Matrix Pattern 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 a Matrix Pattern Test?
In a matrix pattern test you are shown a 3 × 3 grid of figures with the bottom-right cell missing. Every row and every column follows a hidden rule — shapes may be counted, added, rotated, resized or recoloured from one cell to the next — and you must work out the rule and choose the one option that completes the grid. This matrix pattern test follows the style made famous by Raven’s Progressive Matrices, the pattern test used in selection systems all over the world.
Matrix questions appear in ISSB screening and in the Pakistan Army, PAF and Pak Navy initial tests, because they measure pure observation and logic without needing language or mathematics. Candidates for the PMA Long Course, PAF airman and aerotrade courses, and Pak Navy sailor and officer entries all meet them in the non-verbal section, usually in long sets with well under a minute for each grid. The four options are close cousins of the correct cell, so a half-found rule is not enough — check your rule against the whole grid before you commit. Work through all 25 matrices below, then read the answer key to see each rule explained.
25 Practice Questions
In each question, find the missing cell that completes the 3 × 3 matrix and choose the correct option (A, B, C or D). The full answer key with explanations follows the questions.
Question 1
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 2
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 3
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 4
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 5
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 6
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 7
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 8
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 9
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 10
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 11
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 12
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 13
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 14
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 15
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 16
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 17
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 18
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 19
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 20
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 21
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 22
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 23
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 24
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Question 25
Which option completes the matrix?
A
B
C
D
Answer Key with Explanations
| Q | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | Across each row the dots rise by one, and each row starts one higher than the row above, so the last cell has 5 dots. |
| 2 | B | Each row holds a circle, a square and a triangle, and every cell in the third column is navy — a navy square. |
| 3 | B | The arrow turns 45 degrees clockwise at each step, so the sequence ends at 180 degrees, pointing down. |
| 4 | A | Every column adds up to 6 dots; the third column already shows 2 + 2, so the missing cell has 2 dots. |
| 5 | A | In each row the third cell holds the first two counts added together: 1 + 3 = 4 dots. |
| 6 | B | Every row and column contains one white, one gold and one navy circle; the last row still needs its gold circle. |
| 7 | C | The square grows small, medium, large across every row, so the third row also ends with the large square. |
| 8 | B | Going down each column the horizontal lines increase 1, 2, 3, so the last cell has 3 lines. |
| 9 | A | Down each column the triangle turns 90 degrees clockwise — pointing up, then right, then down. |
| 10 | C | Each row and column contains one circle, one square and one triangle; the bottom row still needs its square. |
| 11 | D | The dots in every row add up to 9; the last row shows 3 + 2, so the missing cell has 4 dots. |
| 12 | B | The corner dot steps clockwise — top-left, top-right, bottom-right, bottom-left — and the cycle restarts at top-left. |
| 13 | C | Down each column the shading deepens from white to half-filled to fully navy, so the last cell is navy. |
| 14 | D | Each row holds a 3-sided, a 4-sided and a 5-sided shape; the last row still needs the 4-sided square. |
| 15 | B | The hand turns a quarter-turn clockwise at each step and the pattern restarts at the top, at 12 o’clock. |
| 16 | A | In each column the bottom count is the top count minus the middle count: 6 − 3 = 3 dots. |
| 17 | C | In each row the third arrow is the first arrow turned through 180 degrees: 135 + 180 = 315 degrees. |
| 18 | B | Diamonds and circles alternate like a chessboard, so the corner cell matches its diagonal neighbours — a diamond. |
| 19 | A | The bar count equals the row number plus the column number minus one: 3 + 3 − 1 = 5 bars. |
| 20 | B | Each row counts down 3, 2, 1 small triangles, so the last cell holds a single triangle. |
| 21 | C | Every row and column holds one small, one medium and one large circle; the last row still needs the medium one. |
| 22 | D | The number of gold circles rises row by row — 1, then 2, then 3 — so the last cell is also gold. |
| 23 | C | The third cell in each row shows the shape that appears in both of the first two cells — here, the triangle. |
| 24 | D | Each column keeps one direction all the way down; the third column points down in every row. |
| 25 | B | Every column adds up to 8 dots; the third column shows 4 + 1, so the missing cell has 3 dots. |
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