Pattern recognition for the NAPOLCOM exam: figure series, odd-one-out and coded words, with one checklist for all of them.
Pattern items ask what comes next in a series of figures, which figure does not belong, or what a coded word or number stands for. They look like puzzles and are solved like arithmetic: one attribute at a time, in a fixed order. This page gives the attributes to test, the checklist to run on every item, and worked examples of the three shapes the items take.
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- Worked examples
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Quick facts
- Item types
- Figure series, odd one out, codes, rotation
- Method
- Test one attribute at a time
- Attributes
- Count, shape, shading, position, rotation, size
- Main trap
- Two attributes changing at once
- Time
- Under a minute; skip and return if not
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The attributes that change
A figure series changes along one or two of a short list of attributes: the number of elements, the shape, the shading, the position of an element within the frame, the rotation of the whole figure, and its size. Two changes at once is the exam's way of making an easy item look hard. Testing each attribute separately, in the same order every time, finds both.
- Count: does the number of dots, lines or sides go up or down by a fixed amount?
- Shape: does the shape cycle through a fixed set (circle, square, triangle, circle…)?
- Shading: does the fill alternate or move?
- Position: does one element move around the frame in a fixed direction?
- Rotation: does the whole figure turn by a fixed angle each step?
- Size: does an element grow or shrink?
Odd one out
Four or five figures, or words, or numbers, and one does not belong. Find the attribute all but one share: four have straight sides and one is curved; four are even and one is odd; four are ranks and one is a unit. The trap is an attribute that splits the set two ways; the right attribute isolates exactly one.
Codes
Coded items give a word and its code and ask for the code of another word, or give the rule and ask for the result. The rules are simple: shift each letter by a fixed number, reverse the word, replace each letter with its alphabet position, or swap pairs. Write the alphabet with positions numbered along the top of your scratch paper at the start of the section and every code item becomes arithmetic.
Worked examples
These items are written specifically for this guide. The actual practice bank pulls from a separate pool of original NAPOLCOM-style items reviewed by passers.
Item 01
A series of figures shows a square with a black dot in the top-left corner, then the top-right, then the bottom-right. Where is the dot in the next figure?
- ATop-left
- BBottom-leftCorrect
- CCenter
- DBottom-right
Explanation. Position: the dot moves clockwise one corner per step. After bottom-right comes bottom-left. Only one attribute changes here; the item tests whether you name it rather than guess.Item 02
Which does not belong: Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Battalion, Captain?
- ACorporal
- BLieutenant
- CBattalionCorrect
- DCaptain
Explanation. Four are ranks; a battalion is a unit. The tempting split is commissioned against non-commissioned, which divides the set two against two and therefore cannot be the rule; the right attribute isolates exactly one.Item 03
If POLICE is written as QPMJDF, how is GUARD written?
- AHVBSECorrect
- BFTZQC
- CHUBRE
- DGVASE
Explanation. Each letter shifts forward by one: P→Q, O→P, L→M, I→J, C→D, E→F. Apply to GUARD: G→H, U→V, A→B, R→S, D→E, giving HVBSE. B shifts backward; C and D shift only some letters.
Want twenty more like these, under a clock?
The napolcom exam pattern recognition reviewer drill runs ten or twenty items with full explanations and tracks which traps you fall for most often. Included with a paid plan.
Study tactics that actually move the score
- 01
Test the six attributes in the same order every time: count, shape, shading, position, rotation, size.
- 02
Expect two attributes to change at once on the harder items. Finding one is not finished.
- 03
For odd-one-out, the right attribute isolates exactly one item. A two-against-two split is the wrong attribute.
- 04
Write the numbered alphabet on your scratch paper before the section. Every code item becomes arithmetic.
Frequently asked questions
Are figure items on the NAPOLCOM exam?
Reviewers describe figure series and spatial items within logical reasoning, and some describe a separate spatial subtest. Either way, the attribute checklist on this page is the method.
How do I get faster at pattern items?
Run the same attribute checklist on every item, in the same order, until it is automatic. Speed comes from never wondering where to look.
What if I cannot find the pattern?
Choose the option that fits the most attributes you have found and move on. A pattern item is never worth three minutes on a three-hour paper.
Stop reading. Find your floor.
Forty questions across all four subtests, forty minutes, and a per-subject breakdown against the 80.00 pass mark.