Updated October 2026 · Format researched 4 October 2026 · Pearson TalentLens
Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices is the oldest matrix test still in professional use. The online APM-III, sold by Pearson TalentLens, draws 23 items from a bank with a 40-minute allowance. It is the test behind many "abstract reasoning" assessments for graduate and management roles.
The count and the clock are published by Pearson. The number of answer choices and the 3×3 layout are reported by practice sites and consistent with the sample report, but we did not find them stated by the publisher, so the page marks them as inferred.
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| Questions | 23 |
| Time | 40 minutes |
| Adaptive | No (reported by the publisher, not independently confirmed) |
| Answer choices | 8 (inferred from sample material, not published) |
| Clock | Whole-test maximum of 40 minutes; no individual item deadline established. |
A 3×3 grid with the last cell missing and a set of candidate figures (eight, by report). The rules combine: progression of an attribute across a row, distribution of elements across a column, rotation, and in the hard items several rules at once. APM does not rank items from easy to hard in a published order; Pearson describes bank-drawn forms of equivalent overall difficulty.
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Pearson reports an ability estimate that accounts for item difficulty, with a percentile against a norm group, and offers T-scores, stanines and stens as alternatives. A raw count may appear on the report but does not map one-to-one to the percentile across forms. Pearson publishes no negative marking and no universal pass mark.
The free test below is ten 3×3 matrices at eight choices, four minutes per item on the clock. The eight-choice figure is reported rather than confirmed by Pearson; if your invitation says otherwise, trust the invitation.
23, in 40 minutes, confirmed by Pearson. Items are drawn from a bank, so two candidates see different sets of equivalent difficulty.
The online APM-III draws items at random from a bank; Pearson does not describe it as response-adaptive. Raven's Adaptive is a separate, shorter product.
Scores are percentiles against a norm group; Pearson publishes no universal pass mark. Employers set cut-offs per role.
Where a value above is marked as reported or inferred, the publisher has not confirmed it. Nothing on this page reproduces a test item.
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