General Intelligence and Reasoning for ESIC MTS
What this domain tests
The General Intelligence and Reasoning section of the ESIC MTS paper checks how quickly you identify patterns and apply fixed rules. Questions typically come from coding-decoding, number and letter series, syllogism, blood relations, direction sense, seating and ranking, analogy, and classification. Most items need rule recognition rather than heavy calculation.
Core rules to keep ready
- Syllogism: a conclusion is valid only if it is true in every possible Venn diagram; a “possibility” conclusion needs just one valid diagram.
- Coding-decoding: compare letters position by position and look for constant shifts, reversal, or alphabet-position sums.
- Series: check first differences, then second differences, squares, cubes, primes, and alternating patterns.
- Seating: fix definite positions first, then apply left/right relative to the facing direction; draw a line and label the ends.
- Blood relations: draw a family tree with separate symbols for male, female, and marriage; never infer gender from a name.
Worked example
“If FRIEND is coded as HTKGPF, how is CANDLE coded?” Compare F→H (+2), R→T (+2), I→K (+2), E→G (+2), N→P (+2), D→F (+2). Apply the same shift: C→E, A→C, N→P, D→F, L→N, E→G. Answer: ECPFNG.
Traps that cost marks
Do not convert “all A are B” into “all B are A”. In direction questions, track net displacement rather than total distance travelled. In ranking, remember: total = rank from top + rank from bottom − 1. If two series options seem plausible, test the next term before marking.