General Intelligence and Reasoning
What this domain tests
General Intelligence and Reasoning in the CAPF HC Ministerial paper checks how quickly you can infer a rule from limited data and apply it without relying on memorised facts. Expect verbal and non-verbal items: series, analogies, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, syllogisms, seating arrangement, figure completion and classification.
Core rules to apply
- Series: test first differences, then ratios, then squares/cubes and alternating operations. Confirm a rule on at least two transitions before using it.
- Coding: convert letters to positions (A=1 … Z=26); check reverse-position coding (A=26) and shifts by +n/-n.
- Blood relations: draw a family tree; mark gender and generations; do not invent a spouse or sibling.
- Syllogisms: draw all possible Venn diagrams; accept a conclusion only if true in every diagram.
- Direction: use coordinates; track facing direction before interpreting left/right.
Worked example
Find the next term: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?. The differences are 4, 6, 8, 10, so the next difference is 12; 30 + 12 = 42. The terms also fit n(n+1): 1×2, 2×3, 3×4, 4×5, 5×6, so the next is 6×7 = 42.
Traps that cost marks
Do not lock onto a two-term pattern; many sequences have alternative fits. In syllogisms, “some” does not imply “all”, and a possible diagram is not proof. In blood-relation questions, a name does not reveal gender. In direction questions, turning left after facing south is not the same as moving left on the page. In coding, check whether the alphabet is reversed before assuming a simple shift.