Deductive reasoning — Demo

Logic Grid

Shape-grid deduction practice modelled on Aon's deductive-logical thinking test (scales lst, also called gapChallenge), which prep providers list among the NATS Stage 1 online tests.

How it works

  1. 1You see a 4×4 or 5×5 grid. Some cells hold shapes, some are blank and one holds a ?
  2. 2No shape repeats in any row or column. A 4×4 grid uses four shapes and a 5×5 grid five, so every row and every column contains each shape exactly once.
  3. 3Work out which shape belongs under the ? and pick it from the shapes below the grid. The next grid appears straight away. You don't need to fill the whole grid — some blanks can't be worked out at all.
  4. 4Stuck? Tap a blank cell to pencil in a shape (shown in grey) while you reason, then tap the ? to go back to answering.

Worked example

  1. Step 1: Row 3 already has and column 1 has , so the only shape left for row 3, column 1 is .
  2. Final step: Row 3 already has step 1 and column 2 has , so the only shape left for the ? is .

Numbered cells show cells you deduce on the way; they are not given in the question.

About the real test

Aon's own practice guide describes 4×4 or 5×5 grids, a timed test with no set number of questions, grids that may get harder as you go, and the option to fill in blank cells to help you think. Prep providers report a 6-minute limit. NATS does not publish the names or settings of its Stage 1 tests.

This practice follows that format: a 2-minute demo run with no set number of grids. Difficulty adapts — two correct in a row moves you up a level, a wrong answer moves you down — from 4×4 cross-checks to 5×5 grids that need a chain of deductions. Every grid is generated fresh and checked by a solver so exactly one shape can go under the ?.

Controls: tap or click. Keyboard: 1–5 pick a shape, arrow keys move between cells, Esc returns to the ?, Backspace clears a note.

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