
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Two congruent squares, $ABCD$ and $IJKL$, each with a side length of $12$ units, are positioned such that the point $J$, the lower right corner of square $IJKL$, is at the center of square $ABCD$. Calculate the total area covered by the two squares in the plane.
A) 144
B) 252
C) 288
D) 324
E) 396

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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