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NSW SelectiveYear 7 entry

Visual pattern puzzles in Selective Thinking Skills

Independent. Not affiliated with the NSW Department of Education.

Visual pattern puzzles hide a rule in how shapes change from box to box. In Selective Thinking Skills, your child can find the rule across the rows, confirm it down the columns, and check one change at a time.

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The full lesson is in the SelectiveReady app. A free account opens How and Why Authors Write; this lesson needs a paid plan.

Updated 16 October 2026 · Facts checked 12 October 2026

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.

Visual Pattern Puzzles is a full lesson in the SelectiveReady app. A free account opens one lesson, How and Why Authors Write; the other lessons need a paid plan1SelectiveReady · 13 October 2026 · Published. The preview plays here with English and Chinese captions.

2

What will your child learn in this lesson?

Your child learns to treat a pattern puzzle as a secret code with a hidden rule. They'll be able to check the rows, confirm the rule down the columns, and spot when two rules run at once.

The clip cracks a grid where a shape turns and gains a dot in each box. The full lesson adds the common changes to look for, the traps and a puzzle to solve live.

3

How do pattern puzzles show up in Selective Thinking Skills?

Pattern puzzles sit inside the Thinking Skills test, which checks critical thinking and problem solving, with no previous knowledge needed2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. The Department doesn't publish a fixed list of question types, so the mix can change from year to year. 2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published

The Thinking Skills testWhat it means for pattern puzzles
402NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published questions in 402NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutesAbout a minute each, so a quick, steady check beats staring
42NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published options per questionEvery option can be tested against the rule
25%2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published of the whole testOne of 42NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published sections
a zoom function on every page3NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · PublishedSmall dots and stripes can be enlarged on screen
The practice papers say there are no marks lost for incorrect answers4NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · PublishedA reasoned choice beats a blank
4

What is pattern reasoning?

Pattern reasoning is finding the rule that turns one picture, number or letter into the next. In a grid puzzle, eight boxes give the clues and one box is empty.

The lesson's rules are built from a few simple changes. Once your child knows the list, a puzzle stops looking random.

ChangeWhat to look for
TurnThe shape spins a quarter or half turn each step
FlipThe shape becomes its mirror image
Add or take awayDots, lines or sides go up or down by the same amount
ShadingWhite, striped and black take turns
MoveA small mark travels round the corners
Number and letter stepsJumps that stay the same, grow, or double, as in 2, 5, 11, 23
5

What is the method for pattern puzzles?

The lesson calls its method the master key. Check across the rows, check down the columns, then confirm the rule works both ways before choosing.

The master key: check the rows, check the columns, then confirm the rule works both ways before filling the empty box.

  1. Pick one feature

    Choose one thing to follow: the number of parts, the shading or the direction.

  2. Check across the rows

    How does that feature change from left to right? Say the rule in words.

  3. Confirm down the columns

    Does the rule also work from top to bottom? A rule that fails one way isn't the rule.

  4. Ask what else is changing

    Repeat for the next feature, then pick the option that fits every rule at once.

6

What does a worked pattern puzzle look like?

We wrote this grid to show the four steps. Each box holds triangles, and the bottom-right box is missing.

RowLeftMiddleRight
Topone white triangle pointing uptwo white triangles pointing rightthree white triangles pointing down
Middleone striped triangle pointing righttwo striped triangles pointing downthree striped triangles pointing left
Bottomone black triangle pointing downtwo black triangles pointing left?

Question: Which box completes the grid?

  • A. three black triangles pointing up
  • B. three black triangles pointing down
  • C. three striped triangles pointing up
  • D. two black triangles pointing up
FeatureAcross the rowsDown the columnsSo the missing box has
NumberOne more each stepThe same in each columnthree triangles
ShadingThe same along a rowWhite, then striped, then blackblack
DirectionA quarter turn clockwiseA quarter turn clockwisepointing up

The answer is A. Each wrong option gets two features right and one wrong, which is why checking one feature at a time matters.

7

Which traps catch children on pattern puzzles?

The biggest trap is finding a rule in the rows and choosing straight away. The lesson calls that a risky guess; the confirmed solve also checks the columns.

TrapHow it catches childrenThe defence
Rows onlyA rule that works across can fail going downConfirm the rule both ways
One rule, not twoA turn is spotted but the extra dot is missedAsk what else is changing
The obvious differenceIn odd-one-out puzzles, the loudest change isn't always the ruleTest each picture against a rule in words
8

Can my child try one on their own?

Here is a pattern question from our free Thinking Skills set. It uses letters and numbers instead of shapes, but the same habit works: follow one feature at a time.

Practice question · SEL-TS-TST-21

What comes next in this pattern?

Z1, Y3, W6, T10, P15, ?

  1. A

    K21

  2. B

    K20

  3. C

    J22

  4. D

    L21

Show answer and explanation

Answer: A

Answer: A (K21)

The letters and the numbers each follow their own rule.

  1. Letters: Z to Y is back 1, Y to W is back 2, W to T is back 3, T to P is back 4. Next is back 5: from P, count O, N, M, L, K. The letter is K.
  2. Numbers: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15 go up by 2, 3, 4, 5. Next is up 6: 15 + 6 = 21.
  3. So the next term is K21.

Why the other options are wrong

  • B (K20): This adds 5 to the number again instead of 6.
  • C (J22): This goes one step too far on both parts: back 6 letters and up 7.
  • D (L21): This moves the letter back 4 places again instead of 5.

  1. Split the two features

    Each term in Z1, Y3, W6, T10, P15 has a letter and a number. Treat them as two separate patterns.

  2. Follow the letters

    Z, Y, W, T and P go back 1, 2, 3 and then 4 places. Next is back 5, which lands on K.

  3. Follow the numbers

    The numbers 1, 3, 6, 10 and 15 go up by 2, 3, 4 and 5. Next is up 6, which makes 21.

  4. Match both rules

    K21 is option A. K20 breaks the number rule and L21 breaks the letter rule.

9

How can my child practise pattern puzzles at home?

Short, playful practice works well. The aim is the habit of naming a rule and testing it, not speed.

Build a grid

Use coins, cutlery or Lego to make a grid with one gap. Take turns setting and solving.

Pattern spotting outside

Tiles, fences and brick walls repeat. Ask what the next part would look like.

Rule in words

After each puzzle, your child says the rule in one sentence before checking the answer.

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Questions parents ask about pattern puzzles for Selective

Are pattern questions in Thinking Skills or in Maths?

They can appear in either, since the Department publishes no topic list for Maths 2NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · Published or for Thinking Skills. 2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published Our Patterns & Rules lesson covers number rules for the Maths test.

My child finds the rule but picks the wrong option. Why?

Usually a second change was missed. Asking "what else is changing?" before choosing fixes most of these.

Is the full lesson free?

A free account opens one lesson, How and Why Authors Write; the other lessons need a paid plan1SelectiveReady · 13 October 2026 · Published.

Next questions

Selective Thinking Skills →Lesson: Seeing Shapes in Your Mind →Lesson: Patterns & Rules →Free Selective practice test →The NSW Selective test explained →

Sources and checks

  1. SelectiveReady

    SelectiveReady · Checked 13 October 2026

  2. Selective high school practice tests

    NSW Department of Education · Checked 13 October 2026 · Practice materials: personal or non-commercial use only; CC BY 4.0 does not apply (page notice). Page text: CC BY 4.0.

  3. Using the application website (selective high schools and opportunity classes)

    NSW Department of Education · Checked 13 October 2026 · CC BY 4.0 (NSW Department of Education copyright notice); quotes credited

  4. Selective High School Placement Test, Thinking Skills Question Paper, Practice Test 1 (2026 entry practice tests, PDF)

    NSW Department of Education · Checked 13 October 2026 · Practice materials: personal or non-commercial use only; CC BY 4.0 does not apply (page notice). Quoted briefly with credit. Saved text: the cover-page instructions only; the question pages are not stored (W§3.22).

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