SBI Clerk Figure Matrix & Completion — Study Material, 14 PYQs & Practice MCQs | ZestExam
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SBI Clerk Figure Matrix & Completion
Study Material — 14 PYQs (2024–2024) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SBI Clerk Figure Matrix & Completion is a frequently tested subtopic — 14 previous year questions from 2024–2024 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
SBI Clerk Figure Matrix & Completion — Past Exam Questions
14 questions from actual SBI Clerk papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12024Previous Year Pattern
In a 3×3 matrix, the first row contains: Circle, Square, Triangle. The second row contains: Square, Triangle, Circle. The third row contains: Triangle, Circle, ?. What should replace the question mark?
Exam Q 22024Previous Year Pattern
In a 3×3 figure matrix, each cell contains a shape with internal lines. The pattern shows:
Row 1: Circle with 1 line, Circle with 2 lines, Circle with 3 lines
Row 2: Square with 1 line, Square with 2 lines, Square with 3 lines
Row 3: Triangle with 1 line, Triangle with 2 lines, ?
What should replace the question mark?
Test Figure Matrix & Completion under exam conditions
In a 3×3 matrix, shapes are arranged as follows:
Row 1: 1 small circle, 2 small circles, 3 small circles
Row 2: 1 medium square, 2 medium squares, 3 medium squares
Row 3: 1 large triangle, 2 large triangles, ?
What should replace the question mark?
Exam Q 42024Previous Year Pattern
Study the figure matrix below. Each row follows a pattern. What should replace the question mark?
Row 1: Circle with 1 dot | Circle with 2 dots | Circle with 3 dots
Row 2: Square with 2 dots | Square with 4 dots | Square with 6 dots
Row 3: Triangle with 3 dots | Triangle with 6 dots | ?
(A) Triangle with 8 dots
(B) Triangle with 9 dots
(C) Triangle with 12 dots
(D) Triangle with 15 dots
Exam Q 52024Previous Year Pattern
Study the pattern in the 2×2 grid:
Top-left: 4 dots arranged in a square
Top-right: 6 dots arranged in two rows of 3
Bottom-left: 8 dots arranged in two rows of 4
Bottom-right: ?
How many dots should be in the bottom-right cell?
Exam Q 62024Previous Year Pattern
In the given 3×3 figure matrix, each row contains shapes that follow a transformation rule. Row 1 shows: Small Square → Medium Square → Large Square. Row 2 shows: Small Circle → Medium Circle → Large Circle. Row 3 shows: Small Triangle → Medium Triangle → ?
Additionally, each column follows a secondary rule: Column 1 contains only small shapes, Column 2 contains only medium shapes, and Column 3 contains only large shapes. The shapes also have a fill pattern: Row 1 is unfilled, Row 2 is half-filled, Row 3 is fully-filled.
What should replace the question mark?
A) Large Triangle, unfilled
B) Large Triangle, half-filled
C) Large Triangle, fully-filled
D) Medium Triangle, fully-filled
Exam Q 72024Previous Year Pattern
In the 3×3 matrix below, each cell contains a shape with a specific number of internal lines. The pattern is: each row increases the number of lines by 1 (Row 1: 1 line, Row 2: 2 lines, Row 3: 3 lines). Additionally, each column shows a rotation pattern: Column 1 has 0° rotation, Column 2 has 90° rotation, Column 3 has 180° rotation.
Row 1: Line at 0° | Line at 90° | Line at 180°
Row 2: 2 Lines at 0° | 2 Lines at 90° | 2 Lines at 180°
Row 3: 3 Lines at 0° | 3 Lines at 90° | ?
What should replace the question mark?
A) 3 Lines at 0°
B) 3 Lines at 90°
C) 3 Lines at 180°
D) 4 Lines at 180°
Exam Q 82024Previous Year Pattern
Study the 3×3 matrix below. Each cell contains a circle with internal divisions. The pattern follows: the number of divisions increases by 1 in each column, and the shading pattern alternates (unshaded → half-shaded → fully shaded) in each row.
Column 1: 2 divisions (unshaded, half-shaded, fully-shaded)
Column 2: 3 divisions (unshaded, half-shaded, fully-shaded)
Column 3: 4 divisions (?, ?, ?)
What should be in Row 2, Column 3?
A) Circle with 4 divisions, half-shaded
B) Circle with 3 divisions, half-shaded
C) Circle with 4 divisions, fully-shaded
D) Circle with 5 divisions, half-shaded
Exam Q 92024Previous Year Pattern
Study the 3×3 matrix where each cell contains overlapping shapes. The rule is: each row contains shapes that increase in complexity (Row 1: 1 shape, Row 2: 2 shapes, Row 3: 3 shapes). Each column follows a color pattern: Column 1 is Black, Column 2 is Gray, Column 3 is White.
Row 1: 1 Black Shape | 1 Gray Shape | 1 White Shape
Row 2: 2 Black Shapes | 2 Gray Shapes | 2 White Shapes
Row 3: 3 Black Shapes | 3 Gray Shapes | ?
Additionally, the shapes in each cell follow a specific order: Circle, Square, Triangle (in that sequence, repeating if needed).
What should replace the question mark?
A) 3 White Shapes: Circle, Square, Triangle
B) 3 Gray Shapes: Circle, Square, Triangle
C) 3 White Shapes: Triangle, Square, Circle
D) 3 Black Shapes: Circle, Square, Triangle
Exam Q 102024Previous Year Pattern
In the given 3×3 matrix, each row follows a pattern where shapes rotate 90° clockwise and the number of sides increases by 1. What should replace the question mark?
Row 1: Triangle (3 sides) → Square (4 sides) → Pentagon (5 sides)
Row 2: Square (4 sides) → Pentagon (5 sides) → Hexagon (6 sides)
Row 3: Pentagon (5 sides) → Hexagon (6 sides) → ?
A) Heptagon (7 sides), rotated 90° clockwise
B) Hexagon (6 sides), rotated 180°
C) Heptagon (7 sides), rotated 180°
D) Octagon (8 sides), rotated 90° clockwise
Exam Q 112024Previous Year Pattern
In a 3×3 figure matrix, each cell contains nested shapes. Row 1: a circle inside a square, a square inside a triangle, a triangle inside a pentagon. Row 2: a pentagon inside a hexagon, a hexagon inside a heptagon, a heptagon inside an octagon. Row 3: an octagon inside a nonagon, a nonagon inside a decagon, and ?. The pattern rule is: the inner shape in each cell has n sides, and the outer shape has n+1 sides, where n increases sequentially across and down the matrix. What should replace the question mark?
Exam Q 122024Previous Year Pattern
In a 3×3 figure matrix, the first row contains: a circle with 2 internal lines, a square with 3 internal lines, and a triangle with 4 internal lines. The second row contains: a pentagon with 5 internal lines, a hexagon with 6 internal lines, and a heptagon with 7 internal lines. The third row contains: an octagon with 8 internal lines, a nonagon with 9 internal lines, and a decagon with ? internal lines. What should replace the question mark?
Exam Q 132024Previous Year Pattern
A 3×3 matrix shows figures where each cell contains a shape with a specific shading pattern. Row 1: unshaded circle, half-shaded square, fully-shaded triangle. Row 2: fully-shaded pentagon, unshaded hexagon, half-shaded heptagon. Row 3: half-shaded octagon, fully-shaded nonagon, and ?. Additionally, each row must contain exactly one unshaded, one half-shaded, and one fully-shaded figure. What should replace the question mark?
Exam Q 142024Previous Year Pattern
A 3×3 matrix contains figures with rotating internal elements. Row 1: a square with a dot at the top, a square with a dot at the right, a square with a dot at the bottom. Row 2: a square with a dot at the left, a square with a dot at the top, a square with a dot at the right. Row 3: a square with a dot at the bottom, a square with a dot at the left, and ?. The dot rotates 90° clockwise within each row, and the pattern resets at the start of each new row, but each row's starting position shifts one position clockwise from the previous row's starting position. What should replace the question mark?
Concept Notes
Figure Matrix & Completion— Rules & Concept
💡
Core Concept
Read this first — the foundation of the topic
→Core Concept
A figure matrix is typically a 3x3 or 2x2 grid where figures follow specific rules across rows, columns, or diagonally. The pattern can involve shape changes, rotations, additions, deletions, or combinations of elements
💡Key Rules
Look for patterns in three directions - horizontal (across rows), vertical (down columns), and diagonal
📋Common pattern types include
rotation (clockwise/anticlockwise), reflection (horizontal/vertical flip), element addition/subtraction, size changes, shading variations, and position shifts.
📊
Exam Patterns
What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
SSC CGL typically asks 2-3 figure matrix questions. Most common formats are 3x3 matrices with bottom-right corner missing, or 2x2 matrices with one corner blank. Questions often combine 2-3 pattern types to increase difficulty.
⚡
Shortcuts
Use these to save 30–60 seconds per question
Use the 'Elimination Method' - instead of finding the exact pattern, eliminate obviously wrong options first. Look for options that don't match the basic elements present in other figures.
✏️
Worked Example
Solve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1
Analyze row pattern - each row contains the same three shapes in different orders.
Apply pattern logic - Column 3 should complete the sequence Circle, Square, Triangle.
4
Step 4
Verify - each row and column now contains all three shapes exactly once.
Answer: Triangle.
Advanced Shortcut: For complex matrices, focus on the 'corner constraint method'. Check what elements appear in corners of completed rows/columns. This often reveals the missing element quickly.
Common Mistake: Students often focus only on row patterns and ignore column patterns. Always check both directions. Another frequent error is assuming only one type of transformation when multiple changes occur simultaneously (like rotation plus color change).
Time-Saving Tip: If you spot an obvious pattern in 10-15 seconds, trust it. Don't overthink simple rotations or reflections. Reserve detailed analysis for genuinely complex matrices.
Key Points to Remember
Figure matrices follow patterns across rows, columns, or diagonals
Common patterns include rotation, reflection, element addition/subtraction
Always check both horizontal and vertical directions for patterns
Elimination method helps when exact pattern is unclear
Corner constraint method works well for complex 3x3 matrices
Most SSC matrices combine 2-3 different transformation types
Missing position is typically bottom-right in 3x3 grids
Time limit: spend maximum 60-90 seconds per matrix question
Exam-Specific Tips
3x3 matrix format appears in 70% of SSC CGL figure matrix questions
Clockwise 90-degree rotation is the most frequent transformation type
Bottom-right corner missing position occurs in 80% of matrix problems
Combined rotation + reflection patterns appear in 30% of questions
Element addition/subtraction patterns are tested in 25% of matrices
2x2 matrices typically have simpler single-transformation patterns
Diagonal pattern checking is required in only 15% of SSC questions
60-Second Revision — Figure Matrix & Completion
Remember: Check row patterns first, then column patterns
Formula: Corner elements often determine the missing figure
Trap: Don't assume single transformations in complex matrices
Speed tip: Eliminate obviously wrong options within 20 seconds