Spatial thinking trainer

Shape rotation: same or mirrored?

Also known as: mental rotation, spatial reasoning test, mirror image shape

On the left is a shape made of squares, on the right the same shape, but rotated. Decide whether it’s the same shape or its mirror image. A round lasts one minute, and you can play 10 minutes a day without signing up.

Go to the game ↓
  • 1 minuteper round
  • 4→7 squaresthe shape grows
  • No sign-up10 minutes a day
  • Progress30-day chart
What it trains

Why rotate shapes in your mind

The exercise trains mental rotation: picturing what an object looks like when it’s turned. You can’t spin the shape on screen, so your imagination does all the work.

Your score is correct answers minus mistakes, so guessing doesn’t pay. Sign up and your rounds are saved, with a chart for the Spatial skill in your account.

  • Diagrams and drawings confuse youHard to tell how a part is really positioned
  • You turn the map to face your directionOtherwise it’s hard to tell where to go
  • Assembling furniture from instructions takes foreverThe picture “doesn’t match” the part in your hands
  • Your child writes letters backwardsLeft and right in letter shapes still get mixed up

Mental rotation

Turn the shape in your mind, not on the screen.

Mirror shapes

A mirror image looks like the original, but no rotation will line them up.

Holding an image

Keep the shape in your head while you rotate it.

Decision speed

Solve as many as you can in one minute.

Rules

How to play

  1. Start

    Press “Start”. The one-minute timer begins right away.

  2. Compare

    On the left is a shape; on the right is the same shape rotated 90, 180 or 270 degrees, or its mirror image.

  3. Answer

    Press “Same” or “Mirrored”. On a keyboard: left arrow for same, right arrow for mirrored.

  4. Mistake

    If you get it wrong, the game shows the right answer. A mistake costs a point.

  5. Harder

    Four correct answers in a row add a square to the shape, up to 7. A mistake removes one, but never below 4.

Play online

Mental rotation test online

Press “Start” and compare the two shapes. Play 10 minutes a day with no sign-up.

Shape Rotation

Is the shape on the right the same one rotated, or its mirror image? Rotate it in your head.

Free play left today without signing up: 10 min

Method

What the exercise is based on

Mental rotation tasks have been known in psychology since the 1970s, from the experiments of Roger Shepard and Jacqueline Metzler: people were shown two shapes and asked whether they were the same. In the game the shapes are flat, made of square cells, and chosen so that no rotation can line up the mirror copy with the original.

Another spatial thinking trainer is Follow the Arrows, where you move a token along the arrows in your mind.

1 minOne minuteShapes come one after another with no breaks.
4→7Squares in a shapeFour correct answers in a row add a square.
±1PointsCorrect answer +1, mistake −1, total never below zero.
Who it’s for

Which ages

Adults

A spatial thinking warm-up, handy if you work with diagrams, drawings and maps.

Kids

Simple 4-square shapes are clear even to young schoolchildren, and mirror pairs are good practice for telling left from right. Suitable from age 6. Kids set

60+

Not in the “60+” collection. There are only two buttons and you can also answer with the arrow keys, but the whole round lasts one minute.

Program finder

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Answer 4 questions and we’ll put together a daily program of 5 trainers. We’ll email you the full 2-week plan.

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Questions

Frequently asked questions

How is a mirrored shape different from a rotated one?

A rotated shape can be lined up with the original if you turn it on the table. A mirrored one can’t, just as no amount of turning makes a left glove into a right one.

By what angle is the shape rotated?

90, 180 or 270 degrees. The shape is never shown unrotated.

Why is my score lower than my correct answers?

Each mistake costs a point. Your round score is correct answers minus mistakes, but never below zero.

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. 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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