Mental Ability, Reasoning and Logical Analysis
Mental Ability and Logical Analysis tests pattern recognition and rule-following under time pressure: series, coding, relations, directions, syllogism, clocks and seating.
Core types
- Number series: check differences, then ratios, then squares and cubes.
- Coding-decoding: compare letters position-wise; note shifts and reversals.
- Blood relations: draw a family tree; never hold it in memory.
- Direction: draw axes and track left and right turns.
- Syllogism: use Venn diagrams and accept only what is certain.
Worked example
If PEN is coded as QFO, how is CAP coded? P to Q, E to F, N to O: each letter moves one step forward. So C to D, A to B, P to Q. Answer: DBQ. Verify the shift on all three letters before applying it; one matching letter is not proof of a rule.
Traps
- Assuming a series rule from the first two terms only.
- In syllogism, treating 'some' as 'all'.
- Forgetting that left and right reverse when a person faces south.
- In clocks, using 30 degrees per hour for the minute hand instead of 6 degrees per minute.
- Ignoring the exact wording 'only', 'all' and 'some'.