Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning — General Intelligence & Reasoning Notes for AAI Junior Executive (Civil)

Part 1 of 2

Non-Verbal Reasoning — Figure Series, Analogy & Classification

Last reviewed 22 Sept 2026 · 5 min read

Look for six things, in this order

Any change between two figures is one or more of:

Rotation — the whole figure turns, usually $45°$ , $90°$ or $180°$ , clockwise or anticlockwise.
Reflection — the figure is flipped about a line; a rotation can never turn a shape into its mirror image.
Movement — one element moves a fixed number of positions round the figure each step.
Addition or removal — a line, dot or arm appears or disappears.
Shading — a shaded part moves, swaps with an unshaded one, or spreads.
Counting — the number of sides, dots or lines increases or decreases by a fixed amount.

Exam TipDescribe before you choose

Say the change in one sentence — "the arrow turns 90° clockwise and the dot moves one corner anticlockwise" — before you look at the options. A described rule can be applied; an unspoken impression cannot.

Figure series

Four or five figures follow a rule; the next one is asked for. Two habits make this quick:

Track one element at a time. Follow only the dot through all the figures, then only the arrow. A rule that applies to two elements at once is really two simple rules.
Use the step count. If a shape moves two positions each time round an eight-position frame, it returns to its start after four steps — which often identifies the answer without drawing.

Figure analogy

Figure A becomes B in some way; apply the same change to C. The change is described exactly as above. Watch two things: whether the size changed, and whether the change is a rotation or a reflection — the two look alike for symmetric shapes and are told apart by any asymmetric mark.

Figure classification

Four figures share a property and one does not. Common properties: the number of lines or sides, the presence of a curve, symmetry, whether the shape is closed, whether all elements are of the same type, and whether the figure can be drawn without lifting the pen.

Rotation versus reflection

RememberThe test that settles it

Rotation preserves the order of elements going clockwise; reflection reverses it. So if three marks read A, B, C clockwise in the first figure and A, C, B clockwise in the second, it is a reflection, however much it looks like a turn.

Worked examples

Worked ExampleExample 1 — a plain rotation

An arrow points north in figure 1, north-east in figure 2, east in figure 3. Where does it point in figure 4?

Solution. It turns $45°$ clockwise each time → south-east.

Worked ExampleExample 2 — two elements

A square has a dot in the top-left corner and a line along the top edge. In the next figure the dot is top-right and the line along the right edge. What comes next?

Solution. Both move one position clockwise → dot at bottom-right, line along the bottom edge.

Worked ExampleExample 3 — counting

The figures contain 3, 5, 7 and 9 lines. How many lines does the next figure contain?

Solution. Two more each time → 11.

Worked ExampleExample 4 — addition and removal

Each figure gains one arm and loses one dot. If figure 3 has 5 arms and 2 dots, what does figure 5 have?

Solution. Two steps later → 7 arms and 0 dots.

Worked ExampleExample 5 — shading

In a circle divided into four, the shaded quarter moves one place anticlockwise each step, starting at the top-right. Where is it in the fourth figure?

Solution. Top-right → top-left → bottom-left → bottom-right.

Worked ExampleExample 6 — analogy

A right-pointing triangle with a dot at its apex becomes a left-pointing triangle with the dot at its apex. Apply the same change to a right-pointing arrow with a circle at its tail.

Solution. The figure is reflected left-to-right, carrying its parts with it → a left-pointing arrow with the circle at its tail.

Worked ExampleExample 7 — classification by symmetry

Which is the odd one out: a square, a rectangle, a rhombus, a scalene triangle?

Solution. The first three have at least two lines of symmetry; the scalene triangle has none.

Worked ExampleExample 8 — rotation or reflection

A figure has marks P, Q, R reading clockwise. In the next figure they read P, R, Q clockwise. Is this a rotation or a reflection?

Solution. The clockwise order has reversed → a reflection.

Worked ExampleExample 9 — a returning element

A dot moves three positions clockwise round an eight-position frame in each step. After how many steps does it return to its starting position?

Solution. It needs a multiple of 8: $3 k \equiv 0 (mod 8)$ → $k =$ 8 steps.

Worked ExampleExample 10 — eliminating options

The rule is "rotate $90°$ anticlockwise and shade the smaller shape". Two options show the correct rotation but only one shades the smaller shape.

Solution. Check the parts of the rule one at a time against every option: the first test usually removes two options and the second removes the rest.

Part 2 of 2

Analogy

Last reviewed 22 Sept 2026 · 6 min read

What the question is really asking

An analogy gives one pair whose members are related in a definite way, and asks for another pair related in exactly the same way. The safest method never looks at the options first:

Say the relationship aloud in a full sentence, using both words: "A pen is the tool a writer works with."
Put the first word of each option into that same sentence.
Only one option will fit in the same direction and at the same level.

Exam TipDirection matters

"Doctor : Patient" is not the same as "Patient : Doctor". If the first pair runs cause → effect, the answer must run cause → effect too, never the reverse.

The relationships that appear again and again

Type	Example	The sentence to say
Synonym	Huge : Enormous	"Huge means the same as enormous"
Antonym	Ancient : Modern	"Ancient is the opposite of modern"
Worker and tool	Carpenter : Chisel	"A carpenter works with a chisel"
Worker and workplace	Teacher : School	"A teacher works in a school"
Part and whole	Petal : Flower	"A petal is a part of a flower"
Individual and class	Sparrow : Bird	"A sparrow is a kind of bird"
Raw material and product	Wheat : Bread	"Bread is made from wheat"
Cause and effect	Virus : Disease	"A virus causes disease"
Unit and measure	Metre : Length	"A metre measures length"
Instrument and measurement	Thermometer : Temperature	"A thermometer measures temperature"
Animal and young one	Cow : Calf	"A calf is the young of a cow"
Study and subject	Ornithology : Birds	"Ornithology is the study of birds"
Symbol and thing	Dove : Peace	"A dove is the symbol of peace"
Degree or intensity	Warm : Hot	"Warm is a milder form of hot"

Number analogies

Look for one rule that turns the first number into the second: a constant difference, a ratio, a power, a cube or square with an adjustment, or a digit operation.

Common patterns: $n \to n^{2}$ ; $n \to n^{3}$ ; $n \to n^{2} + 1$ ; $n \to n (n + 1)$ ; sum or product of the digits; the next prime; reverse of the number.

Letter analogies

Number the alphabet $A = 1$ to $Z = 26$ and compare positions. Typical rules: a fixed forward or backward shift, opposite letters (the EJOTY trick: $A \leftrightarrow Z$ , $B \leftrightarrow Y$ , and in general the pair sums to 27), the same shift applied to each letter of a group, or reversing the letters.

RememberTwo alphabet facts worth memorising

Opposite pairs add to 27: $A (1) + Z (26)$ , $C (3) + X (24)$ , $M (13) + N (14)$ .
EJOTY: E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25 — lets you place any letter in two steps.

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Non-Verbal Reasoning — Figure Series, Analogy & Classification

Look for six things, in this order

Figure series

Figure analogy

Figure classification

Rotation versus reflection

Worked examples

Analogy

What the question is really asking

The relationships that appear again and again

Number analogies

Letter analogies

Finished reading? Test yourself.