What comes next in the row

One panel against the very next one

HintWork in neighbouring pairs, not across the whole row at once.

The whyEvery step follows the same rule, so whatever happens between the first two pictures happens everywhere. Reading pair by pair keeps a three-part rule from blurring into a guess.

It moves by the same amount at every step

HintA steady climb or a steady fall — never a sudden jump.

The whyIf the count rises by one from the first picture to the second, it rises by one again to the third. A change that alters size halfway along is not the rule you are looking for.

It alternates between two kinds of fill

HintOn, off, on, off — a rhythm rather than a climb.

The whyAlternating means every other panel matches. To carry it on, look at the panel two places before the gap rather than the one immediately before it.

How far it turns from one panel to the next

HintQuarter, half or three-quarters — pin down the size of the spin.

The whyThe turn is the same size and the same direction at every step, so measure it once and repeat it. Only shapes that look different once turned can carry this rule at all.

3

HintJust enough to show the same change happening twice.

The whyThree panels give you two steps to compare, which is the least you need to be sure the change really repeats. The fourth picture is the one you choose.

It applies the rule zero times instead of once

HintYou still have to move one more step, not stand still.

The whyThis distractor is printed in almost every series question because it is the easiest slip to make. Before committing, ask whether your choice really differs from the figure just before it.

Those on both sides of it

HintRead forwards to the space, then backwards into it.

The whyThe rule runs the whole way across, so a panel after the gap is just as useful as one before it. Working from both directions also double-checks your answer for free.

A copy of the panel beside the gap

HintOff by one step in the sequence.

The whyThe neighbours are printed as choices on purpose. Landing on one usually means you counted the steps from the wrong end of the row, so recount from the nearest picture you trust.

4

HintOnly the space is empty; everything else is drawn for you.

The whyFour printed pictures is plenty to read the rule from, whichever end the gap happens to sit at. Count them first so you know how many steps you are working with.

No — it only holds each picture

HintThink of it as a window rather than the view.

The whyThe frames stay identical all the way along. Ignoring them leaves you comparing exactly the thing the question is actually about.

There is very little room in a triangle

HintThe drawing sits in a narrow space, so counts stay small and steady.

The whyWith less space to draw in, the shading and the turning carry the pattern instead. Look hardest at which way the shape faces and at how dark it has been filled.

every and once

HintIt happens at all of them; you then do it a single extra time.

The whyTwo moves, in that order. Most lost marks come from the second half — the rule is spotted correctly and then applied twice, or not at all.