3D Spatial Reasoning Puzzles
Match top, front and side views to 3D cube solids. A new 5-question test every day, plus unlimited practice.
Today's spatial puzzle
Which picture is the front view of this solid?
Pick A, B, C or D.
Practice by level
Rounds of ten, as many as you like. Pick a level to start a new round.
Which solid has all three of these views?
Pick A, B, C or D.
More 3D practice
What is spatial reasoning?
Spatial reasoning is picturing a shape in your head and working out how it looks from another side. It is the skill behind reading a technical drawing, packing a car boot, following a flat-pack diagram or imagining a building from its plans. Research on spatial training shows it improves with practice, which makes it a good daily puzzle habit.
How these puzzles work
Every puzzle is built from cubes stacked on a small grid, and uses the same four question types as the checkpoints in THINK IN 3D:
- Which view? You get the solid. Pick its top, front or left side view. Watch for mirror images.
- Which solid? You get all three views. Pick the one solid of four that matches them. On Medium and above, every wrong option matches two of the three views, so check every view.
- Missing view: you get two views. Pick the third. The two views always pin it down to one answer.
- Find the mistake: you get the solid and three views, one of them drawn wrong. Spot it.
A view shows what you see looking straight at that side. A thick line marks every change of depth, and the arrow under each solid marks the front. As in the book, the side view is seen from the left, so its front is on the right, and anything the views cannot show is taken to be solid ("hidden means solid"). The full method, with worked examples and the common traps, is in the guide to orthographic views (top, front and side).
Levels
| Level | Grid | Tallest stack |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 3×3 | 2 cubes |
| Medium | 3×3 | 3 cubes |
| Hard | 4×4 | 3 cubes |
| Expert | 4×4 | 4 cubes |
Spatial reasoning questions
What is spatial reasoning?
Spatial reasoning is the ability to picture shapes in your head and work out how they look when you turn them or see them from another side. Engineers, architects, designers and surgeons use it every day, and it is a common section of aptitude tests.
Can you get better at spatial reasoning?
Yes. Research on spatial training has found that these skills improve with practice. Short, regular sessions with feedback, like the daily set here, are an easy way to practise.
What do the top, front and side views show?
Each view is what you see looking straight at the solid from one side: from above, from the front, or from the left. A square is filled if any cube sits on that line of sight, and a thick line shows where the surface you see steps nearer or further away.
Are these puzzles like a spatial reasoning test?
They use the same idea as the orthographic and "which view" questions found in many aptitude and perceptual ability tests: read flat views, build the solid in your head, and rule out options that break a view.
Is it free?
Yes. The daily set and unlimited practice are free, with no account. Your daily score is kept in your own browser.