Practice Paper Folding questions for the Cognitive Abilities Test — Grade 4 (Level 10). Every question includes a full explanation of why the correct answer is right and why the tempting distractors are wrong.
19 questions available · medium difficulty · CogAT Grade 4 · Free, no registration required
What Paper Folding measures
A square of paper is folded one or more times, a hole is punched through all the layers at once, and the paper is opened flat again. The child chooses the pattern of holes that results. It is a test of spatial visualisation, and it is one of the few things on the CogAT that genuinely improves with practice, because most children have simply never been asked to do it before.
What a grade 4 paper folding question looks like
Two folds become the norm rather than the exception, so the strip grows by a picture. Both folds usually still run straight, but the punch is now often placed away from the centre of the folded square, where the hole's mirror image lands somewhere a child has to actually work out rather than see.
At level 10 — grade 4
Level 10 makes two folds standard and starts placing punches away from the centre, where sliding a hole straight across gives a different answer from reflecting it properly. This is usually the level at which a child relying on instinct needs an actual method instead.
Where children go wrong
Doubling once when the paper was folded twice
Two folds mean four layers, so one punch usually opens to four holes. Children who have just learned the doubling rule tend to apply it a single time and stop, producing two holes instead of four - an error that appears among the choices precisely because it is so common.
Mishandling a punch placed off-centre
When the hole sits near a corner of the folded square, its reflections spread further apart than children expect, and one of them can land close to an edge. Options showing the holes clustered near the middle look more balanced and are wrong more often than not.
Forgetting that one punch makes several holes
This is the single most common error and worth checking first. The punch goes through every layer sitting under it, so paper folded once and punched once opens to two holes, not one. Children answering quickly often pick the option showing exactly the holes they watched being punched.
How to practise this at home
Do it with real paper. Fold a square, punch it with a hole punch, and have your child predict the pattern before you open it - then open it together. Ten minutes of that teaches the doubling rule better than any amount of explaining, because the child commits to a prediction and then watches whether it held. Once they are reliably right with one fold, move to two, and do not move on while the number of holes still surprises them.
Common questions about Paper Folding
How many holes should the answer have?
As a rule of thumb each fold doubles them, so one punch on paper folded twice usually opens to four holes. It is a rule of thumb rather than a law, because a punch only passes through the layers directly beneath it.
My child can do this with real paper but not on the page. Is that normal?
Yes, and it is the whole point of the subtest. Doing it with paper is a motor task; doing it on the page is a visualisation task. The gap closes with practice, which is why this subtest responds to preparation more than most.
Is Paper Folding on every level of the CogAT?
It appears in the Nonverbal Battery from the levels taken by third graders upward. Younger children take picture-based nonverbal items instead.
Sample Paper Folding Questions with Answers
10 example questions with full explanations. Use the interactive practice above to work through the complete set.
Question 1medium
The paper is folded, then holes are punched through it. Which picture shows the paper when it is opened out again?
A.a sheet of paper with 1 hole: top far left
B.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far left, top centre left, top centre right, top far right
C.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far right, upper middle far right, lower middle far right, bottom far right
D.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far left, upper middle far left, lower middle far left, bottom far left✓
Correct answer: D
The paper is folded 2 times — the bottom folds up over the top, then the same fold again — so the sheet ends up 4 layers thick. Punching one hole goes through all 4 layers at once, so opening the paper out gives 4 holes in total, each fold mirroring the ones before it. Option D is the only choice with 4 holes placed symmetrically about every fold. Option A shows the holes only where the punch went through, as if the paper were never opened out. Option B has the right number of holes but mirrors them across the wrong fold. Option C is the correct pattern flipped left-to-right.
Question 2easy
The paper is folded, then holes are punched through it. Which picture shows the paper when it is opened out again?
A.a sheet of paper with 2 holes: top centre left, bottom centre left
B.a sheet of paper with 1 hole: bottom centre left
C.a sheet of paper with 2 holes: top centre left, top centre right
D.a sheet of paper with 2 holes: bottom centre left, bottom centre right✓
Correct answer: D
The paper is folded once — the right side folds over onto the left — so the sheet ends up 2 layers thick. Punching one hole goes through all 2 layers at once, so opening the paper out gives 2 holes in total, each fold mirroring the ones before it. Option D is the only choice with 2 holes placed symmetrically about every fold. Option B shows the holes only where the punch went through, as if the paper were never opened out. Option A has the right number of holes but mirrors them across the wrong fold. Option C is the correct pattern flipped top-to-bottom.
Question 3medium
The paper is folded, then holes are punched through it. Which picture shows the paper when it is opened out again?
A.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far right, upper middle far right, lower middle far right, bottom far right
B.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far left, top centre left, top centre right, top far right
C.a sheet of paper with 1 hole: lower middle far left
D.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far left, upper middle far left, lower middle far left, bottom far left✓
Correct answer: D
The paper is folded 2 times — the top folds down over the bottom, then the bottom folds up over the top — so the sheet ends up 4 layers thick. Punching one hole goes through all 4 layers at once, so opening the paper out gives 4 holes in total, each fold mirroring the ones before it. Option D is the only choice with 4 holes placed symmetrically about every fold. Option C shows the holes only where the punch went through, as if the paper were never opened out. Option A is the correct pattern flipped left-to-right. Option B has the right number of holes but the pattern is given a quarter turn.
Question 4easy
The paper is folded, then holes are punched through it. Which picture shows the paper when it is opened out again?
A.a sheet of paper with 2 holes: top far left, bottom far left✓
B.a sheet of paper with 2 holes: bottom far left, bottom far right
C.a sheet of paper with 2 holes: top far right, bottom far right
D.a sheet of paper with 1 hole: bottom far left
Correct answer: A
The paper is folded once — the top folds down over the bottom — so the sheet ends up 2 layers thick. Punching one hole goes through all 2 layers at once, so opening the paper out gives 2 holes in total, each fold mirroring the ones before it. Option A is the only choice with 2 holes placed symmetrically about every fold. Option D shows the holes only where the punch went through, as if the paper were never opened out. Option B has the right number of holes but mirrors them across the wrong fold. Option C is the correct pattern flipped left-to-right.
Question 5medium
The paper is folded, then holes are punched through it. Which picture shows the paper when it is opened out again?
A.a sheet of paper with 1 hole: top centre left
B.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top centre left, top centre right, bottom centre left, bottom centre right✓
C.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: upper middle far left, upper middle far right, lower middle far left, lower middle far right
D.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top centre right, top far right, bottom centre right, bottom far right
Correct answer: B
The paper is folded 2 times — the right side folds over onto the left, then the bottom folds up over the top — so the sheet ends up 4 layers thick. Punching one hole goes through all 4 layers at once, so opening the paper out gives 4 holes in total, each fold mirroring the ones before it. Option B is the only choice with 4 holes placed symmetrically about every fold. Option A shows the holes only where the punch went through, as if the paper were never opened out. Option C has the right number of holes but the pattern is given a quarter turn. Option D has the right number of holes, shifted one column across.
Question 6medium
The paper is folded, then holes are punched through it. Which picture shows the paper when it is opened out again?
A.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top centre right, upper middle centre right, lower middle centre right, bottom centre right
B.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top centre left, upper middle centre left, lower middle centre left, bottom centre left✓
C.a sheet of paper with 1 hole: lower middle centre left
D.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: upper middle far left, upper middle centre left, upper middle centre right, upper middle far right
Correct answer: B
The paper is folded 2 times — the top folds down over the bottom, then the bottom folds up over the top — so the sheet ends up 4 layers thick. Punching one hole goes through all 4 layers at once, so opening the paper out gives 4 holes in total, each fold mirroring the ones before it. Option B is the only choice with 4 holes placed symmetrically about every fold. Option C shows the holes only where the punch went through, as if the paper were never opened out. Option A is the correct pattern flipped left-to-right. Option D has the right number of holes but the pattern is given a quarter turn.
Question 7medium
The paper is folded, then holes are punched through it. Which picture shows the paper when it is opened out again?
A.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far left, top centre left, top centre right, top far right✓
B.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far right, upper middle far right, lower middle far right, bottom far right
C.a sheet of paper with 1 hole: top far right
D.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: bottom far left, bottom centre left, bottom centre right, bottom far right
Correct answer: A
The paper is folded 2 times — the left side folds over onto the right, then the same fold again — so the sheet ends up 4 layers thick. Punching one hole goes through all 4 layers at once, so opening the paper out gives 4 holes in total, each fold mirroring the ones before it. Option A is the only choice with 4 holes placed symmetrically about every fold. Option C shows the holes only where the punch went through, as if the paper were never opened out. Option D is the correct pattern flipped top-to-bottom. Option B has the right number of holes but the pattern is given a quarter turn.
Question 8medium
The paper is folded, then holes are punched through it. Which picture shows the paper when it is opened out again?
A.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top centre left, top far right, bottom far left, bottom far right
B.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far left, top far right, bottom far left, bottom far right✓
C.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far left, top centre right, bottom far left, bottom far right
D.a sheet of paper with 1 hole: top far left
Correct answer: B
The paper is folded 2 times — the bottom folds up over the top, then the right side folds over onto the left — so the sheet ends up 4 layers thick. Punching one hole goes through all 4 layers at once, so opening the paper out gives 4 holes in total, each fold mirroring the ones before it. Option B is the only choice with 4 holes placed symmetrically about every fold. Option D shows the holes only where the punch went through, as if the paper were never opened out. Option A has the right number of holes, but one of them is in the wrong place. Option C has the right number of holes, but one of them is in the wrong place.
Question 9medium
The paper is folded, then holes are punched through it. Which picture shows the paper when it is opened out again?
A.a sheet of paper with 1 hole: top centre right
B.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far right, upper middle far right, lower middle far right, bottom far right
C.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: bottom far left, bottom centre left, bottom centre right, bottom far right
D.a sheet of paper with 4 holes: top far left, top centre left, top centre right, top far right✓
Correct answer: D
The paper is folded 2 times — the left side folds over onto the right, then the right side folds over onto the left — so the sheet ends up 4 layers thick. Punching one hole goes through all 4 layers at once, so opening the paper out gives 4 holes in total, each fold mirroring the ones before it. Option D is the only choice with 4 holes placed symmetrically about every fold. Option A shows the holes only where the punch went through, as if the paper were never opened out. Option C is the correct pattern flipped top-to-bottom. Option B has the right number of holes but the pattern is given a quarter turn.
Question 10easy
The paper is folded, then holes are punched through it. Which picture shows the paper when it is opened out again?
A.a sheet of paper with 2 holes: upper middle centre right, lower middle centre right✓
B.a sheet of paper with 2 holes: lower middle centre left, lower middle centre right
C.a sheet of paper with 2 holes: upper middle centre left, lower middle centre left
D.a sheet of paper with 1 hole: lower middle centre right
Correct answer: A
The paper is folded once — the top folds down over the bottom — so the sheet ends up 2 layers thick. Punching one hole goes through all 2 layers at once, so opening the paper out gives 2 holes in total, each fold mirroring the ones before it. Option A is the only choice with 2 holes placed symmetrically about every fold. Option D shows the holes only where the punch went through, as if the paper were never opened out. Option B has the right number of holes but mirrors them across the wrong fold. Option C is the correct pattern flipped left-to-right.