Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) Test
The Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) is the version of Raven's Progressive Matrices built for young children, and also used with older adults and cognitively impaired test-takers. This page provides a free CPM-structured practice set in colour.
Disclaimer
This test is for educational and self-reflection purposes only. It is not a diagnostic tool. If you are experiencing mental health concerns, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
How the practice set is organised
| Set | Items |
|---|---|
| Set A | 12 |
| Set AB | 12 |
| Set B | 12 |
The published CPM contains 36 items in 3 sets of 12. The practice bank on this page follows that grouping.
What Is the Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) Test?
The Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) is the version of Raven's Progressive Matrices designed for younger children, and it is also used with older adults and with test-takers whose verbal or motor responses are limited. Where the Standard version is printed in black and white, the CPM uses coloured figures.
The task is the same kind of puzzle: a matrix of abstract figures with one piece missing, and a set of options from which you choose the piece that completes it. Nothing has to be read aloud or written down.
The colour is not decoration. It holds attention and reduces the visual load for younger test-takers, which is part of why the CPM can be administered with very brief instructions.
Format: 36 Items in Three Sets (A, AB, B)
The published CPM contains 36 items organised into 3 sets — A, AB and B — of 12 items each. AB is a single set, not two: it sits between A and B as a bridge.
Difficulty rises across the sets, starting from simple pattern continuation and moving towards analogy and relational reasoning. The ceiling is lower than the Standard version's, which is what makes the CPM informative for younger or lower-ability test-takers rather than frustrating for them.
The practice set on this page follows the same three-set grouping, with coloured items generated locally, so the practice runs entirely in the browser without loading images from an external host.
Who the CPM Is Designed For
The CPM is intended for children from about 5 to 11 years old. It is also standard with older adults and with test-takers for whom a verbal or motor-heavy assessment would not be appropriate.
Typical settings include developmental and educational research, paediatric and clinical screening, and any assessment where reading or spoken answers would distort what is being measured.
Adults of average or higher ability often reach the top of the CPM's range. If you are an adult testing yourself, the Standard or Advanced version is usually a better fit — the CPM will simply run out of hard items.
How the CPM Is Scored
A raw score on the CPM is the number of items answered correctly, out of 36 — one point per item, with no penalty for wrong answers. The published test reports that raw score together with a percentile rank derived from age-based norms.
Because the norms are age-based, the same raw score is read differently for a five-year-old and for a ten-year-old. The conversion tables are part of the professional manual rather than an open document, so any chart published elsewhere should be treated as informal reference.
The practice set on this page reports accuracy and the number of items answered. It does not produce a percentile, and it is not a substitute for an administered test.
CPM vs SPM vs APM
The CPM is the easiest and youngest-facing version of the family. The Standard Progressive Matrices covers children through general adults and is the general-purpose version. The Advanced Progressive Matrices is the hardest, built for higher-ability adolescents and adults.
Choosing between them is mostly a question of age and expected ability. For a child in the primary-school years, the CPM is the standard entry point. For an adult, the SPM is usually the better starting point, and the APM is the next step up if the Standard set feels comfortably easy.
All three versions are separate practice pages on this site, each describing its own structure and scoring rather than sharing a single generic description.
Raven Progressive Matrices (RPM) IQ Test
Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM)
Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM)
References
- Raven, J. C. (1938). Standardization of progressive matrices, 1938. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 19(1), 137-150.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have another question? Let us know.
What is the CPM test?
The Coloured Progressive Matrices is the version of Raven's Progressive Matrices built for younger children, and also used with older adults and cognitively impaired test-takers. It uses coloured figures instead of the black-and-white format of the Standard version. Each item shows a matrix with a missing piece, and the task is to choose the option that completes the pattern.
What age is the CPM designed for?
The CPM is intended for children from about 5 to 11 years old, and it is also used with older adults and with test-takers whose verbal or motor responses are limited. Because it has a lower ceiling than the Standard version, adults of average or higher ability often find it too easy.
How many items are in the CPM?
36 items, organised into 3 sets — A, AB and B — of 12 items each. AB is a single set rather than two, and it sits between A and B as a bridge. One point is awarded per correct answer, so the raw score range is 0 to 36.
How is the CPM scored?
The published CPM reports a raw score plus a percentile rank, obtained by comparing the raw score against age-based norms. It does not print an IQ score. Because the norms are age-based, the same raw score is interpreted differently for a five-year-old and for a ten-year-old, so a raw number on its own is not very informative.
What is the difference between the CPM and the SPM?
They are two versions of the same family. The CPM uses coloured figures and is designed for younger children, with a lower difficulty ceiling. The SPM is the black-and-white, general-purpose version for children through adults, with 60 items and a wider difficulty range. The APM is harder still and is aimed at higher-ability adolescents and adults.
Is there a free CPM practice test?
Yes — this page provides a free CPM-structured practice set in colour, organised as 3 sets of 12 items. It is a practice tool for the item format: it reports your accuracy and the number of items answered, and it cannot produce an official score. The published test is professionally licensed and scored against official norms.
