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Plum · Sections 2 and 4

Plum Assessment Puzzles: Problem Solving Practice

Practise Plum-style problem-solving puzzles: 14 grid sequences in two sections, five options each, a time-taken clock and every rule explained.

Practice: 14 puzzles in two sections of 7, no time limit; the time you take is shownAlso called “Plum puzzles”Also called “Plum problem solving”

How the practice module works

  1. 01Each puzzle shows four grids in a row and an empty fifth slot. Work out how the shaded squares change from one grid to the next, then choose the fifth grid from five options.
  2. 02A puzzle follows one, two or three rules at once, for example a square moving around the edge while a line fills up. Check one part of the grid at a time.
  3. 03There is no countdown, but a Time taken clock runs so you can see your pace.
  4. 04You cannot go back to a puzzle, so check your answer before you move on. After the run, every puzzle is explained.

Controls

  • Click or tap an option, then Next
  • Keys 1–5 also choose an option
  • Each grid is also described in words for screen readers

Included in 1 Game Platform Prep (when you choose Plum), All Games Platforms Prep and Full Access. See plans

Task
Select the missing piece in a sequence (Plum’s FAQ); grids with shaded squares or dots and five options (prep sites, a 2024 candidate)
Where it sits
Sections 2 and 4 of the Plum Discovery Survey, about seven puzzles each (one prep site)
Answering
Click an option; there is no dragging (Plum’s help center)
Timing
Not timed, and time is not recorded; the whole survey takes about 25 minutes (Plum’s FAQ)
Right answers
Yes: these are the only sections with one correct option per question
Practice version
14 generated puzzles (two sections of 7, from one to three rules), a Time taken clock and the rules explained

What the Plum Problem Solving Puzzles section looks at

Prep sites describe Plum’s problem-solving sections as visual sequences: a row of grids where shaded squares change from one grid to the next, and four options for the grid that comes next. Plum’s help center says you choose a piece by clicking it rather than dragging it. No reading, maths or job knowledge is needed.

Plum does not publish the number of puzzles, the grid size or the rules. One prep site reports about seven puzzles in each of the two sections, and prep sites agree that a small set of rules repeats: squares moving, lines filling or emptying, shapes turning and blocks switching sides.

How the Problem Solving Puzzles practice works

  1. Each puzzle shows four 5 × 5 grids and an empty fifth slot.
  2. Work out what changes from grid to grid: one, two or three rules can run at the same time, each on its own squares.
  3. Click the grid that comes next, then Next. Keys 1–5 also choose an option.
  4. After 14 puzzles, review each one with grid 5 filled in, the rules in words and why each wrong option is wrong.

Problem Solving Puzzles tips

  • Follow one group of squares at a time: a lone square, a line, an L-shape or a 2 × 2 block.
  • Count the shaded squares in each grid. If the total changes by the same amount each time, a line is filling or emptying.
  • For a lone square on the edge, count how many places it moves each time and in which direction.
  • Eliminate options that break a rule you are sure of, then compare what is left on the next rule.

Common Problem Solving Puzzles mistakes

  • Copying grid 4 because one part looked unchanged: check every group of squares.
  • Moving a shape one step too far or in the wrong direction.
  • Mirroring a shape instead of turning it.

A short Problem Solving Puzzles practice routine

  1. Do one run to learn the rule types, and read the explanation for every puzzle you missed.
  2. Do a second run aiming for accuracy rather than speed: Plum says the real survey is not timed, and the puzzles include some very hard ones.
  3. Before the real survey, try the Full Survey run so the puzzles sit between the preference sections, as they do in Plum.

Problem Solving Puzzles FAQ

Are these Plum’s real puzzles?

No. Candidate Falcon generates every puzzle from its own rules. The format follows prep-site descriptions and Plum’s help center; the grids, rules and explanations are our own.

Is the Plum problem-solving section timed?

No. Plum’s FAQ says the survey is not timed and does not record how long you take. It also says the puzzles range from easy to very hard and are scored against other test takers, so missing a few is expected.

How many puzzles does Plum have?

Plum does not publish a number. One prep site reports about seven in each of two sections, which is what the practice uses.

Independent practice by Candidate Falcon, based on the puzzle format that prep sites describe; the grids and rules are Candidate Falcon’s own. Not affiliated with Plum or Phenom, and not their scoring. The puzzles, scenarios and statements are original, and practice results are not Plum scores. For how the Discovery Survey works, timing and results, read the free Plum assessment guide.