Guide to non-verbal reasoning for eleven-plus (11+) exams

When preparing for 11+ exams, your child may need to dedicate time for the non-verbal reasoning section.

The non-verbal reasoning section can be found on both the GL Assessment and the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) 11+ exams.

That said, it’s worth mentioning that non-verbal reasoning is not part of every GL 11+ exam. You’ll want to verify what your child’s preferred grammar school requires first.

Regardless of the exam board, we’re here to help your child be ready for the 11+ non-verbal reasoning questions.

What is non-verbal reasoning for 11+ exams?

In the context of 11+ exams, non-verbal reasoning may be called spatial reasoning.

This is because it tests the visual relationship of things like shapes and diagrams. To improve your child’s skills in this area, have them work through puzzles and assemble building kits.

In addition, if they’re taking the GL 11+ exam, they can sift through past year’s questions to anticipate what is asked. Since GL Assessment is the most common exam board used, they’ll likely encounter this exam board. 

Question preparation

As previously explained, sample GL 11+ exams can be used to get a sense of what’s to come. This is because GL Assessment pulls from a database of questions. The CEM, on the other hand, is more difficult to predict.

That said, it’s a good idea to prepare your child on non-verbal reasoning concepts and theories, rather than focus on specific questions. That is why interactive learning tools are useful. 

These include the Rubik’s cube, Soduku, Mastermind, Chess, Lego, and Tangrams. With this, work with what you have before rushing out to the shops. You’ll want the learning process to feel familiar to your child.

When combining educational games with the many resources available online, it’s easy to find a suitable approach. A good place to start is our article on the free 11+ websites.

What is tested?

When being tested on visual relationships, your child will encounter questions within the themes of interpreting shapes, manipulating 3D shapes, and manipulating 2D shapes.

This includes things like understanding sequences, pairs, logic, rotations, reflections, and decoding, among other topics. Generally speaking, they’ll need to identify patterns and anticipate the correct answer. 

More specifically, when taking the GL 11+ exam, the following will come up.

• Odd one out

• Codes

• Analogies

• Similarities

• Series

• Matrices

Prepare for the 11+ from anywhere

The 11+ falls at a time of year when most families are trying to hold onto the last of the summer. The MyEdSpace 3-week 11+ preparation course runs entirely online, which means your child can join from home, from a holiday rental, or from wherever you happen to be in August.

All lessons are recorded. If your child misses a session, they can catch up without losing ground. If they want to revisit a topic before the exam, every explanation is there to rewatch.

Your child gets focused, expert-led preparation. Your family keeps its summer. So, what are you waiting for? Sign your child up today and give your child everything they need for 11+ success.