Abstract
The strategies used to solve a spatial orientation problem were deduced and analyzed, and the results suggested a possible relationship between the strategy used and the performance on item− and subject−based tests. The strategies used were deduced from the notations examinees made in the blank spaces in their test booklets. They used a wider range of strategies to solve the more complicated of the two problem items, and the strategies with systematization or abstraction had the highest performance for this item. The use of a systematic or highly abstracted strategy was related to the problem−solving ability of the examinee. This suggests that the selection of a strategy for solving a spatial problem indirectly reflects the examinee’s abilities in a specific subject area although knowledge in a specific subject area such as mathematics or science is not explicitly required to solve it.
