Independent dMAT preparation
Figure Sequences: track each changing property
Track position, rotation and fill in an original SVG sequence, predict two future frames and check common errors.
On this page
A moving symbol can follow several rules at once. Separate position, orientation and appearance before combining them. This keeps a correct movement rule from hiding an incorrect rotation or fill prediction.
Official Figure Sequences ask for the next two matrices. Check both predictions rather than stopping after the first.
A reliable observation order
- Position: locate the same symbol in each frame. Compare successive moves rather than just first and last positions.
- Orientation: distinguish a symbol moving around a grid from the symbol rotating around its own centre.
- Appearance: compare fill or colour while keeping the symbol’s identity fixed.
- Boundaries: use the shown transition at an edge to test your movement hypothesis.
A proposed rule must explain every displayed transition. If it explains only the first two frames, treat it as a hypothesis and continue checking.
Worked original visual sequence
These are original Aptitrail teaching examples. They are independent of official exercises and are not an official difficulty benchmark.
Four frames are shown. Predict frames 5 and 6. Track the triangle's position, orientation and fill separately.
Reveal frames 5 and 6 and the rule
- Position: the columns are 1, 2, 3, 2. Move one cell across the middle row, reversing at each edge; the next columns are 1 and 2.
- Orientation: up, right, down, left. Turn clockwise through one quarter-turn each time; next comes up, then right.
- Fill: filled, hollow, filled, hollow. Alternate the fill; next comes filled, then hollow.
A position-only answer is incomplete. All three properties must agree in both future frames.
Why one correct property is insufficient
For frame 5, a triangle at row 2, column 1 could still point down or be hollow. Those alternatives get the location right but violate other observed rules. Construct the complete expected frame before comparing it with answer choices.
The example uses one symbol so that its properties are easy to separate. When practising a more complicated sequence, follow one symbol through all frames before tracking the next. Do not use an assumed rule for one symbol as proof that another must behave the same way.
Common mistakes
- Wrapping at an edge without evidence: here the fourth frame shows the return towards the middle, so the motion bounces.
- Confusing rotation and translation: a right-pointing triangle need not move right.
- Using colour alone: check the fill state as well as position and direction.
- Predicting only one frame: apply each rule a second time to produce the other requested frame.
A small exercise
Continue the worked sequence to frame 7. Specify row, column, direction and fill before opening the answer.
Reveal frame 7
Row 2, column 3; down; filled. From frame 6, move one cell right, rotate one quarter-turn clockwise and switch hollow to filled.
Before a timed drill, practise expressing a rule in a short phrase: “middle row, bounce, clockwise quarter-turn, alternating fill.” If the phrase stops matching the displayed frames, revise it rather than forcing the answer.
By the Aptitrail editorial team. AI-assisted original teaching examples checked with automated tests. These checks do not constitute an independent expert review. Report a correction.