Online logic game

Raven’s Matrices: find the shape for the empty cell

Also known as: Patterns, progressive matrices, find the missing shape

In a 3 × 3 grid the shapes change by rules: shape, color and number. Figure out what belongs in the empty cell and pick it from six options. A round lasts two minutes, and you can play 10 minutes a day without signing up.

Go to the game ↓

2 minutesper round
3×3 grid6 answer options
No sign-up10 minutes a day
Progress30-day chart

What it trains

Why solve matrices

The exercise works on finding patterns in shapes: you need to notice what changes across rows and columns and apply the rule to the empty cell. Each figure has three features: shape, color and number. On the first level one feature changes; from the third, all three do.

In your account the trainer is called “Patterns”. It’s an exercise, not a psychological test: the score only reflects your result in the game. Once you sign up, your rounds are saved: you see correct answers, mistakes and the highest level reached, and a 30-day chart shows how your results change.

You see the picture but can’t tell what matters in itSingle out the feature that changes
You’re preparing for tests with pattern puzzlesA similar format: a grid and answer options
You cling to your first ideaThe rule has to hold across both rows and columns
You want a logic puzzle without numbersOnly shapes, colors and quantities

Pattern finding

See what changes from cell to cell.

Separating features

Shape, color and number change independently of each other.

Testing a hypothesis

The rule has to work in both the rows and the columns.

Ruling out options

Every wrong option differs from the right one in at least one feature.

Rules

How to play

Start
Press “Start”. A 3 × 3 grid appears, with the bottom-right cell empty.
Features
Look at the shape (circle, square, triangle), the color (blue, orange, green) and the number of figures (one, two, three).
The rule
Work out how each feature behaves: the same everywhere, changing across rows, across columns, or so that each value appears once in every row and every column.
Answer
Pick the figure from six options. If you’re wrong, we show the correct one right in the grid.
Level
Two correct answers in a row move you up a level; a mistake moves you down. Each correct answer earns as many points as your current level.

Play online

Raven’s matrices online

Pick the figure for the empty cell. Without signing up you get 10 minutes of play a day.

Patterns

In a 3×3 grid, the shapes change by rules across rows and columns. Find the shape for the empty cell.

Free play left today without signing up: 10 min

Method

What the exercise is based on

The task format comes from Raven’s Progressive Matrices: a grid of figures with one empty cell, plus answer options. They were created by British psychologist John Raven in the 1930s. This exercise follows the same principle, but it isn’t the test itself.

To look for patterns in numbers, try Number Sequences, and to guess a rule that changes without warning, try the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (“Card Sorter” in your account).

1One featureOnly the shape, color or number changes, across rows or across columns

2Two featuresTwo features change, the third stays the same across the whole grid

3–4All threeAll features change, one of them with a shift: each value appears once in every row and column

Who it’s for

Which ages

Adults

A two-minute logic puzzle with no numbers.

Kids

The trainer isn’t in the “Kids” collection. The first level is simple, but from the third, three features change at once. Better for older children.

60+

The trainer isn’t in the “60+” collection. If you like calm logic puzzles, give it a try: the difficulty goes up after two correct answers in a row and goes down after a mistake.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is this an intelligence test?

No. It’s an exercise in the Raven’s matrices format, not a psychological test. The score shows your result in the game and how it changes with practice.

Why do all the options look alike?

Each wrong option differs from the right one in one, two or all three features. So you can’t guess by picking the most common figure: you have to find the rule.

What does a shifted rule mean?

Each value of a feature appears exactly once in every row and every column, but it shifts from row to row. This rule shows up from the third level.

Do I need to sign up?

No, you can play 10 minutes a day right away. A free account lets you keep playing, save your results, track your progress and unlock the daily workout.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes, the trainer runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers. There’s nothing to install.

Save your results and track your progress

Free sign-up: round history, a chart by skill and a daily workout of 5 exercises. No credit card needed.

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Raven’s Matrices: find the shape for the empty cell