Reasoning Ability
Reasoning Ability in the UP Cooperative Bank exam tests how you structure unfamiliar information under time pressure. Expect puzzles and seating arrangements, syllogisms, inequality, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, series and input-output. The section rewards a repeatable method, not memorised answers.
Core rules
- In puzzles, build a table or grid and fix the most constrained clue first; use elimination when two clues conflict.
- In syllogisms, draw minimal overlapping circles. Treat "some" as "at least one" and never convert "all A are B" into "all B are A".
- In inequality, write a single chain and check each conclusion against it; "≥" allows equality, ">" does not.
- In coding-decoding, compare letter positions and look for a constant shift or reversal before guessing.
Worked example
Statements: All PACS are cooperatives. Some cooperatives are banks. Conclusions: I. Some PACS are banks. II. Some banks are cooperatives. Reasoning: "Some cooperatives are banks" converts to "Some banks are cooperatives", so II follows. The PACS group may sit entirely outside the bank part of the cooperative circle, so I is only a possibility, not a definite conclusion. Answer: only II follows.
Traps
Assuming every "some" statement implies "some not"; treating a possible conclusion as definite; adding unstated age, order or gender clues in puzzles; reversing the direction in blood relations; and choosing an answer before checking all conclusions.
Practice by writing the clue that eliminated each option, so your method becomes visible and repeatable.