OLSAT® Non-Verbal Questions
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PATTERN MATRIX QUESTION TYPE
Do you want to know what kinds of questions are found on the OLSAT® nonverbal section, and what skills are measured by these questions? Would you like some test prep strategies on how to prepare for specific OLSAT nonverbal questions and access some sample questions to help your child get ready for test day?
In this article, we respond to these common concerns, as well as provide additional information that will help you know what to expect on the OLSAT non-verbal section.
What Question Types Are on the OLSAT® Non-Verbal Section?
The OLSAT® is divided into two sections:verbal and nonverbal.
The non-verbal section is comprised of 10 question types divided into three categories:
A. Pictorial Reasoning Question Types
The purpose of these questions is to measure a student’s ability to reason their way through non-language based scenarios. These questions are in a visual format, incorporating pictures instead of words. Students will be expected to find the relationship between elements and/or objects in a pattern, to predict and create what the next level of the pattern will look like, and generalize the rules they discover.
The Pictorial Reasoning section has three types of questions:
| Type | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Picture Classification | A-C | These questions assess a student’s ability to identify what does not belong among a group of objects. A student has to evaluate differences and similarities among the items in order to correctly answer the question. |
| Picture Analogy | A-C | In these questions, students are presented with a 4-box matrix and must identify a relationship between two objects in the first row. The student needs to apply this rule to the second row and choose which object - from the answer choices - completes this second row relationship in the same way. |
| Picture Series | A | In these questions, students must examine a sequence of objects and identify/predict the object that comes next in the sequence according to the underlying pattern. |
B. Figural Reasoning Question Types
The purpose of these questions is to measure a student’s ability to reason their way through non-language based scenarios. These questions take a more visual format than the verbal questions, incorporating geometric figures instead of words. Students will be expected to find the relationship between numbers or objects in a pattern, to predict and create what the next level of the pattern will look like, and generalize the rules they discover.
The figural reasoning section has four question types:
| Type | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Figural Classification | A-D | In these questions, students must examine a group of figures and identify a pattern or principle that links those figures. Then, students must conclude which of the answer choices follows this same principle. |
| Figural Analogy | A-G | Like verbal analogies, these questions require students to identify the relationship of a given pair. With these questions, however, students are asked to examine the relationship between figures instead of words. Once students have uncovered this relationship, they then must apply this rule to a second pair of figures. This question type assesses the student’s ability to infer a relationship between a pair of geometric shapes and select the shape that is related to the stimulus in the same way. |
| Pattern Matrix | A-G | This question asks the student to supply a missing element in a matrix of geometric shapes. These questions test a student’s ability to discern rules and evaluate how those rules govern a series of geometric figures as they run horizontally and vertically across the matrix. |
| Figural Series | A-G | With these questions, students must look at a series of geometric figures, discern a pattern within the series, and predictthe ‘next’ drawing/shape in the pattern. |
C. Quantitative Reasoning Question Types
These questions evaluates a student’s ability to discern patterns and relationships in order to solve problems with numbers. This section requires that students be able to predict outcomes based on their knowledge of mathematics.
There are three types of quantitative reasoning questions:
| Type | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number Series | D-G | Students must examine a sequence of numbers and determine a pattern that governs those numbers. They will then apply that pattern in order to predict what comes next. |
| Numeric Inference | D-G | Using computation skills, students will have to determine how two or three numbers are related. Once they have uncovered this relationship, students will have to apply this rule to another pair or trio of numbers. |
| Number Matrix | D-G | For these questions, students must examine numbers in a matrix and determine what principle or rule links those numbers. Then, they must apply this rule to figure out what number should be placed in a given blank. |
What Skills Are Assessed by OLSAT Non-Verbal Questions?
Non-verbal questions measure a student's ability to reason her way through non-language based scenarios.
These questions take a more visual format, and students answer questions based on information and reasoning from pictures rather than as a result of listening to and reasoning from verbal questions asked by a test administrator.
To answer these questions, a student needs to be able to find the relationship between objects in a pattern, to predict what the next level of the pattern will look like, and generalize the rules he discovers.
What are the top test prep strategies to solve non-verbal Questions?
For more information on the non-verbal section, including teaching tips and sample questions of specific non-verbal question types, click on one of the links below.
Pictorial Reasoning
Figural Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning
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If you think you need more information and guidance about the OLSAT, check out our in-depth article on the test. You can also learn more about the verbal section of the OLSAT.
Also, learn everything you need to know about other tests that measure a child’s potential to do well in school, such as the NNAT2.
