How to solve progression puzzles

Last updated November 1, 2026

In a progression puzzle, one property changes by the same step from cell to cell: the count drops by one, the shape grows one size, a polygon loses a side. To solve it, find the property that changes, measure the step between the first two cells, check that the same step holds in every row, and apply it once more to fill the empty cell.

What a progression puzzle looks like

A progression is the most common rule in matrix puzzles because it is the easiest to see: something gets bigger, smaller, more or fewer at a steady rate. Read a row from left to right and one property moves in one direction, while everything else stays the same.

The step can be any size. In our set it is one or two shapes, one size, or one side, and in the harder puzzles two properties move at once, or a progression shares the grid with a distribution rule on another property.

Worked example: Puzzle #4, Growing Crosses

Pick an option first, then open the solution.

Which option completes the pattern?

How to solve it (answer: E)

The rule

In each row, the shape gets one size bigger at each step.

Step by step

Look at the top row: a small solid cross, then a medium solid cross, then a large solid cross.
The middle row follows the same step.
The bottom row goes a tiny solid cross, then a small solid cross, so next comes a medium solid cross.

Tip: Find what changes by the same amount each step, then check that the amount holds in every row.

A method for progression puzzles

Compare the first two cells of the top row and name every property that differs: count, size, sides, fill, shape.
Measure the step for each one. One fewer triangle, one size bigger, one side less.
Check the second cell against the third. If the step repeats, you have the rule; if it doesn't, the property follows another rule.
Confirm the same step in the second row. Rows often start from different values, so check the change, not the starting point.
Apply the step to the last cell of the bottom row, then check every other property of your answer against the row.

Why the wrong options look right

The right count, the wrong fill

Wrong options usually keep the progression and break something constant. An option with the right number of shapes and the wrong fill looks finished because you were only counting.

Off by one step

An option one step short or one step past the answer is the classic decoy. Count the step twice, once per row.

Two moving properties

When size and sides both change, an option that gets one of them right feels correct. Check each moving property separately.

The variants in this set

The count of shapes goes down by one or by two.
The shape grows one size at each step.
A polygon loses one side at each step: hexagon, pentagon, square.
Size and sides change together in the same row.
A progression on count runs beside a distribution of fills or shapes.

Practice: 7 progression puzzles

The other pattern types

Progression is one of four pattern types

The Cogniva test has five puzzles of each type, 20 in all, and gives you a free score band in about 7 minutes. The full report shows how you did on each type.

Take the 20-question test

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