Reasoning and Mental Ability
What is tested
Reasoning and Mental Ability covers series (number, letter, figure), coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, seating arrangement, syllogism, analogy, classification, dice/cubes and non-verbal patterns. The aim is to test rule detection under time pressure.
Core approach
- Series: check differences, ratios, alternating operations, squares/cubes, and letter positions.
- Coding: compare the source and code letter by letter; note forward/backward shifts.
- Blood relations: draw a family tree; use +/− or male/female symbols consistently.
- Directions: fix north and track turns; distinguish 'left/right' from the person's facing direction.
- Syllogism: draw minimal overlapping circles; accept only conclusions that are true in every possible diagram.
Worked example
If PEAR is coded as QFBS, how is MANGO coded? Compare letters: P→Q (+1), E→F (+1), A→B (+1), R→S (+1). The rule is each letter moves one step forward. Apply to MANGO: M→N, A→B, N→O, G→H, O→P. Code: NBOHP. The reasoning is to test the shift on every letter before assuming a word-level rule. A candidate who checks only the first letter may miss an alternating pattern.
Traps
- Assuming a series is arithmetic when it alternates between two operations.
- In blood relations, confusing 'brother's father' with 'father'.
- In seating, forgetting that clockwise and anticlockwise change left/right.
- In syllogism, treating a possible conclusion as definite.
- In non-verbal questions, ignoring rotation versus reflection.