Thinking Skills · 5 min
The hardest picture puzzles do not change one thing. They change two or three things at the same time. Here is how to take them apart, one rule at a time.
Why they feel hard
Look at these three pictures. The shape changes. The shading changes. The number of shapes changes. That is three changes at once.
Most people hunt for the rule. They find one, feel good, and stop. But there is no single rule. There are several rules running at once, and the answer has to obey all of them.
The method
Step 1: name the parts. Say out loud what could change.
Step 2: follow ONE part at a time across all the pictures. Ignore the others. Each part has its own rule. Find it, then move to the next part.
Step 3: build the answer from the rules, one part at a time.
Try it: one rule at a time
Here is a 3 × 3 grid with one picture missing. Three things change from picture to picture: the shape, the shading and the number of shapes. Tap Start and follow one at a time.
Try it: moving parts at different speeds
Four pictures, then a ?. Three parts change: the dot, the arrow and the colour of the circle. Each part moves at its own speed. Tap Start.
Two changes in one pair
Look at A → B. Change 1: the circle and the square swap places. The circle was outside and is now inside. Change 2: the gold was on the square and is now on the circle. Two changes, so any answer has to show both.
Now apply both to C. Here are four options, each checked against both changes.
A · swap ✓ · gold moved ✗
Swapped, but the gold stayed on the circle.
B · swap ✗ · gold moved ✗
Nothing changed. It is just picture C again.
C · swap ✓ · gold moved ✓
Both changes. This is the answer.
D · swap ✗ · gold moved ✓
The gold moved, but the shapes did not swap.
Check every option against every change. A trap usually makes only one of the changes, or none. If you stop as soon as one change matches, you will pick a trap.
Line overlays: five rules
Three figures in a row. The first and the second combine to make the third. Take these two figures.
Both have the top line and the diagonal. Only the first has the left line and the middle horizontal line. Only the second has the right line and the middle vertical line. Here is what each rule makes:
1. Keep every line
2. Keep only the lines that are in both
3. Lines in both disappear. Keep the rest
4. First figure, with the second figure's lines rubbed out
5. Second figure, with the first figure's lines rubbed out
Check line by line. Take each line in turn and ask: is it in the first figure, the second, or both? Then ask: is it in the answer?
Test the rule on both example rows. One row can fit two rules. Here, rule 3 and rule 4 both give the left line in row 1. Row 2 settles it.
Rule 3 (lines in both disappear) would make the left line in row 1, but in row 2 it would keep the diagonal and the vertical line. The picture only has the diagonal. So the rule is rule 4: the first figure with the second one's lines rubbed out. It works on both rows.
Why the options look so alike
In a hard puzzle, each wrong option usually gets one or two parts right and the rest wrong. That is on purpose. Do not pick the option that looks the most like the others. Check the answer part by part, and throw out any option that breaks a rule you have found.
Try it
1. Which picture goes in the empty square?
2. Which picture comes next?
Remember
• Hard puzzles change more than one thing.
• Name the parts: shape, shading, number, position.
• Follow one part at a time. Each has its own rule.
• Check every option against every change.
• For lines, check line by line and test the rule on both rows.
Ready to try it against real exam-style questions?
Practise picture puzzlesSpatial and abstract reasoning questions, with a worked explanation on every one.