Multi-Rule Patterns

By now you have learned about sequences, analogies, codes, and matrices. In all of these, you have seen that shapes can change according to rules. In easier questions there is usually just one rule. But in the trickiest CEM questions, two, three, or even four rules operate at the same time. This lesson teaches you how to handle multi-rule patterns with confidence.

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Why Multi-Rule Patterns Are Harder

When only one property changes, you can spot the rule quickly. But when multiple properties change simultaneously, it is easy to:

• Miss a rule (you spot one change but overlook another)
• Confuse the rules (you mix up which property follows which pattern)
• Lose track (you correctly identify the rules but make an error when applying them all)

The solution is to be systematic — track each property separately and combine the results at the end.

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The Property-Tracking Method

This is the most reliable strategy for multi-rule patterns:

Step 1: List the Properties

Write down (or think carefully about) every property that could change: