ATMA cheat sheet

Reading comprehension: the correct option must be supported by the passage text; an option that is true in general but unstated in the passage is wrong.

Main-idea questions: reject options that are too narrow (one detail) or too broad (beyond the passage scope); the answer covers the whole passage.

Inference questions allow only what is necessarily implied; treat 'must be true' as requiring logical entailment, not plausibility.

Tone questions are answered by attitude words in the passage (e.g., 'unfortunately', 'remarkably'); neutral reporting signals an objective tone.

Para-jumble rule: locate the opening sentence (introduces a noun without pronouns like 'this'/'he'), then chain via pronoun and connector links (however, therefore, moreover).

Odd-sentence-out: the misfit sentence introduces a topic or level of generality not connected by any referent to the other sentences.

Analogy questions: state the relation as a phrase (e.g., 'X is a tool used by Y'), then test each pair against the same phrase; reject pairs matching only one direction.

Vocabulary in context: substitute each option into the sentence and check grammatical fit plus surrounding contrast words (but, although) before choosing meaning.

Error spotting: check subject-verb agreement, parallel structure in lists, pronoun reference, misplaced modifiers, and comparison completeness (than that of).

Percentages: successive changes multiply, not add - +20% then -20% gives 0.96 of the original, a net 4% loss.

Profit and loss: profit% is on cost price unless stated; SP = CP(1 + p/100). Discount is on marked price: SP = MP(1 - d/100).

Simple vs compound interest: SI = PRT/100; CI amount = P(1 + R/100)^T. For 2 years, CI - SI = P(R/100)^2.

Ratio and proportion: if a:b = 2:3 and b:c = 4:5, make b common (8) giving a:b:c = 8:12:15.

Time-speed-distance: average speed for equal distances = 2xy/(x+y), the harmonic mean, not (x+y)/2.

Work: rates add. If A finishes in a days and B in b days, together they take ab/(a+b) days.

Mensuration: circle area = πr², circumference = 2πr; cylinder volume = πr²h; sphere volume = (4/3)πr³, surface = 4πr².

Permutation vs combination: order matters → nPr = n!/(n-r)!; selection only → nCr = n!/[r!(n-r)!].

Data sufficiency: decide whether the data is sufficient before computing; each statement is tested alone first, then combined.

Syllogism: a conclusion follows only if it holds in every Venn arrangement of the premises; a counter-arrangement disproves it.

'Some A are B' is symmetric; 'All A are B' is not reversible - the valid converse is 'Some B are A' only when A is non-empty.

Blood relations: draw a family tree with gender markers and generation rows; 'brother of my father' = uncle, 'son of my sister' = nephew.

Direction sense: track net displacement with a coordinate grid; final distance = √(x² + y²), direction from the sign of x and y.

Seating arrangement: fix one anchor, then apply 'left/right' relative to facing direction - reverse left/right for people facing south.

Ordering/ranking: convert clues into inequalities (A > B, B > C) and chain them; 'tallest among' questions need the full chain.

Coding-decoding: test letter-shift (+1, -2), reversal, and position-value (A=1 … Z=26) patterns before assuming a random cipher.

Series completion: check differences, then ratios, then alternating or square/cube patterns; prime-based and letter-skip series are common.

Assumption questions: the assumption is the unstated premise needed for the argument; negate each option - if the argument collapses, it is the assumption.