NNAT Question Types
There are four different types of questions asked on the NNAT, depending on the level: pattern completion, reasoning by analogy, serial reasoning, and spatial visualization. Learn more about these question types, and help prepare your child for test day with TestPrep-Online.
Questions on the NNAT
The following question types are typically found on the NNAT test, depending on the level:
- NNAT Pattern Completion - Students are shown a design and asked to identify which answer choice will fill the missing area. The student needs to extend the given pattern in a conceptual manner.
- NNAT Reasoning by Analogy - Students are expected to recognize relationships among various geometric shapes. To find the correct answer, the student must determine how the geometric objects change across the rows and down the columns of the design. Reasoning by Analogy questions demand careful attention to the details of the design and characteristics simultaneously (color, shape, and direction).
- NNAT Serial Reasoning - These questions asses the student's ability to find the missing element in a given matrix made up of geometric shapes. Each matrix is composed of nine boxes in a three-by-three grid. The student is required to figure out which answer choice belongs in the empty box in the bottom right-hand corner of the matrix.
- NNAT Spatial Visualization - Students are required to mentally manipulate shapes. These questions are among the more difficult ones in the NNAT, especially those questions involving shapes which intersect in ways which may be difficult to recognize or involve rotation.
Question Types on Each Test Level
| Level | Grade | Pattern Completion |
Reasoning by Analogy |
Serial Reasoning |
Spatial Visualization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Kindergarten | X | X | ||
| B | Grade 1 | X | X | X | |
| C | Grade 2 | X | X | X | X |
| D | Grades 3-4 | X | X | X | X |
| E | Grades 5-6 | X | X | X | X |
| F | Grades 7-9 | X | X | X | |
| G | Grades 10-12 | X | X | X |
NNAT Sample Questions
Go ahead and try solving these questions:
Reasoning by Analogy
Look at the following matrix:
Which figure completes the pattern?
The correct answer is C.
View the top row. The box on the left side contains a yellow rectangle on top of a blue triangle, while the box on the right side shows a yellow triangle on top of a blue rectangle. You can notice the colors and positions of the shapes switch. The boxes in the bottom row will share the same relationship. Since the box on the left is a blue hexagon on top of a yellow semicircle, the box on the right will be a blue semicircle on top of a yellow hexagon. Therefore, the correct answer choice is C.
This is a typical Reasoning by Analogy question that you can find in Level C NNAT Tests. This picture depicts four boxes that have an analogous relationship.
It is easy to notice that the relation is clearer when moving across the rows. Once you figured the relation the top row have, apply that relation to the bottom box with one of the boxes in the answers.
Reasoning by Analogy questions appear in all NNAT levels. In order to get them right, you should encourage your child to form "bridges sentence". Form sentences such as "The _____ is to ______ as _________ is to _________."
Pattern Completion
Look at the following matrix:
Which figure completes the pattern?
This is a Pattern Completion question suitable for a Level B NNAT Test. This kind of questions presents pictures comprised of geometric shapes from which a part is missing.
In order to find the missing part, there are several tools that can help:
- Symmetry - The pattern is often symmetric. Explain your child symmetry by drawing a line in the middle of the drawing and folding it. Focus on the way the drawing behaves around the symmetry line.
- Colors - Colors are a powerful tool that your child can use as "anchors" to find the answer. Look at the drawing and try to figure out which color should appear in each corner of the missing part.The colors are used to eliminate answer choices that don't behave in the expected way .
- Lines - The missing part should match the pattern, so the lines inside of it should be a logical continuance of the large picture.
NNAT Video Academy
Prepare for the NNAT with TestPrep-Online
Ideal preparation for the NNAT requires familiarization with every type of question that may appear on the test. TestPrep-Online makes this easy by offering a collection of NNAT practice packs, which include practice tests, sample questions, and detailed explanations and study guides. Explore our packs today, and get a head start on your preparation process.
The NNAT Video Academy covers each of the four question types in great detail, using sample questions to explain how to solve each type. This video series is now included in all NNAT Premium Packs. See the video below for an inside look at the NNAT Video Academy.
t_DuG6GKhSo
To continue with the NNAT Video Academy, purchase any NNAT Premium Pack.