Pattern recognition test: letter, number and figure patterns
Find the next step in letter, number and figure patterns, then check the reasoning.
15 questions
8 min
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About this test
This test asks what comes next in letter sequences, number sequences, and figure series. It reports accuracy for each of the three materials so you can see whether a pattern type, not patterns in general, was the difficulty.
What this test looks at
letter pattern · 5
number pattern · 5
figure pattern · 5
Time
8 minutes
Questions
15
Result
score by question type, every answer explained
Figures need to be clearly visible; retakes may include familiar questions.
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Your progress
A solved example, not scored
The missing tile
Why: each row keeps its shape while the number of shapes grows one, two, three, left to right, so the missing tile is three outlined squares.
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Practise this type with hints
Practice letter, number and figure patterns with three hints: where to look, the rule, then the worked solution. Practice questions — they don’t affect your test result.
5 questions · untimed · 3 hints each · free, no sign-up
Learn the rules, try a puzzle and use a hint when you need one.
Your answers are never sent to us. We count how many hints are opened, never which answer you chose; on test pages, masked session replay may record your clicks (privacy section 2.6).
Five patterns, solved step by step
Five fixed patterns: letter series and number series, and a series of figures. Turn letters into their places in the alphabet before you open the first hint, and write the gaps under numbers: most patterns give themselves away there.
Example 1: Letter series
What comes next? Counting wraps around: after Z comes A.
JKLMNO?
A O
B Q
C R
D P
Hint 1: where to look
Work out the distance between every neighbouring pair of the 6 letters. Do the distances agree?
Hint 2: the rule
Each letter sits a fixed number of places beyond the last. The first jump is J→K, 1 place, as "J", "K", "L" confirm. Use the same jump from the end.
Hint 3: worked solution
Every letter is the same jump on from its neighbour (J→K, 1 place).
The row finishes with "N", "O".
One more jump from the last letter, wrapping past Z if needed, gives "P".
Now find it among the options.
Answer: why each option fits or fails
Answer: D. P.
A OOption A is one place short; recount the last jump.
B QOption B is one place too far: the last jump is miscounted by one.
C ROption C is two places too far: the last jump is out by two.
D P✓ AnswerOption D is correct: "P".
Example 2: Letter series
What comes next? Counting wraps around: after Z comes A.
AZYXWV?
A T
B W
C U
D V
Hint 1: where to look
Between the first two letters, decide which way you move in the alphabet and by how many steps.
Hint 2: the rule
Direction is back and the jump is constant (A→Z, 1 place). The early letters A=1, Z=26, Y=25 agree. Apply it once more.
Hint 3: worked solution
The series moves back by the same jump each time: A→Z, 1 place.
It ends with "W", "V".
Move back by that jump from the last letter, wrapping past the end of the alphabet if needed.
The next term is "U".
Now find it among the options.
Answer: why each option fits or fails
Answer: C. U.
A TOption A is one place too far; recount the last jump.
B WOption B is two places short: the last jump is out by two.
C U✓ AnswerThe correct one is option C: "U".
D VOption D is one place short: the last jump is miscounted by one.
Example 3: Number series
What number comes next?
159131721?
A 29
B 25
C 24
D 26
Hint 1: where to look
Look at the 6 terms and work out how far apart each neighbouring pair is.
Hint 2: the rule
In 1, 5, 9 the gap is 4 each time. Test that gap on the last pair of the list before you trust it.
Hint 3: worked solution
Work along the list and confirm that the gap stays at 4.
Take the end of 17, 21 and apply one more step: 21 + 4 = 25.
Now find it among the options.
Answer: why each option fits or fails
Answer: B. 25.
A 29Option A lands one step too far.
B 25✓ AnswerThe correct one is option B: 25.
C 24Option C lands near the answer but is one too few. The last calculation is close but not exact.
D 26Option D is one too many against the true next term, so the final step was slightly off.
Example 4: Number series
What number comes next?
364512154051354515?
A 5
B 45
C -15
D -315
Hint 1: where to look
Check how much smaller each term is than the term before. Look at one pair, then another.
Hint 2: the rule
The series shrinks by the same factor each time. In 3645, 1215, 405 that factor is 3; check the end.
Hint 3: worked solution
The terms shrink by the same factor every time.
From 3645 → 1215 the factor is 3.
After 45, 15, the next term is 5, since 15 ÷ 3 = 5.
Now find it among the options.
Answer: why each option fits or fails
Answer: A. 5.
A 5✓ AnswerOption A is correct: 5.
B 45Option B follows a rule that fits only the last few terms, not the whole list.
C -15Option C repeats the last gap, but this series does not keep one fixed gap.
D -315Option D continues every other term, and that run does not give the missing term.
Example 5: Figure series
Which tile comes next?
A: 1 filled pentagon
B: 3 filled pentagons
C: 1 outlined pentagon
D: 3 outlined pentagons
E: 2 outlined pentagons
Hint 1: where to look
List shape, shading and number. Tick each one that stays fixed in every tile you can see.
Hint 2: the rule
Ignore shape and shading, which never change. Follow the number of figures: 3, 1, two steps, then the cycle restarts. Which step is the gap?
Hint 3: worked solution
Follow the number of figures from the start: 3, 1, then round again.
Tile 4 shows 1 figure, and after 1 comes 3.
The missing tile shows 3 outlined pentagons.
Now find it among the options.
Answer: why each option fits or fails
Answer: D. 3 outlined pentagons.
AOption A has two faults: its shading is filled, which no tile in the row has, and its number of figures stays at 1.
BOption B changes the shading to filled, but the shading never changes along the row.
COption C keeps the number of figures at 1, as in the last tile, so the cycle does not move on.
D✓ AnswerThe answer is option D, which is 3 outlined pentagons.
EOption E shows a new number of figures, 2, that no tile in the row has.
How the hints work
On a letter series, the first hint says what to count, the jumps between letters in the alphabet or every other letter, without saying how big they are. The second names the kind of rule and works its first step, so you can check it on the next pair yourself. Number series work the same way with gaps, ratios and terms taking turns. On a figure series, the first hint names the features that change from tile to tile, such as how many shapes there are, their shading or the way they point, and the second says by how much. The third hint walks the rule to a description of the next term, in words, and stops before naming the option, so the last look at the options is still yours.
Letter series, number series and figure series, built new each time. They start with one steady step and move on to jumps that grow, two series taking turns and pairs of letters as you get them right.
Why turn letters into numbers?
Because a jump of three letters is easier to see as a gap of three than as a run of letters. The hints count in alphabet places for the same reason, and say when a series wraps round from Z to A.
Is the practice timed?
Only if you choose the timed set of 10, which gives 43 seconds a question with no hints until the end. The sets with hints have no clock.
Do practice patterns appear in the test above?
No. Practice patterns are built new each time and the test's fifteen are fixed; none of the worked examples on this page is a test question either.
Use the result
What this test adds
Letter, number and figure sequences let you practise finding progressions across different materials.
A small next step
Take a missed sequence and write the change between each adjacent pair; the pattern is usually in those changes rather than in the terms.
Questions people ask
What is actually on this test?
Fifteen questions in three kinds, five of each: letter patterns, number patterns and figure patterns. Each shows a sequence and asks what comes next or which member breaks the rule. Accuracy is reported for the three kinds separately.
What kinds of patterns will I see?
Letter sequences, number sequences and figures. Look for what changes and what stays the same.
Why are there only fifteen questions?
There are 15 questions, five per type, and the test takes about eight minutes. Review the three per-type results to choose what to practise.
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