Best Method for Ravens Matrices Test Prep

TESTINGMOM – The Trusted Leader in Gifted Test Prep

Join the 1 Million+ families who we have helped over the last 15 years.

Practice Matrix and Figural Reasoning

Raven’s questions use visual patterns rather than relying heavily on reading, vocabulary, or learned academic knowledge. Helpful practice includes:

• Figure matrices
• Pattern completion
• Visual analogies
• Shape sequences
• Classification
• Spatial reasoning
• Logic puzzles
• Rotation and transformation of figures

NNAT-style questions can also provide useful practice because they exercise many similar nonverbal reasoning skills. However, practice should include a variety of figural and matrix reasoning problems rather than focusing exclusively on one other assessment.

Start Easy and Build Difficulty

Regardless of your child’s age or grade, begin with easier visual reasoning problems and gradually increase the difficulty.

Raven’s questions become progressively more challenging. Starting with simpler problems allows your child to learn how patterns work before tackling questions that combine multiple rules.

As your child progresses, encourage them to ask:

• What changes from one figure to the next?
• What stays the same?
• Are shapes being added or removed?
• Are figures rotating or changing position?
• Does the number, size, shading, or direction change?
• Are two or more rules working together?

The goal is to help your child develop a systematic approach to solving unfamiliar visual problems.

Build Figure Matrix Skills

Figure matrices require children to examine how several images relate to one another and determine the missing piece.

Instead of simply asking, “Which answer looks right?” encourage your child to identify the rule first. Once your child understands the relationship among the figures, they can use that rule to eliminate choices that don’t belong.

These activities strengthen logical thinking, visual analysis, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills that are useful well beyond the Raven’s assessment.

What Is Raven’s Progressive Matrices?

Raven’s Progressive Matrices is a family of nonverbal assessments designed to measure observation, abstract reasoning, pattern recognition, and clear-thinking ability.

Students are typically shown a visual design or matrix with a piece missing. They must analyze the relationships among the figures and select the answer that correctly completes the pattern.

The problems generally become more difficult as the assessment progresses.

Different Versions of Raven’s Progressive Matrices

Several versions are available for different ages and ability levels.

Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM)

Designed primarily for children ages 5–11, CPM contains 36 items divided into three sets. Many items use color, with more difficult items presented in black and white.

The assessment is untimed and typically takes approximately 15–30 minutes.

Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM)

SPM can be used with children ages 6–16 and adults. It contains 60 black-and-white items divided into five sets of 12.

Questions become increasingly difficult and require progressively more complex visual and logical reasoning. The assessment is untimed and typically takes approximately 20–45 minutes.

Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM)

APM is intended for adolescents and adults with above-average reasoning ability. It contains 48 items divided into sets of 12 and 36 and is the most challenging of the classic Raven’s versions.

Untimed administration generally takes approximately 40–60 minutes.

Raven’s 2

Raven’s 2 (Raven’s Progressive Matrices Second Edition) is a newer version designed for a broad age range of 4–90 years.

It measures nonverbal reasoning using visual problems and can be administered digitally or with paper-and-pencil materials.

Helping Your Child Prepare

Keep practice positive and age-appropriate. Short, regular sessions are often more productive than long practice sessions.

As your child improves:

1. Begin with simple patterns and matrices.
2. Ask your child to explain the rule.
3. Introduce problems with more than one changing feature.
4. Practice eliminating answers that don’t follow the rule.
5. Gradually introduce more difficult questions.

Most importantly, teach your child to think through a new problem, not memorize an answer.

With practice, children can become more comfortable approaching unfamiliar visual puzzles and more confident explaining the reasoning behind their choices.

See if TestingMom.com supports your child’s test by your school district. If you don't see your child's school district listed, check with us! We have practice for other tests as well.