General Intelligence & Reasoning Ability
General Intelligence and Reasoning Ability checks speed and accuracy across verbal, numerical, and non-verbal reasoning: series, analogies, coding-decoding, blood relations, directions, syllogisms, and figure patterns.
Core rules
- Number series: check differences first, then ratios, then alternating or square/cube patterns.
- Coding-decoding: write the alphabet with positions A=1 to Z=26; note shifts such as +1 or −2 and reversal A↔Z.
- Blood relations: draw a family tree; mark male and female members clearly and use lines for siblings and spouses.
- Syllogism: draw minimal Venn diagrams; a conclusion is valid only if it is true in every possible diagram.
- Direction sense: fix north upward and track left and right turns; use Pythagoras for net displacement after 90° turns.
Worked example
Find the next term: 3, 7, 15, 31, ? Reasoning: the differences are 4, 8, 16, which double each time. The next difference is 32, so 31 + 32 = 63. Equivalently, each term is double the previous term plus one: 3×2+1=7, 7×2+1=15, 15×2+1=31, and 31×2+1=63. Answer: 63.
Traps
- Assuming a series is arithmetic when it is multiplicative; test two operations before deciding.
- Converting 'some A are B' into 'some B are A' in syllogisms without checking the diagram.
- Ignoring the starting direction, or confusing left and right after a U-turn.
- Counting a person twice in blood-relation questions that ask how X is related to Y.