Figure completion is one of the standard non-verbal reasoning patterns in GL-style 11+ papers. Complete the missing quarter/half of a figure. NVR rewards method over talent more than any other 11+ subject — children who learn to interrogate shapes systematically routinely overtake 'naturally spatial' peers who guess.
What the question looks like
Complete the missing quarter/half of a figure. Expect several per paper; in reasoning-only regions such as Lincolnshire, NVR carries half the total marks.
The method
Use the figure's symmetry or repetition to project the missing part point by point. Check your answer preserves both the outline AND internal details.
The traps
Completing the outline but not interior lines; breaking rotational symmetry.
How to practise this type
Do this type in short, focused bursts — ten questions, mark, review every error out loud ('what property did I miss?'). Our free NVR worksheet sets isolate each pattern, the full NVR types list maps the territory, and timed mock papers knit the types back together at exam pace.