These days, all the talk revolves around STEM skills. Those are Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. As our world becomes ever more digital, STEM skills are in high demand.
However, building STEM skills doesn't just entail studying science, maths and engineering. The ability to imagine a project from inception to conclusion is an integral part of this skill set. For that, you need to think logically, recognise patterns and use visual information.
The 11 Plus exam includes a component that will test your child's capacity to use visual information in problem-solving tasks. This part of the exam presents test takers with a paper that appears to be nothing but shapes and doodles. Their mission is to spot patterns and respond according to the prompt.
Note that not every grammar school administers this test. When you and your child attend your chosen campus' Open Day, you should ask about their 11 Plus exam particulars. Still, even if your chosen school doesn't include this ordeal, building spatial skills and logical thinking will benefit your child.
In this article, we discuss non verbal reasoning tests. As you read, you'll discover:
- what non verbal reasoning is
- what a non verbal reasoning test looks like
- how to build skills ahead of your child's non verbal test
- detail the types of non verbal questions on the 11 Plus exam
What Is Non Verbal Reasoning?
Let's say you're parking your car. You must consider many factors, such as how far you'll walk from your car to your intended destination. You may search for a parking space between two shops you plan to visit to minimise your walking distance. Once you find a likely spot, you may check the pavement to make sure you won't step into a puddle when you exit your vehicle.
You'll size up possible parking spaces to see if your car will be safe from accidental hits. You'll assess whether your doors will open wide enough to let you out. If you're parallel parking, you'll gauge your car's length from boot to bonnet against the available space.
All this draws on your non verbal reasoning abilities. This mystical-sounding practice is the capacity to problem-solve using logic and visual reasoning. You've been cultivating this ability all of your life, even if you're not aware you have it.
Your 11-Plus child has likely never parked a car. However, they've probably played with match-the-shape toys and puzzles. Stacking blocks and rings by size and even Lego building sets cause your child to process visual information and arrive at logical conclusions. Those pastimes build their non verbal reasoning capacities.
This type of reasoning is also called visual thinking, picture thinking and spatial learning. Though typically 'assigned' to the sighted, vision-impaired people also develop these talents. Indeed, they may even have a slight advantage in non verbal reasoning than their sighted peers.
You might wonder what all this has to do with STEM fields. Consider an engineer with no capacity to visualise solutions. Or an architect incapable of plotting a structure's properties so it won't collapse.
As an overall breakdown of skills, these real-life examples should give you an idea of what non verbal reasoning is. As your child prepares for their 11 Plus exam, you may even consider reinforcing your own non verbal abilities. Practising with non verbal reasoning practice papers would be just the ticket.
What Are Non Verbal Reasoning Tests Like?
If you've ever taken an intelligence quotient (IQ) test, you have experience with non verbal reasoning tests. It was the part of the challenge that instructed you to study three or four images and project what the next image would look like. Or you had to select which shape or drawing didn't fit the pattern.
You will find a good sampling of such questions on the Mensa website. Mensa is the world's most renowned and oldest high-IQ society. Becoming a member of this elite group entails taking an intelligence test. These tests include non verbal reasoning questions.
Imagine four black-and-white diagrams of figures that look like ants. They have antennae, legs, segmented bodies and they all appear to march in the same direction. You must study them closely to find the one with minute differences. That mutant ant is the correct answer to these types of non verbal questions.
Provided your grammar school includes this component, your 11 Plus child will answer 80 such questions. This part of the exam typically breaks into four parts of 20 questions each. Every segment presents a different type of non verbal challenge. Your child to have one hour to complete the paper.
Unlike their 11 Plus Maths papers, your child won't have free rein to run through these non verbal reasoning questions. Each 20-question segment is timed; students must wait until the exam invigilator instructs them to begin the next section. Any student who hasn't finished a section when the invigilator calls time must leave those questions unanswered.
Preparing for a Non Verbal Test
As your child will have a time limit for each non verbal exam section, they must hone their spatial and visualisation skills. It takes a while to train one's brain for that type of intelligence. The sooner you start, the better your child will fare on their exam.
Unlike preparing for the 11 Plus verbal reasoning exam, non verbal test practice is lighthearted and enjoyable. At that age, your child is too old to stack rings and match shapes. However, they're just the right age for Legos and puzzles. These activities make a nice preamble to more serious work ahead.
YouTube hosts several channels that post 'find the difference' videos. They feature a series of paired images with the second one having minor differences. The viewer has 90 seconds to spot three mistakes in the second frame. Some pairings are harder to tell apart than others.
A few months before your child will sit their exam, you should start introducing time limits on their visualisation activities. A minute and a half is generous, considering they will have a bit less than 60 seconds for each exam question. Still, 90 seconds is a good place to start; you can winnow the time down as they improve.
You can find other non verbal puzzles for your child to practise with. You might search your favourite web browser for 'logic puzzles', 'visual puzzles' and 'non verbal reasoning puzzles'. Here again, you'll find an assortment of question types that feature on the 11 Plus exams.
As you inch closer to test day, introduce printed non verbal test questions. This will help your child get used to actual exam conditions. The paper exercises will be slightly different from the online ones you've played with. They will likely contain only black-and-white images, some simpler than others.
Types of Non Verbal Questions
As you scour web pages, it helps to know what types of puzzles to look for. You need the types of puzzles and games that will help your child build speed and ability. You also need the types of non verbal questions that they'll likely see on the exam.
Generally, these questions address two competencies: interpreting shapes and manipulating them. Shape interpretation questions are fairly easy. 'Odd one out' questions challenge students to spot the drawing that doesn't fit with the others. 'Matching groups' questions task them to determine which pictures or items go together.
Matrix puzzles are a bit more complex. They present squares with one number inside each save for one, which contains an X. Your child must decide which number X represents.
Code-cracking puzzles look like matrices but alongside each row of numbers, you'll find a hint. Your child must think about each given hint to arrive at the correct code. Many students find these puzzles difficult but with practice, your child will relish the challenge.
Some puzzle aficionados contend that shape manipulation questions are easier than code-cracking questions. These include estimating what a shape might look like from above or when rotated and/or reversed. Others task students with estimating what one part of a shape might look like.
'Nets and Cubes' or 'cube nets' puzzles lay out several diagrams. The students must visualise folding these shapes - nets, to determine which one(s) will make a complete cube.
Answers are typically in multiple-choice format. For instance, a 'net and cube' question might provide four options to choose from: "1, 3, and 5"; "2, 3, and 6" and so on. By contrast, your child might need to write in their code-cracking answer.
Other than that, your child will have little writing to do - unlike for their 11 Plus English paper. However, 11 Plus exams are school-specific. Your college may structure their non verbal questions to call for a written answer.
Remember that your chosen grammar school may not include a non verbal reasoning component in their 11 Plus exam. Still, these are good brain training exercises that will benefit your child. You may introduce such puzzles as a break from English and maths practice, just to keep their minds engaged.
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