Logical Reasoning: Draw, Convert and Eliminate
What to master
Number and letter series, analogy, odd-one-out classification, coding–decoding, direction sense, blood relations, ranking and ordering, syllogism, linear and circular seating arrangement, clock and calendar problems, and non-verbal reasoning (mirror image, paper folding, embedded figures, figure series).
Traps
- Series: look for two rules running together. Alternating patterns such as +3, ×2, +3, ×2 are invisible if you only subtract.
- Direction sense: always sketch with north fixed at the top and treat every turn as measured from the current facing direction, not from north.
- Blood relations: never infer gender from a relationship word. "The son of my mother's only child" may be the speaker himself.
- Syllogism: draw the weakest possible Venn diagram, not the most natural-looking one. "Possibility" conclusions are usually true.
- Coding–decoding: test position-shift first (+1, −1), then reversal, then letter-value sums, before assuming a complex rule.
Worked example
If MOUSE is coded as NPVTF, each letter moves one step forward. M→N, O→P, U→V, S→T, E→F. Applying the same shift, CAT becomes DBU.
Rule of thumb: for every reasoning question, spend ten seconds writing the structure on paper. Reasoning is lost to holding patterns in the head, not to difficulty.