In this paper, results from a subset of the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test and a self-efficacy test developed by the authors are presented to determine whether certain object shapes, orientations, and types of rotations in standard spatial ability tests cause more difficulty than others and whether a solid object, which includes shading to distinguish different surfaces on the object, would have an effect on the spatial ability test results. Lower spatial ability scores were observed for more complex object shapes, orientations, and number of rotations on both tests; however, viewing solid images as opposed to line images did not affect the spatial ability scores. The subjects in this study were engineering students from various disciplines. (Contains 3 tables and 7 figures.)