Mental rotation test
A mental rotation puzzle shows a target shape made of squares. Find the option that is exactly the same shape, only turned. Mirror images and changed shapes do not count.
Choose your level
Play Easy10 puzzles · the answer after each oneWhat mental rotation tests
Mental rotation is the ability to turn an object in your mind and recognise it from a new angle. It is a core part of spatial reasoning, the skill you use when reading a map that is not facing north or fitting luggage into a car boot.
How the puzzles here are built
Each target is a shape of 5 to 7 squares generated by our code and chosen so that its mirror image can never be produced by turning it. The five options are one correct turn, two or three mirror images (also turned), and one or two shapes with a single square moved. Easier puzzles use five squares and quarter turns; harder ones use bigger shapes, any multiple of 90°, then 45° steps and marked squares. A check confirms that exactly one option is a turned copy of the target.
How to approach them
Pick a distinctive part of the target, such as a long arm or a marked square, and turn it first. Then walk around the shape in one direction and compare the order of its parts: a mirror image gives the same parts in reverse order. Count squares along each arm to catch shapes that were changed. Practice is untimed, with feedback after every answer.
In the IQ test
Rotation puzzles make up the third part of the free IQ test: 4 of the 16 questions in the quick test and 8 of the 32 in the full test.
Read the guide · Take the IQ test