A pattern question asks what comes next in a sequence of numbers or changing pictures. Children in Year 3 now sit the OC test in Year 4, on 11–12 May 2027.
A pattern follows a rule, and pattern reasoning means finding that rule. In 2, 3, 5, 8, 12 the jumps are +1, +2, +3, +4, so each jump grows by one. The next jump is +5, and the next number is 17.
Some patterns hide two rules at once. Numbers can take turns between two patterns, and a picture can change its direction and its colour at the same time. Your child looks for each change separately.
How do pattern questions show up in the OC Thinking Skills test?
Your child sees a row of numbers or pictures and picks what comes next, or what appears at a later place in the row. The Department says Thinking Skills checks critical thinking and problem solving, with no previous knowledge needed, and the section has a range of question types, shown in the practice tests.
The OC Thinking Skills test
What it means for patterns
30 questions in 30 minutes
Write the jumps under the numbers rather than staring
4 options each
Wrong options often fit one change but not the other
There are no marks lost for incorrect answers
Test each option against the rule if stuck
The Department doesn't publish a fixed list of question types. Pattern reasoning is how our lessons group these questions.
Four steps. Writing the changes down is the habit that matters most, because a rule that is written down can be checked.
Write the changes
For numbers, write each jump between the numbers. For pictures, write what changes: direction, colour, size or count.
Look for the rule in the changes
Do the jumps stay the same, grow, or take turns? If the jumps make no sense, try every second number instead.
Check the rule on every step
A rule must work all the way along, not just for the first two.
Count to the place asked
For a far-off card, find how often the pattern repeats. An arrow turning a quarter turn each time points the same way on every fourth card.
What do OC pattern questions look like?
Three questions from easier to harder: growing jumps, two patterns taking turns, and arrow cards that turn and change colour.
Each one shows the answer and the working, so read them with your child. The explanation says why each wrong option is wrong: ask your child which one looked right at first, because that's the habit to fix.
Worked explanation 1
What number comes next in this pattern?
2, 3, 5, 8, 12, ?
AA.
15
BB.
16
CC.
17
DD.
20
Answer: C
Answer: C (17)
Find the jumps between the numbers: 2 to 3 is +1, 3 to 5 is +2, 5 to 8 is +3, 8 to 12 is +4.
Each jump is 1 bigger than the one before, so the next jump is +5.
12 + 5 = 17.
Why the other options are wrong
A (15): This adds 3 again, but the jumps have already grown past 3.
B (16): This repeats the last jump of 4 instead of making it 1 bigger.
D (20): This adds the two numbers before (8 + 12), but that rule does not fit the pattern: 5 + 8 would be 13, not 12.
Worked explanation 2
What number comes next in this pattern?
5, 20, 7, 18, 9, 16, 11, ?
AA.
9
BB.
12
CC.
13
DD.
14
Answer: D
Answer: D (14)
Two patterns take turns.
The 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th numbers go up by 2: 5, 7, 9, 11.
The 2nd, 4th and 6th numbers go down by 2: 20, 18, 16.
The missing number is the 8th, so it belongs to the second pattern: 16 − 2 = 14.
Why the other options are wrong
A (9): This counts down by 2 from 11, but 11 belongs to the pattern that goes up.
B (12): 12 is just 1 more than 11, but the next number belongs to the other pattern, which comes down from 16.
C (13): This carries on the up-by-2 pattern, but that pattern only uses every second place.
Worked explanation 3
Cards are laid in a row, and each card shows one arrow.
Card 1 shows a black arrow pointing up.
On each new card, the arrow turns a quarter turn clockwise from the card before.
The colours take turns: black, white, black, white, and so on.
What does card 10 show?
AA.
A white arrow pointing right
BB.
A black arrow pointing right
CC.
A black arrow pointing down
DD.
A white arrow pointing left
Answer: A
Answer: A (A white arrow pointing right)
Direction: a quarter turn clockwise each time gives up, right, down, left, and then it starts again. So cards 1, 5 and 9 point up, and card 10 points right.
Colour: odd-numbered cards are black and even-numbered cards are white. 10 is even, so card 10 is white.
Card 10 shows a white arrow pointing right.
Why the other options are wrong
B (A black arrow pointing right): The direction is right, but card 10 is an even-numbered card, so it is white.
C (A black arrow pointing down): This makes 10 turns from card 1, which gives card 11; card 10 is only 9 turns on from card 1.
D (A white arrow pointing left): This turns the arrow anticlockwise; turning clockwise from up goes to the right first.
Which pattern mistakes cost marks?
Most wrong options follow part of the rule. Each has a quick check your child can run before choosing.
×
Repeating the last jump: check whether the jumps themselves are changing, and continue that change.
×
Missing two patterns taking turns: if the numbers go up and down, split them into odd and even places.
×
Following one change and forgetting the other: for cards that turn and change colour, work out direction and colour separately.
What does the Visual Pattern Puzzles lesson cover?
Visual Pattern Puzzles (lesson preview)
A short preview from the SelectiveReady lesson “Visual Pattern Puzzles”, on visual pattern puzzles for the NSW Selective test.
Published:
Read the video transcript
We've got these shapes, right? They're clearly turning and the number of dots inside them is changing. Our mission is to figure out what belongs in that question mark box. So what's the very first thing we do? That's right, we use our master key strategy. So let's check the rows first. From left to right, the shape rotates 90 degrees clockwise. And yep, one dot is added in each box. Now for the crucial part, let's check the columns. Does that same logic apply going down? Yes, it does. The rule is confirmed. We've found our code. So now we know the two rules at play here, rotation and adding a dot. And we've confirmed they work both ways. The only question is, what's the missing piece? Go on, take a second and see if you can solve it yourself before the big reveal. And there it is, the shape rotated one more time, now with five dots inside. And you see, this is why our master key strategy is so powerful. This isn't just a guess, it's the only possible answer that satisfies both the row rule and the column rule.
The preview, with English and Chinese captions, solves a grid of shapes that turn and gain dots, checking the rule along the rows and then down the columns.
The full lesson in the SelectiveReady app adds number patterns, ones that take turns and the common traps. A free account opens one lesson, How and Why Authors Write; the other lessons need a paid plan.
How can my child practise pattern questions for free?
Start with Practice test 1, which has Thinking Skills at its real length and time. It's one full practice test with results, with a free account. Every answer is explained, and the results by skill show whether your child loses marks on patterns.
After that, the app has drills by section and topic; a free account drills the free test's questions, and a paid plan opens the rest. At home, take turns making patterns for each other with numbers, coins or drawings, and ask what the rule is before saying what comes next.
