Reasoning Ability
Reasoning Ability
This section tests structured thinking under time pressure, not general intelligence. The recurring types are syllogism, blood relations, direction sense, order-ranking, coding-decoding, inequalities, alphanumeric series, linear and circular seating, floor/box/scheduling puzzles, input-output and data sufficiency.
Core rules
- Syllogism: draw only what the statements force. All A are B + All B are C gives All A are C. Some A are B converts to Some B are A; All A are B converts to Some B are A. In possibility conclusions, ask whether any statement blocks the case.
- Circular seating: fix one person as reference, note facing (inside = left is clockwise, outside = left is anticlockwise), then draw rather than memorise.
- Inequalities: chain symbols in one line. A ≥ B > C = D ≤ E gives A > D and B > C, but nothing definite about B and E.
- Blood relations: convert each sentence into a symbol chain (+ male/female) before answering.
- Data sufficiency: stop as soon as the data yields a unique answer; you do not need the value itself.
Worked example
Statements: All PACS are banks. Some banks are DCCBs. Conclusions: (I) Some PACS are DCCBs. (II) Some DCCBs are banks. Reasoning: II is a valid conversion of Some banks are DCCBs, so it follows. I is not forced - the DCCBs may be among banks that are not PACS, so it does not follow. Answer: only II follows.
Traps
- Marking both conclusions in an either/or pair instead of checking the complementary pair rule.
- In puzzles, adding a condition the question never gave.
- In direction sense, forgetting the final turn back toward the start.
- In coding-decoding, assuming letter-by-letter when the code is word-by-word.