The Coloured Progressive Matrices Test (CPM): Essential Tips for Your 2025 Exam

The right answer is:

Did you get it?

Here is the explanation:

First, we need to find which elements of the pictures change, so we can notice patterns. In this grid, there are two elements that change from picture to picture: shape, and colour.

Let's talk about shape first:

• On the column to the left, we can see small shapes: a cloud, a raindrop, and a sun.
• In the middle column, we can see the same shapes, but they have been stretched. 
• In the last column, we can see, based on the top two rows, that the shape is an arrow that tells us the direction of the stretch. So, the cloud got stretched from side to side, and the raindrop from top to bottom.

The sun in the second column is bigger than the one in the first column, which means it has been stretched both side-to-side AND top-to-bottom.

So, the shape in the missing tile should include arrows that go side-to-side and top-to-bottom.

But wait, this still means the answer can be B, C, or D.

To decide which one is the correct answer, we'll look at colour next. 

The pattern shows that the arrow in the third column takes the color of the previous row's main element:

• Row 1 arrow is blue (matching the water drops from row 2)
• Row 2 arrow is yellow (matching the suns from row 3)
• Row 3 arrow should be white (matching the clouds from row 1)

Answer D is the only answer that fits both the colour and the shape we are looking for!

The right answer is:

Did you get it?

Here is the explanation:

Just like the last question, there are two elements that change from picture to picture. These are what we need to track to find the pattern.

In the last question, the two elements were shape and colour. In this question, the shapes are all the same: hearts. Instead, the two elements are the number of hearts and the colour.

Number of hearts:

You can see that the number of hearts moves one step to the right with every new row: in the first row, square 1 has two hearts. So, in the second row, square 2 will be the one with two hearts. Following this logic, we know that in the third row, square 3 will have two hearts as well.

Colour:

The colour also changes from row to row, but unlike the number, it moves to the left. In row 2, square 1 is purple. In row 3, since there are no squares to the left of 1, square 3 will be purple.

That's kind of complicated. Is there a shortcut?

Yes! Think of it like a puzzle where each row and each column must have:

• All three colours (orange, purple, black) exactly once
• All three quantities (1 heart, 2 hearts, 3 hearts) exactly once

So for the missing square, just ask: 'What colour is missing from row 3?' (Purple) and 'How many hearts are missing from column 3?' (2 hearts). The answer is 2 purple hearts!

The right answer is:

Did you get it?

Here is the explanation:

The second frame in the above analogy is the inside part of the first figure. Following this logic, the inside part of the smiley face (the eyes and mouth) must be the answer.

The right answer is:

Did you get it?

Here is the explanation:

In the top row, there are two shapes: a big one and a small one (both triangles).

What happens to these shapes? The big triangle stays in place. However, the small black triangle moves, unchanged, from the bottom to the top of the triangle.

Sometimes, as shapes move from one picture to another, their orientation changes, which means they are rotated to face another direction. However, in this case, the small black triangle kept its exact orientation, with the angle facing straight up. The only thing that changes is the triangle's location.

Now, let's look at the bottom row. The two shapes are a doughnut and an arrow. Following the pattern in the first row, the big shape (doughnut) shouldn't move at all. The arrow will move from the bottom of the doughnut to the top, without rotating at all.

The right answer is:

Did you get it?

Here is the explanation:

Like the previous question, the pattern can be found in the upper row. Let's understand the relationship between the first square and the second square in that row.

There is an inner shape and an outer shape. The inner shape in the first figure (circle) becomes the outer shape in the second figure; and the outer shape (square) becomes the inner shape, turns black, and extends the entire length of the outer shape.

The correct answer must have the same relationship with the third figure.

This means that 5 is the correct answer.