Canada Post Visual Spatial Practice

What is the Canada Post Visual-Spatial GAT Section?

Visual-spatial reasoning is a core component of the Canada Post General Aptitude Test (GAT) that measures your ability to mentally manipulate 2D and 3D shapes,

Most Canada Post applicants walk into the GAT (General Abilities Test) thinking “you either have spatial skills or you don’t.” They treat the Visual-Spatial section like an IQ test they can’t study for. This is why 60% of applicants struggle with the clock.

On the GAT, it’s not about how smart you are—it’s about how fast you can “unfold” a 3D object in your mind without second-guessing. A single 5-second hesitation on a block-counting question can be the difference between a career at Canada Post and a “try again next year” email.

Below, we aren’t just giving you practice; we are training your brain to see the “traps” before they catch you.

Visual-spatial intelligence is the ability to create, retrieve and transform images such as visualization of objects and their shapes. This ability is critical for designing and redesigning structures or objects by visualizing them in your mind, and then turning them into reality.

• In this section questions may include:
• An image flashes on the screen and then you are asked to draw it.
• A variety of shapes and figures that you must fit or match
• Choose a shaped formed by folding the given shape
• Count the number of blocks in a complex figure.

What are the most common Visual-Spatial questions on the Canada Post GAT?

• Folding and Unfolding (3D Mental Rotation)
• Pattern Recognition and Matching
• Spatial Visualization (Object Assembly)

1. When the two longest sides touch what will the shape be?

2. When folded, what pattern is possible?

Anatomy of a Wrong Answer

Here is a folding quesiton:

When put together, what 3-dimensional shape will you get?

The Correct Answer: B (Triangular Pyramid)
The net consists of four equilateral triangles. When the outer triangles are folded upward toward a central point, they meet to form a triangular pyramid (also known as a tetrahedron).

Why You Might Get This Wrong (The Deconstruction)

The Trap of Option C (The Cone)

• The Error: Many students see the “pointy” nature of the triangles and immediately associate them with a cone.
• The Reality: A cone requires a circular base and a curved surface. Since the net provided is composed entirely of straight-edged flat triangles, it is physically impossible for it to form a curved surface or a circular base. If you chose C, you were likely prioritizing the feel of the shape over the geometry of the edges.

The Trap of Option A & D (The “Complex Shape” Bias)

• The Error: Choosing the Cylinder (A) or the Hexagonal Prism (D).
• The Reality: These options are “distractors” designed to catch students who are rushing.
  • A (Cylinder): Requires two circles and a rectangle.
  • D (Hexagonal Prism): Requires two hexagons and six rectangles.
• The Lesson: If the net has only 4 pieces, the resulting 3D shape cannot have more than 4 faces. Counting the “faces” on the net is the fastest way to eliminate complex distractors like D.

On the GAT, every second counts. Don’t try to animate the folding in your head first. Count the shapes.

1. Count the pieces in the net: 4 triangles.
2. Count the faces on the options: * A: 3 faces (2 circles, 1 curved).
   • B: 4 faces (all triangles). MATCH.
   • C: 2 faces (1 circle, 1 curved).
   • D: 8 faces (2 hexagons, 6 rectangles).

By simply counting, you arrive at B in under 3 seconds without even “folding” the object.