s are the right kind of symbol, and their position is in accordance with the established pattern. Thus, by choosing No. 5, you would complete the entire pattern. Let us look at example # 2 X X
X 1
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Look at the pattern which has been established. There are two x’s on one side and an arrow on the other side. The missing piece you are asked to find is at the bottom right‐hand corner. With this particular pattern, what is the correct answer? Answers No. 1, 2, 4, and 5 are symbols which do not appear in the pattern. Thus, none of them can be the correct answer. Answer No. 3 is not the correct answer, because it would not finish the pattern that has been established, as there are no x’s on the right side of the pattern that you can see. No. 6 is the correct answer, because if a check mark is placed on the bottom right corner of the pattern, you will have the completed design: 2 x’s on the left, 2 arrows on the right. Let us try an example # 3 X t X t x
t X X x
t t t X t t t
X X
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Look at the pattern. It consists of nine boxes with three different kinds of symbols. IN the first column down the pattern, a single O is in the top box, two O’s in the middle box, and three O’s in the bottom box. The second column is of x’s in the same arrangement. In the third column, there are crosses. You know from the arrangement of the pattern that you are looking for a box with crosses, and one that has three crosses in it. Answer No. 3 is correct. Answer No. 1 also has three crosses, but the arrrangment of the crosses in this box was not the same as the arrangement of the three O’s and x’s in their boxes. The pattern must match in every detail. In the three examples you have worked, you can see that there is logical order to the patterns. They are not random, and from looking at the pattern, you can understand how the design has been started. You are always asked to find the last piece on the bottom right‐hand corner to complete it. Now try one on your own: Example # 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 Answer No. 5 is the correct one. The pattern is a reverse one on the two sides, with the middle row as a constant. You may see different kinds of patterns in this test. Some patterns, such as example No. 2, are established from left to right. Other patterns, such as example No. 3 are established from top to bottom. Still other patterns, such as examples No. 1 and 4, are a combination of the horizontal and vertical. In selecting the correct answer, it is sometimes helpful to eliminate answers which are obviously wrong. In example No. 4, it would be easy to eliminate the answer with an o in it, as the o is only found in the middle column. Thus, you have only five other possible answers and you can work through them to eliminate the wrong choices.