Embedded Figures Test
25 original figure-based practice questions with answers and explanations — built for ISSB screening and Pakistan Army, PAF and Pak Navy initial test preparation.
What Is an Embedded Figures Test?
In an embedded figures test, you are shown a simple target shape and four complex figures. The target is hidden inside exactly one of the four — drawn at the same size, facing the same way, its outline woven into the lines of the bigger figure. Your job is to find it. Nothing is rotated, enlarged or flipped: the shape is there in plain sight, camouflaged by extra lines, crossings and overlapping shapes that distract the eye and break up its outline.
Embedded figures are a favourite in ISSB screening and in the Pakistan Army, PAF and Pak Navy initial tests, including the tests for PMA Long Course, PAF airman and aerotrade entries and Pak Navy sailor recruitment, because they measure visual discrimination — the ability to pick one pattern out of noise quickly and accurately. In the real test you may get only 20 to 30 seconds per figure, so speed matters as much as accuracy. Strong candidates do not scan the whole figure at random; they memorise the target’s outline, hunt for its most distinctive corner or longest line, and then check whether the rest of the outline is present around it. Practise the 25 original questions below against the clock, then check the answer key to see exactly where each target was hiding.
25 Practice Questions
In each question, the target shape is shown first, followed by four figures. Choose the figure (A, B, C or D) that contains the target at the same size and in the same direction.
Question 1
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 2
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 3
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 4
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 5
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 6
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 7
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 8
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 9
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 10
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 11
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 12
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 13
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 14
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 15
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 16
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 17
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 18
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 19
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 20
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 21
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 22
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 23
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 24
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Question 25
Which figure contains the target shape?
TARGET
A
B
C
D
Answer Key with Explanations
| Q | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | The triangle fills option B exactly; the extra upright line and circle are pure camouflage. |
| 2 | D | The L stands in option D at full size, its outline crossed by the long diagonal. |
| 3 | A | Option A keeps the centred roof peak and walls of the house; the door and window sit inside it. |
| 4 | C | The wide chevron crosses the whole of option C; the added cross lines do not break its outline. |
| 5 | B | The plus sign in option B is complete — both diagonals are drawn straight through it. |
| 6 | A | Option A holds the full diamond; its two diagonals meet at the centre circle. |
| 7 | D | The three steps climb to the right in option D, split by one added vertical line. |
| 8 | C | Option C keeps the trapezoid’s short top and long base; a small triangle sits inside it. |
| 9 | B | The pentagon stands complete in option B, with two lines running from its apex to the base corners. |
| 10 | A | Option A contains the whole T; a bar crosses its stem and a small square sits below it. |
| 11 | D | The three-peak zigzag runs across option D between the two horizontal rules. |
| 12 | C | Option C has the square and both full diagonals; the inner square is extra decoration. |
| 13 | A | The pennant flies at the top of the pole in option A, above the added circle. |
| 14 | B | Option B’s hexagon is crossed by its full horizontal and vertical centre lines. |
| 15 | D | The arrow points right in option D; the circle sits in its shaft and a line crosses its head. |
| 16 | C | The dome in option C rests on the full rectangle, its diameter forming the rectangle’s top edge. |
| 17 | A | Option A holds the long kite with both diagonals drawn in. |
| 18 | B | The falling diagonal runs corner to corner in option B, crossed by the centre upright. |
| 19 | D | The five-pointed star stands complete inside the circle in option D. |
| 20 | C | Option C keeps the parallelogram slanting right, cut by its diagonal and centre line. |
| 21 | B | The letter F is complete in option B; the extra line and square hide its lower half. |
| 22 | A | The quarter-circle sector fills the top-left of option A, crossed by the long diagonal. |
| 23 | D | The small square sits on the triangle’s base in option D, under the added centre line. |
| 24 | C | The open square faces right in option C; its mouth is partly covered by the small rectangle. |
| 25 | B | All three spokes of the asterisk cross at the centre of option B, inside the ring. |
More ISSB Non-Verbal Tests
Keep preparing with the full ISSB non-verbal series:
- ISSB Test Preparation Hub — all practice tests in one place
- ISSB Non-Verbal Reasoning Test
- Shape Series Test
- Non-Verbal Odd One Out Test
- Figure Analogies Test
- Figure Rotation Test
- Mirror Images Test
- Water Images Test
- Matrix Pattern Test
- Embedded Figures Test
- Counting Shapes Test
- Paper Folding & Cutting Test
- Dot Placement Test
- Figure Grouping Test
- Figure Formation Test
- Cubes and Dice Test
- Pattern Completion Test
- Non-Verbal IQ Test
- PMA Non-Verbal Test
- ISSB Non-Verbal Mock Test 1
- ISSB Non-Verbal Mock Test 2