Split by position before comparing values.
Separate odd and even arithmetic branches, locate missing terms and check zero steps. Six original exercises supply worked feedback without an ability label.
The six questions each contribute one correct answer. The count describes this fixed rule family and edition, without a speed adjustment, IQ conversion or comparison with other people. Every worked answer and this complete guide is available at every count.
One displayed row can contain two branches
Each question in this group states that odd positions and even positions independently form arithmetic sequences. The two branches can have different starting terms and different steps, including zero. Write positions one, two, three and onward before comparing values. Then collect positions one, three, five and seven together, and positions two, four, six and eight together. Branch membership depends on the position, not on whether the numerical value itself is odd, even, positive or negative.
Work a fresh pair of branches
Consider 5, 44, 12, 38, 19, 32, ?, 26. The odd-position branch is 5, 12, 19, ?, adding 7. The even-position branch is 44, 38, 32, 26, subtracting 6. The blank at position seven is 26. Although that equals the eighth term in this example, the two positions were reached by different branches. Identical values at neighbouring positions do not merge the rules or prove that the entire row has become constant.
Identify which branch owns the blank
If a row ends after position seven and asks for position eight, continue the even branch rather than the most recently displayed odd value. For 2, 60, 7, 52, 12, 44, 17, ?, the even branch continues 60, 52, 44, 36, so the answer is 36. The latest visible value, 17, belongs to the other branch. A useful scratch-paper layout writes two separate lines with their original position labels so that the final merge cannot silently switch branches.
Use both sides for an interior blank
For 11, −10, ?, −3, 23, 4, 29, 11, the even branch adds 7 and is already complete. The odd branch is 11, ?, 23, 29, so its step is +6 and the missing third-position value is 17. Check 11 + 6 = 17 and 17 + 6 = 23. The difference between original neighbouring values, such as −10 and the blank, is irrelevant to the stated separate-branch condition.
A constant branch has a zero step
A repeated branch still meets an arithmetic condition: 7, 7, 7 has difference zero. In 7, −6, 7, 3, 7, 12, 7, ?, the odd branch stays at 7 and the even branch adds 9, so the blank is 21. Do not force every branch to grow or shrink. Likewise, a negative starting term does not require a negative step. Determine each step from that branch’s own consecutive terms rather than from an expectation about how patterns usually look.
Re-merge after checking the branches
After solving the two arithmetic sequences, place each value back at its original position and read the displayed row again. This catches a correct branch calculation inserted into the wrong slot. For a missed item, label whether the error was branch assignment, step calculation, a sign, or the final merge. Try a new example with the same pair of steps but different initial values. It should still be solvable using the position-based split, even when numerical parity and signs change.
Two branches are a supplied assumption
The prompt supplies the interleaving model; the score does not establish that you would identify an unknown real-world process without it. Other formulas could fit a finite row when no such condition is imposed. The six correct-answer count is not a percentile, clinical interpretation, hiring judgment or calibrated spatial or numerical ability score. All worked answers and this guide remain available at any result. Because the bank is fixed, a retake after reading explanations may reflect remembered positions as well as improved understanding.