16/08/2026
You have to cross out the wrong answer options on the question paper.
Using a “process of elimination” is one of the most powerful NVR strategies your child can learn.
In Non-Verbal Reasoning, the instinct is to scan all 5 shapes and try to spot the “right” one straight away. But the strongest technique isn’t about finding what’s right first, it’s about ruling out what’s wrong.
Here’s why it works so well:
1. It turns an overwhelming 5-shape question into a manageable 2 or 3-shape decision
2. It builds confidence. “I don’t know the answer” becomes “I know it’s not B, D or E, because the rotation/shading/pattern doesn’t match”
3. It slows children down at exactly the right moment, forcing them to check each shape against the rule, rather than guessing
4. Once they’re down to two options, the real skill kicks in: spotting the tiny difference between them, e.g. a shape rotated instead of reflected, one extra dot, a line facing the wrong way, shading in the wrong segment
This is where the marks are actually won or lost. Not in the obviously wrong shapes, in the fine detail between the two that both look almost identical.
Next time your child is working through NVR, try asking: “Which ones can we cross out first — and why?”
That “why” is doing all the work. It teaches them to check every shape against the rule with real scrutiny, right to the very last two.
Hope this helps! Have a great week ahead x
