Mixed Deck — All Raven's Progressive Matrices Test Topics Flashcards

4-7 years. Mental/physical issues in older people.

Answer: CPM recommended group

The Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) is specifically designed for younger children, typically aged 5 to 11 years, and for older adults or individuals with cognitive impairments. Its use of color and fewer, simpler items makes it more accessible for these groups. The age range of 4-7 years and the mention of mental/physical issues in older people directly correspond to the recommended demographic for the CPM.

A continuous pattern progression in a Raven's matrix shows a central shape with smaller shapes in the corners. Horizontally, a small circle is added to each subsequent corner in a clockwise manner, starting from the top-left. Vertically, the central shape's color alternates between black and white. If the top-left cell has a white central square and no corner shapes, what does the middle cell (row 2, column 2) of a 3x3 matrix contain?

Answer: A black central square with circles in the top-left and top-right corners.

The top row would be: (1) White square, no circles; (2) White square, top-left circle; (3) White square, top-left & top-right circles. The first column would be: (1) White square, no circles; (2) Black square, no circles; (3) White square, no circles. To find the middle cell (2,2), we combine the rules. It must have a black central square (vertical rule for row 2). It must have one circle added, which is placed in the top-left corner (horizontal rule for column 2). Therefore, the cell at (2,2) will have a black central square with circles in both the top-left and top-right corners, following the progression from cell (2,1) which would have a black square with a top-left circle.

If the RPM score distribution in a clinical sample of individuals with traumatic brain injury is compared to the normative distribution, what shift is typically expected?

Answer: The clinical distribution shifts to the left (lower scores)

TBI commonly impairs fluid intelligence, so the score distribution for this clinical group tends to shift toward lower values compared to normative samples.

A matrix shows shapes that rotate 90° clockwise with each column. If a shape points right in column 1 and down in column 2, what direction does it point in column 3?

Answer: Left

Rotating 90° clockwise: right → down → left, so column 3 points left.

In an RPM matrix, two rectangles overlap. In row 1, the front rectangle is large and the back rectangle is small. In row 2, both rectangles are the same medium size. In row 3, the front rectangle is small and the back rectangle is large. What transformation is occurring across the rows?

Answer: The sizes of the front and back rectangles are progressively swapping

The pattern shows a progressive swap: the front rectangle shrinks while the back rectangle grows, so their size roles exchange across the three rows.

In a Raven's matrix, an inner figure moves one position clockwise within the outer shape for each column from left to right. If the inner figure starts at the top in column 1, where is it in column 3?

Answer: At the bottom — after two clockwise steps from the top

Starting at the top and moving one position clockwise per column: column 1 = top, column 2 = right, column 3 = bottom.

Consider a sequence where a simple shape is transformed. The sequence is: 1. An arrow pointing up. 2. The arrow is rotated 180 degrees. 3. The resulting figure is reflected across a vertical axis. What is the final orientation of the arrow?

Answer: Pointing down.

Step 1: Arrow points up (↑). Step 2: Rotating it 180 degrees makes it point down (↓). Step 3: Reflecting a downward-pointing arrow, which is symmetrical, across a vertical axis results in no visible change. The arrow remains pointing down.

In a 3x3 matrix, the figure in each cell is a polygon. Moving from left to right across each row, one side is added to the polygon. Moving from top to bottom down each column, the polygon rotates 45 degrees clockwise. If the top-left cell contains an upright triangle, what is the figure in the bottom-right cell?

Answer: A pentagon rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

Moving two cells to the right adds two sides (Triangle -> Square -> Pentagon). Moving two cells down results in two 45-degree clockwise rotations (45 + 45 = 90 degrees). Therefore, the figure in the bottom-right cell must be a pentagon rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the original upright position.

In an RPM matrix, three shapes overlap following this rule: the central region (all three overlap) is black, pairwise-only regions are gray, and each shape's exclusive area is white. A fourth shape is added that overlaps only the current central black region. What color is the fourth shape's exclusive non-overlapping area?

Answer: White — exclusive areas of any shape follow the same white rule

The coloring rule assigns white to any area covered by exactly one shape; the fourth shape's exclusive region is covered only by that shape, so it is white.

A matrix has lines at 0°, 45°, and 90° in column 1. Column 2 shows lines at 45°, 90°, and 135°. What rule governs this matrix?

Answer: Each column shifts all angles up by 45°

Every entry in column 2 is exactly 45° greater than the corresponding entry in column 1, indicating each column adds 45° to the set.

In a 3x3 matrix, each cell contains one of three shapes (circle, square, triangle) and has one of three shading patterns (solid, striped, hollow). The matrix follows two distribution rules: each row and column must contain one of each shape, AND each row and column must contain one of each shading pattern. Given the top-left cell is a solid circle and the center cell is a striped square, what must the bottom-right cell be to complete the matrix?

Answer: A hollow triangle

This problem involves two simultaneous distribution rules. For the shapes, each row and column needs one circle, one square, and one triangle. For the shading, each row and column needs one solid, one striped, and one hollow pattern. By analyzing the row and column of the missing cell, you can determine that both a triangle and a hollow pattern are required to satisfy both rules.

Decide what number should be used in place of the question mark.

Answer: 16

A common pattern for such a sequence to result in 16 is a geometric progression where each term is double the previous one. For example, if the sequence was 1, 2, 4, 8, the next number would be 16. Alternatively, an arithmetic progression like 4, 8, 12, would also lead to 16 by adding 4 each time.

A matrix shows a diagonal shading band shifting one column to the right per row: row 1 shades the left section, row 2 shades the middle section. Which section is shaded in the missing row 3 cell?

Answer: Right section

The shaded band moves one position to the right per row, landing on the right section in row 3.

A matrix shows figures with 2, 4, and 6 sides in the first column; 3, 6, and 9 sides in the second column. How many sides would the figures in the third column have?

Answer: 4, 8, 12

Each column multiplies its base value by 1, 2, and 3 going down; the third column's base is 4, giving 4, 8, 12.

When two lines in an RPM cell form an angle of 40°, what is the complementary angle?

Answer: 50°

Complementary angles sum to 90°, so the complement of 40° is 90° − 40° = 50°.

A sequence shows a black dot moving within a 3x3 grid. The first frame shows the dot in the top-left corner. The second frame shows it in the top-center. The third frame shows it in the middle-center. The fourth frame shows it in the middle-right. Which frame correctly shows the fifth position in the sequence?

Answer: A grid with the dot in the bottom-right cell.

The pattern of movement is an alternating sequence: one step to the right, followed by one step down. The sequence is Top-Left -> (move right) -> Top-Center -> (move down) -> Middle-Center -> (move right) -> Middle-Right. The next move must be one step down, placing the dot in the bottom-right cell.

In a standardized RPM norming sample, scores are expected to follow which type of distribution?

Answer: Normal (bell-curve) distribution

RPM norming samples are designed to approximate a normal distribution, enabling percentile rank comparisons across the population.

A 3x3 matrix displays a pattern. In each row, a square containing a single black dot moves from one cell to the next. In the first row, the dot is in the top-left, then top-right, then bottom-right. In the second row, the dot is in the top-right, then bottom-right, then bottom-left. In the third row, the dot is in the bottom-left, then top-left. Which of the following options completes the pattern for the third row?

Answer: A square with a dot in the top-right corner.

The pattern in each row is a 90-degree clockwise rotation of the dot's position around the corners of the square. In the third row, the dot moves from bottom-left to top-left. The next 90-degree clockwise step would move the dot to the top-right corner.

In a Raven's matrix, the top row contains 1 dot, the middle row contains 2 dots, and the bottom row contains 3 dots. What rule governs this pattern?

Answer: The number of dots increases by 1 each row

Each row adds one more dot than the previous, following an arithmetic progression of +1.

Consider a 3x3 matrix where the pattern works down the columns. Column 1: A grid of four squares (2x2), a single black square in the top-left, a grid with only the top-left square missing. Column 2: A circle divided into four quadrants, a black shading in the bottom-right quadrant, a circle with only the bottom-right quadrant empty. Column 3: A diamond shape, a small black dot in the center, a missing figure. What is the missing figure?

Answer: A diamond with a small white dot in the center.

The rule is subtraction operating vertically. The figure in the second cell of the column is 'subtracted' from the figure in the first cell to produce the third. In Column 1, the top-left black square is removed from the grid. In Column 2, the shaded bottom-right quadrant is removed from the circle. Therefore, in Column 3, the small black dot in the center must be removed from the diamond, leaving a diamond with a hole (or a white dot) in the center.