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Codes

Each figure has a code of letters, and each letter stands for one thing about it, such as the shape or the shading. Here’s how to crack the code, one letter at a time.

Rush doesn’t practise codes yet. These games practise related skills: Most Like, Doesn't Belong and Shape Analogies.

Start the guide Practise 8 questions

Chapter 1

What are codes questions?

You’re shown a few figures, each with a code of two or three letters. Each letter stands for one thing about its figure, such as the shape, the shading or the outline.

You work out what each letter means, then pick the code for one more figure. Each place in the code has its own job: here the first letter is about one thing, the second about another.

  1. The coded figures. Each one has its code under it.

  2. The new figure. Its code is the question mark.

Which code goes with the last figure?

Code: LP
Code: MP
Code: MQ
Code: LR
?
  • MR
  • LR
  • MQ
  • MP
  • RM

What a letter can stand for

Any of these. In GL’s practice papers the shading and the shape come up most, then where a small shape sits.

  • Shape
  • Shading
  • Stripe slope
  • Outline
  • Which way it points
  • Shape inside
  • Where it sits
  • How many

Chapter 2

Solve it in 4 steps.

Here’s the question, one place in the code at a time.

The question

Which code goes with the last figure?

Code: LP
Code: MP
Code: MQ
Code: LR
?
  • MR
  • LR
  • MQ
  • MP
  • RM

  1. Step 1

    Take the first letters only.

    Find two figures with the same first letter: LP and LR. One is a circle with a star, the other a square with a flag, so L can’t mean either of those. What they share is a solid outline.

    Both L figures have a solid outline.

  2. Step 2

    Check it with the other letter.

    The M figures, MP and MQ, are a triangle and a circle, and both are dashed. So L means solid and M means dashed. The circle turns up with both letters, so the big shape has no letter at all.

    Both M figures have a dashed outline.

  3. Step 3

    Now the second letters.

    Both P figures have a small star in the corner, so the second letter is about the corner shape, and P means a star. Q and R are on one figure each: Q is a heart and R is a flag.

    Star, star, heart, flag: P, P, Q, R.

  4. Step 4

    Build the code, then cross out.

    The new figure is dashed, so its code starts with M. Its corner shape is a flag, so it ends with R. That makes MR. Every other option has a wrong letter.

    • MR
    • LR
    • MQ
    • MP
    • RM

Three mistakes it sets

Q is the small heart. The new figure’s heart is the big shape.
The mistakeDo this instead
Matching the big heart. The new figure is a heart, and so is Q’s corner shape, so MQ looks right. But Q’s heart is the small one in the corner.Compare like with like: corner shape with corner shape.
Copying a lookalike’s code. LR has the same flag and MP the same dashed outline. Each of those codes gets just one letter right.Build the code one letter at a time.
Swapping the letters. RM has the right letters in the wrong order. R is only ever a second letter.Put each letter back in its own place.

So it’s MR. M for the dashed outline, R for the small flag. The big heart has no letter.

Remember: Same letter, same feature.

Chapter 3

The catches.

Harder questions use these. Each card gives the rule, an example and the trap.

  • Two things in common? Ask another figure

    A figure with a different letter shows which one counts.

    GS and GT are both black, and both have a small circle top left. But HS has that small circle too, so it can’t be what G means. G means black. Trap: stopping at the first thing you notice.

  • Three letters: three small questions

    Do one place at a time, just as with two.

    K, L and M are the big shape, U and V the shading. Both X figures have their small shape top left, both Y figures bottom right. So the new figure is LUY. Trap: the small shape changes too, but it has no letter.

    • AY
    • YA
    • CY

    Letters keep their places

    A letter only goes where it has been before.

    A and B always come first here, X and Y second, so YA can’t be right. Nor can CY: no figure has a C, and the circle already has its letter, A. It’s AY. Trap: the right letters swapped round look right at a glance.

  • Nothing fits? Check which way it points

    When shape and shading don’t explain a letter, look at the quieter features.

    These are all the same arrow. But both D arrows point up, one white and one black, and the E arrow points left. So D means pointing up. Trap: deciding the letter means nothing because the shapes match.

Chapter 4: In the exam

Codes on the exam paper.

Expect three or four coded figures, five codes marked A to E, and about 30 seconds a question. Many papers, including GL’s, stack each code in a little box: read the top letter first.

Which code goes with the last figure?

  1. AHW
  2. BFW
  3. CFT
  4. DWF
  5. EGW

  1. Step 1

    Top letters first.

    The two G figures are a black heart and a white circle, so G isn’t the shape or the shading. Both have two small circles, in different corners. G means two. F has one and H has three.

    Two small circles each: G means two.

  2. Step 2

    Then the bottom letters.

    Both T figures are black and both W figures are white. The big shape changes with no letter: square, heart, circle, square. That’s the red herring.

    T is black, W is white.

  3. Step 3

    Build it, then check every letter.

    The new figure has one small circle and is white: F on top, W below. That’s B. A, C and E each have just one letter wrong, as most wrong codes in the exam do. D is upside down.

    1. AHW
    2. BFW
    3. CFT
    4. DWF
    5. EGW

So it’s B: F over W. F for one small circle, W for white. Which corner the circle sits in doesn’t matter: only how many.

Remember: Top first, then bottom.

Other ways the exam asks it

  • Look at the options first. If every option has the same letter in one place, you don’t need to work that place out.
  • No big shape. The letters can stand for lines on their own: how many, which way they slope, dashed or solid.
  • How shapes meet. A letter can mean a small shape is inside, overlapping or outside a big one, or that two lines point the same way.
  • Letters side by side. Other papers write the code in a row, as in chapter 2. The first letter is the left one.

Chapter 5

Try it yourself.

Easier ones first. Try each one before you open its answer.

  1. Question 1Level 1

    Which code goes with the last figure?

    Code: AX
    Code: BY
    Code: BX
    ?
    • AY
    • BY
    • AX
    • YA
    • AZ
    Show answer

    Answer: AY.

    How to answer it

    1. First letters: the B figures are a triangle and a circle, both with stripes going down to the right (\). So B means \ stripes, and A means / stripes.
    2. Second letters: both X figures are circles. X means circle, Y means triangle.
    3. The new figure is a triangle with / stripes: AY.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • BYB means stripes going down to the right. These go up to the right.
    • AXX means a circle. This is a triangle.
    • YASwapped. A always comes first.
    • AZZ isn't on any figure. The triangle is Y.

  2. Question 2Level 1

    Which code goes with the last figure?

    Code: RG
    Code: SH
    Code: SG
    ?
    • RH
    • SH
    • RG
    • HR
    • TH
    Show answer

    Answer: RH.

    How to answer it

    1. First letters: the S figures have different shading but both have two small circles. S means two circles, R means one.
    2. Second letters: both G figures have a white square, and the H figure a black one. G means white, H means black.
    3. The new figure has one circle (R) and a black square (H): RH.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • SHS means two small circles. There's only one here.
    • RGG means a white square. This one is black.
    • HRSwapped. H is a second letter.
    • THNo figure has a T. One circle is R.

  3. Question 3Level 1

    Which code goes with the last figure?

    Code: AX
    Code: BY
    Code: AY
    ?
    • BX
    • AX
    • BY
    • XB
    • CX
    Show answer

    Answer: BX.

    How to answer it

    1. First letters: the A arrows are white and black, but both point right. A means right, B means down.
    2. Second letters: both Y arrows are black. Y means black, X means white.
    3. The new arrow points down (B) and is white (X): BX.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • AXA means pointing right. This arrow points down.
    • BYY means a black arrow. This one is white.
    • XBSwapped. X always comes second.
    • CXC isn't on any figure, so it can't stand for down. B does.

  4. Question 4Level 2

    Which code goes with the last figure?

    Code: JX
    Code: JY
    Code: KY
    Code: LX
    ?
    • LY
    • LX
    • KY
    • JY
    • YL
    Show answer

    Answer: LY.

    How to answer it

    1. First letters: the two J figures are a square and a house, one solid and one dashed. What they share is the black circle inside. J means a circle inside, K a star inside, L a triangle inside.
    2. Second letters: the X figures, a square and a house, both have solid outlines. The Y figures, a house and a circle, both have dashed outlines. X means solid, Y means dashed.
    3. The outer shape is a red herring: the house comes with both J and L, and with both X and Y.
    4. The new figure has a triangle inside (L) and a dashed outline (Y): LY.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • LXX means a solid outline. This one is dashed.
    • KYK means a star inside. This one has a triangle.
    • JYJ means a circle inside. The other square was a J, but the letter goes with what's inside, not with the square.
    • YLSwapped. L always comes first.

  5. Question 5Level 2

    Which code goes with the last figure?

    Code: PM
    Code: QN
    Code: RM
    Code: PN
    ?
    • QM
    • QN
    • PM
    • RM
    • MQ
    Show answer

    Answer: QM.

    How to answer it

    1. First letters: both P circles are dotted, the Q circle is striped and the R circle is white. The first letter is the big circle's shading.
    2. Second letters: the M figures have a black star and a black heart in the corner. Different shapes, both black. The N figures have a white star and a white heart. M means a black corner shape, N a white one.
    3. The corner shape itself is a red herring. The flag in the new figure isn't on any other figure, and it doesn't need to be.
    4. Striped circle (Q), black corner shape (M): QM.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • QNN means a white corner shape. This flag is black.
    • PMP means a dotted circle. This one is striped.
    • RMR means a white circle. This one is striped.
    • MQSwapped. Q is a first letter.

  6. Question 6Level 2

    Which code goes with the last figure?

    Code: AS
    Code: BT
    Code: AT
    Code: CS
    ?
    • BS
    • BT
    • AS
    • CS
    • SB
    Show answer

    Answer: BS.

    How to answer it

    1. First letters: the A arrows both point up, one solid and one dashed. A means up, B means left, C means down.
    2. Second letters: the S arrows point up and down, but both have solid outlines. The T arrows both have dashed outlines. S means solid, T means dashed.
    3. The small circle comes and goes without matching any letter. Ignore it.
    4. Pointing left (B), solid outline (S): BS.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • BTT means a dashed outline. This arrow's outline is solid.
    • ASA means pointing up. This arrow points left.
    • CSCS is the code for a solid arrow with a small circle, pointing down. C means pointing down, and this arrow points left.
    • SBSwapped. S is a second letter.

  7. Question 7Level 3

    Which code goes with the last figure?

    Code: ALX
    Code: BLY
    Code: BMX
    Code: ANY
    ?
    • AMX
    • BMX
    • ANX
    • AMY
    • ALX
    Show answer

    Answer: AMX.

    How to answer it

    1. First letters: the A figures are a square and a drop, both with / stripes. The B figures, a heart and a square, both have \ stripes. A means /, B means \.
    2. Second letters: both L figures have a small star in the corner. M is a small flag, N a small heart.
    3. Third letters: both X figures have a solid outline, both Y figures a dashed one.
    4. The big shape is a red herring: the two squares have different first letters.
    5. / stripes (A), a small flag (M), a solid outline (X): AMX.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • BMXB means \ stripes. These go up to the right, /.
    • ANXN means a small heart in the corner. The big shape is a heart, but the corner shape is a flag.
    • AMYY means a dashed outline. This one is solid.
    • ALXL means a small star in the corner. This one is a flag.

  8. Question 8Level 3

    Which code goes with the last figure?

    Code: CPX
    Code: DPY
    Code: CQY
    Code: DQX
    ?
    • CQX
    • CQY
    • DQX
    • CPX
    • QCX
    Show answer

    Answer: CQX.

    How to answer it

    1. First letters: the C flags both fly to the right, one white and one black. C means right, D means left.
    2. Second letters: both P flags are white, both Q flags black.
    3. Third letters: the X figures each have one small shape at the bottom, the Y figures two. X means one, Y means two.
    4. The small shapes change every time (a circle, triangles, stars, a heart), so what they are is a red herring.
    5. Flying right (C), black (Q), one small shape (X): CQX.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • CQYY means two small shapes. There's only one.
    • DQXD means the flag flies to the left. This one flies to the right.
    • CPXP means a white flag. This one is black.
    • QCXThe first two letters are swapped. C is always a first letter.
Next in non-verbal reasoning Hidden shapes How to find hidden shapes in 11+ non-verbal reasoning: count the sides, start from the odd corner and trace every line, with worked examples. Read the guide

For parents.

More on codes, and what parents ask us.

More on codes

Rush doesn't practise non-verbal reasoning codes

There's no codes game in Rush. A codes question means comparing several figures letter by letter, which takes longer than the ten seconds or so that each Rush question is meant to take. Work through the eight practice questions here with a pencil, crossing out options as you go, then try timed questions on paper.

Questions parents ask

What are codes in non-verbal reasoning?

Each figure is given a code made of letters, and each letter stands for one feature of the figure, such as its shape, its shading or its outline. You work out what the letters mean from the figures you're given, then pick the code for a new figure.

What's the difference between horizontal and vertical codes?

The names describe how the letters are laid out: side by side, or stacked one above the other. Either way, each place in the code (first or top, second or bottom) has its own meaning, and the method is the same.

What can the letters stand for?

Anything you can see without measuring: the shape, its shading, a solid or dashed outline, which way it points, what is inside it, how many small shapes there are, or where a small shape sits. Where a part sits comes up more often than children expect.

How do you do three-letter codes?

The same way as two-letter codes, one place at a time. A three-letter code is three small questions. Decode whichever place the options disagree on most first, and you may not need all three.

Practise the related skills in Rush.

  • Most LikeFinding what a group of figures has in common is what you do with two figures that share a letter.
  • Doesn't BelongSpotting the one figure that breaks a pattern practises checking figures feature by feature, which codes need.
  • Shape AnalogiesListing every change between two figures builds the habit of reading a figure one feature at a time.

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