Reasoning
Reasoning questions test pattern recognition, logical deduction and spatial or verbal ability. They are scoring if you use a systematic method rather than intuition.
Core rules
- Number series: check differences, ratios, squares/cubes, alternating patterns and digit sums.
- Coding-decoding: map letter positions or shifts; verify with all given examples before applying.
- Syllogism: draw Venn diagrams; a conclusion is valid only if true in every possible diagram.
- Blood relations: use a family tree with gender markers; do not assume unstated relations.
- Direction sense: draw axes and track turns; net displacement uses Pythagoras.
- Analogy and classification: identify the single relationship (function, part-whole, cause-effect) before choosing.
Worked example
Series: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?. Differences are 4, 6, 8, 10, so the next difference is 12 and the next term is 30 + 12 = 42. Alternatively, terms are n(n+1): 1×2, 2×3, 3×4, 4×5, 5×6, so the next is 6×7 = 42. Both methods agree, which is a useful check.
Traps that cost marks
- Forcing one pattern without testing a second term.
- In syllogism, assuming “some A are B” implies “some B are not A.”
- Ignoring gender or generation in blood-relation puzzles.
- Forgetting the starting direction in direction sense.
- Choosing an analogy that fits loosely rather than the precise relationship.
Exam approach
Write the sequence of differences or the Venn diagram on paper. Test every option against the given statements, and eliminate any conclusion that fails in at least one valid diagram.