Reasoning Ability
Reasoning Ability
RBI JE reasoning tests puzzles, seating arrangement, syllogism, inequality, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, and series. The section is speed-sensitive; use notation and eliminate options.
Core rules
- Syllogism: draw minimal Venn diagrams. 'All A are B' does not imply 'All B are A'. A conclusion is true only if it holds in every diagram; 'possibility' conclusions need at least one valid diagram.
- Inequality: priority order for a single statement: > or < first, then ≥ or ≤, then =. 'A > B ≥ C' gives A > C; 'A ≥ B > C' gives A > C.
- Seating: fix one person, mark facing direction; for circular arrangements, clockwise/anticlockwise changes with facing.
- Coding: compare letter positions; common shifts are +1, −1, +2, reversal, or position-based.
- Blood relations: draw a family tree with gender markers; do not assume gender from a name.
Worked example
If CAT is coded as DBU, how is DOG coded? Reasoning: C→D (+1), A→B (+1), T→U (+1). Apply the same shift: D→E, O→P, G→H. Answer: EPH.
Traps
Assuming 'some A are B' means 'some B are not A'; ignoring 'either/or' in syllogism; reversing a blood relation (uncle/nephew); missing the facing direction in circular puzzles; treating a possibility conclusion as definitely true.