Reasoning: Method Before Guesswork
Reasoning
This section tests pattern recognition under time pressure: series, analogies, coding-decoding, blood relations, directions, syllogisms and ranking. Marks come from a repeatable method, not from guessing.
Core rules
- Number series: check differences first, then ratios, then alternating or square/cube patterns. Write the differences under the terms.
- Coding: compare the same letter positions between the word and its code; note shifts separately for vowels and consonants.
- Blood relations: draw a family tree, using squares for males, circles for females, and horizontal lines for siblings or marriage. Never assume gender from a name.
- Directions: sketch every turn; a left turn after facing north means facing west. Track net displacement separately on north-south and east-west axes.
- Syllogism: draw the minimum possible Venn diagram; a conclusion is valid only if it is true in every diagram that satisfies the statements.
Worked example
Series: 7, 12, 19, 28, ? Differences: 5, 7, 9 - an odd-number sequence rising by 2. The next difference is 11, so the answer is 28 + 11 = 39. If no option matches, recheck whether the pattern alternates rather than persists.
Traps
Assuming the converse of a statement (“all nurses are graduates” does not mean all graduates are nurses); forgetting that “some” allows overlap; ignoring the starting direction; and applying one difference rule when the series switches pattern after three terms.