Colour and Shading Patterns

In UCAT Abstract Reasoning, "colour" does not mean the full spectrum of colours you see in everyday life. The UCAT uses a limited palette — typically black (filled), white (outline only), grey (mid-tone fill), and occasionally striped or hatched patterns. Understanding how these shading options are used to construct rules is essential.

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The Shading Palette

Shading	Visual description	Common label
Black	Completely filled in, solid	Filled, solid, dark
White	Outline only, no fill	Empty, outline, open
Grey	Mid-tone fill, lighter than black	Grey, mid-shade
Striped/hatched	Filled with parallel lines (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal)	Striped, lined, hatched
Dotted	Filled with a dot pattern (less common)	Dotted, spotted

Important: When we say "colour" in AR, we almost always mean shading/fill. The UCAT does not typically use colours like red, blue, or green — everything is greyscale or patterned.

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Category 1: Uniform Shading Rules

The simplest shading rule: all shapes in each box share the same shading.

Worked Example