An arrow turns and a dot moves round the box. Which figure is the fifth in the pattern? Four boxes in a row, then a fifth box marked with a question mark. Box 1: an arrow pointing left, with a dot at the top-right corner. Box 2: an arrow pointing down-left, with a dot at the bottom-right corner. Box 3: an arrow pointing down, with a dot at the bottom-left corner. Box 4: an arrow pointing down-right, with a dot at the top-left corner.

An arrow turns and a dot moves round the box.

MediumOriginal question

An arrow turns and a dot moves round the box. Which figure is the fifth in the pattern?

Figure 1

Correct answerYour answerFigure 2 A box containing an arrow pointing down-right, with a dot at the top-right corner.

Correct answerYour answerFigure 3 A box containing an arrow pointing right, with a dot at the top-left corner.

Correct answerYour answerFigure 4 A box containing an arrow pointing left, with a dot at the top-right corner.

Correct answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer A

Correct answer: A

The arrow turns 45° anticlockwise each time: left, down-left, down, down-right, so next it points right.
The dot moves 2 places clockwise round the box each time (the 4 corners and 4 edge midpoints are the 8 places): from the top-left corner it goes to the top-right corner.
Figure 1 shows an arrow pointing right, with a dot at the top-right corner.

Worth noting

Track one element at a time across all four boxes, and check each option against every rule; each wrong figure here breaks exactly one of them.

Ten questions from Non-verbal Reasoning, at your own pace.

Ten questions from Non-verbal Reasoning, at your own pace.