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NVR - Choosing a Shape to Complete a Set (1)
This free 11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning guide explains Similar Shapes questions where children choose the shape that best completes a set.
In the previous guide, children had to find the odd one out. This time, the task is reversed: children look at two shapes that share important features, then choose the answer option that is most similar to them.
This guide is designed for parents helping children revise for the 11 Plus, especially when children need to compare shape properties carefully rather than relying on first impressions.
This 11 Plus guide is free to read and use. It is part of our free 11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning exam illustrations, created to help parents understand the question types children may meet.
Please note that the guide is free, while playing the linked 11 Plus quizzes for regular practice requires a subscription.
What Are Similar Shapes Questions?
Similar Shapes questions ask children to identify what two figures have in common, then choose another figure that shares the same important feature.
They are closely related to Odd One Out questions. The difference is that children are not looking for the shape that is different. They are looking for the shape that belongs with the set.
The shared feature might involve shape type, regularity, line length, angle size, outline style, shading, internal shapes or orientation.
How Are These Questions Shown in the 11 Plus Exam?
Candidates are shown two figures on the left. These two figures share one or more common features.
They are then shown four or five answer options and asked which one is most like the figures on the left.
The key is to identify the important shared feature before looking too closely at the answer choices.
Example One:
On the left are two figures that have something in common. Which of the remaining five figures is most like the figures on the left?
.JPG "Choosing a Shape to Complete a Set 2")
Example One: Look for the True Shared Feature
At first, it may look as though the two shapes on the left are simply four-sided shapes.
However, most of the answer options also appear to have four sides, so that clue alone is not enough.
The more important feature is that both shapes on the left are squares. One has simply been turned on its side.
Of the answer options, only D is also a square. Option B does not have four 90-degree angles, and option E does not have sides of equal length.
That makes D the correct answer.
Parent explanation: Encourage your child to look beyond the first obvious similarity. A question may start with “four sides”, but the real clue may be “square”.
Regular Shapes and Similar Shapes
This example also introduces the idea of regular shapes.
A regular shape has sides of equal length and angles of equal size.
A square is regular. An equilateral triangle is regular. A rectangle is not regular because it has longer and shorter sides.
Children should remember that a shape can belong to a broad group, such as quadrilaterals or hexagons, without being regular.
Technique tip: In Similar Shapes questions, ask: “Are we looking for the same broad shape family, or a more exact property such as regularity?”
Example Two:
On the left are two figures that have something in common. Which of the remaining five figures is most like the figures on the left?
.JPG "Choosing a Shape to Complete a Set 3")
Example Two: Compare Several Features
In the second example, the first two symbols have more than one feature in common.
Each main shape has a dashed outline.
Each symbol contains three smaller shapes inside it.
One of the smaller shapes is black.
There is also a small version of the main shape inside each symbol. This smaller version has a solid outline and is flipped top to bottom.
Children need to use all of these clues to find the answer.
Eliminate the Wrong Answers
Once the shared features are clear, children can begin eliminating answer options.
Answer B has a dotted outline rather than a dashed one, so it does not fit.
Answer C has no black shape inside, so it does not fit.
Answer A has a small heart inside it, but the smaller heart is not flipped over.
Answer D does not contain a smaller version of the main shape.
That leaves answer E. It has a trapezium inside the main shape, and that trapezium is upside down compared with the larger trapezium.
Parent explanation: This type of question rewards careful checking. The correct answer usually has to match several features, not just one.
Common Mistakes to Watch For
Children may lose marks on Similar Shapes questions because they focus on one feature and ignore the rest.
Common mistakes include:
- Choosing any four-sided shape when the clue is specifically a square
- Forgetting that regular shapes need equal sides and equal angles
- Confusing dotted and dashed outlines
- Missing a black internal shape
- Not checking whether a smaller internal shape has been flipped
- Choosing an answer that matches one feature but fails another
A calm, feature-by-feature method is usually more useful than guessing. Accuracy should come before speed during early 11 Plus revision.
11 Plus Practice Quizzes for Similar Shapes
This free guide explains how to choose a shape to complete a set, but practice helps children become more familiar with Similar Shapes questions.
Education Quizzes has seven Similar Shapes quizzes in the 11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning section.
Next Steps for Parents
This guide has shown how children can choose the shape that best completes a set by comparing shared features carefully.
The next guide looks at a more complicated version of this question type, where children may need to match several characteristics at once.
Reading that guide before quiz practice may help children become more confident with more demanding Similar Shapes questions.
Remember: This 11 Plus guide is free to use. The linked quizzes are available by subscription and provide the regular practice children need to apply the method confidently.
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