SIFT Hidden Figures: Find the Shape, Skip the Guess

Format and timing

Source: SIFT FAQ V2.0 for the count, time and scoring rule; the format description is ours.

Scoring: trace it or leave it

Hidden Figures uses the same rule as Simple Drawings: the number right minus a portion of the number wrong. Unanswered questions aren't wrong answers. The SIFT FAQ's advice for both subtests: work quickly and don't guess.

The tempting half-guess here is ruling out two figures and picking among the other three. That's still mostly a guess, with a deduction attached when it misses. Answer when every line of one figure checks out; otherwise move on.

HF feeds the single SIFT score (20–80; 40 qualifies for Army aviation) through a proprietary, compensatory formula. Scores in our app are estimates.

What it tests

Holding a simple shape in mind while your eyes ignore the lines around it.

Our generated drawings sit on a square grid of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines, and the generator proves exactly one figure fits before a question ships. In our items the hidden figure appears at the same size and facing the same way, though other lines may run past or through it; on test day, follow the on-screen directions. The same five figures serve ten drawings in a row, so learn them once per block.

The technique: anchor on the rare line

Before scanning, tag each figure by its most unusual feature: the long diagonal, the hook, the open box. In the drawing, search for that feature first. Diagonals and odd angles are rarer than plain horizontal and vertical lines, so they shrink the search fast.

Extra lines don't matter. What matters is that every line of the figure is present, at the same length and angle.

Three worked examples, described in words

Example 1: the diagonal anchor. Figure C is a step: a horizontal line, a diagonal down to the right, then another horizontal line. The drawing is full of horizontals but has only three diagonals. Check those three; only one has a horizontal at each end running the right way. That's C, found in about four seconds.

Example 2: hidden inside a bigger shape. Figure A is an open box, three sides of a square. The drawing contains a closed square of the same size. The open box is there; the fourth side is just an extra line. Rejecting A because the square is closed is the classic miss.

Example 3: right shape, wrong size. Figure E is a small triangle. The drawing has the same triangle at twice the size, plus an exact copy of Figure B elsewhere. The big triangle doesn't count, so the answer is B.

Traps

• Turned or flipped copies. A rotated or mirrored version isn't a match, however close it looks.
• Scaled copies. Same shape, different size: not a match.
• Rejecting a figure for extra lines. Lines that continue past or cross the figure don't disqualify it.
• Searching for common lines first. A plain horizontal line appears everywhere; start from the rare piece.

Pacing

Six seconds is an average, not a rule. Confirm quick finds in three or four seconds and bank the time for busy drawings. If ten seconds pass without a lead, move on. Full pace is 10 questions a minute, so about 25 at the halfway mark.

Practice it here

The set above comes from the same generator as our full drills. Use practice mode to check each answer as you go, then a timed set: 50 questions in 5 minutes. Count your wrong answers as well as your right ones. Every drawing is generated; none is copied from a real test.

How to find a hidden figure in about six seconds

1. Before you start, tag each of the five figures by its most unusual feature.
2. Scan the drawing for the rarest feature among the five, usually a diagonal or an odd angle.
3. From that anchor, trace the rest of the candidate figure line by line.
4. Check size and orientation: same lengths, same directions, no flips.
5. Ignore extra lines that run past or through the figure.
6. Answer once every line is confirmed; if nothing fits in about ten seconds, move on without answering.

FAQ