Paper folding is one of the question types children find hardest on gifted and talented tests. A square of paper is folded once or twice, a hole is punched, and the child has to pick how the paper looks when it is opened again. The good news: there is a clear method, and once a child gets it, these questions become some of the easiest.

1. Count the layers. One fold makes two layers, two folds make four. Every punch goes through all layers, so one punch after two folds makes four holes.
2. Unfold backwards. Start with the last fold and open one step at a time.
3. Every hole gets a mirror twin. When you open a fold, each hole appears again on the other side of the fold line, the same distance away, like a reflection.

With these three rules a child can check every answer choice: first count the holes, then look at where they sit.

This 5-minute activity works better than any worksheet:

• Fold a square of paper in half, then in half again.
• Ask your child to guess how many holes there will be before you punch.
• Punch one hole with a hole punch or poke one with a pencil.
• Before opening, ask your child to draw where the holes will be.
• Open the paper one fold at a time and compare.

After three or four rounds, try a diagonal fold. It follows the same mirror rule, which surprises many children.

• Forgetting a layer. The most common wrong answer has half the right number of holes.
• Mirroring across the wrong line. Ask your child to point to the fold line first.
• Shapes that point. If the punched hole is a triangle, its twin points the other way, just like a reflection in a mirror.

Prep4Gifted practice questions are original and written by our team. Prep4Gifted is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Riverside Insights (CogAT) or Pearson (NNAT, OLSAT). Test names are trademarks of their owners.