What comes next in the row

One panel against the very next one

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

为什么Every 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

提示A steady climb or a steady fall — never a sudden jump.

为什么If 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

提示On, off, on, off — a rhythm rather than a climb.

为什么Alternating 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

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

为什么The 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

提示Just enough to show the same change happening twice.

为什么Three 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

提示You still have to move one more step, not stand still.

为什么This 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

提示Read forwards to the space, then backwards into it.

为什么The 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

提示Off by one step in the sequence.

为什么The 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

提示Only the space is empty; everything else is drawn for you.

为什么Four 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

提示Think of it as a window rather than the view.

为什么The 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

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

为什么With 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

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

为什么Two 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.