OLSAT Level G cheat sheet

Antonym items: the credited answer must be opposite in meaning and the same part of speech as the stem word; a synonym is always a planted distractor.

Negative prefixes reverse meaning: un-, in-/im-/il-/ir-, non-, dis-, a-. Mis- means wrongly; anti- means against; mal- means bad or badly.

Common roots: bene- good, mal- bad, cred- believe, spec- look, dict- say, ject- throw, port- carry, tract- pull, chron- time.

Contrast signals (although, though, despite, yet, but, however, whereas, rather than) mean the blank carries a meaning opposed to the other clause.

Cause-and-result signals (because, since, therefore, thus, consequently, hence, so that) mean the blank follows logically from the stated cause.

Addition signals (and, moreover, furthermore, also, in addition, similarly) mean the blank repeats or extends the tone already present in the sentence.

Connotation rule: classify each option as positive, negative, or neutral, and match the emotional charge of the sentence rather than only the dictionary meaning.

Two-blank items: an option that fits only one blank is wrong; both blanks must be tested before a choice is made.

Grammatical agreement rule: a noun stem takes a noun answer, a verb stem takes a verb answer; part-of-speech mismatch eliminates an option immediately.

Analogy method: state the link as a sentence ("a wheel is part of a car") before reading the options, then test that exact sentence on each pair.

Direction matters: part-to-whole (wheel : car) is not the same relation as whole-to-part (car : wheel); the answer pair must preserve the original order.

Standard bridges to check: category and member, function, cause and effect, degree, lack of something, characteristic, sequence, worker and tool, whole and part.

Degree analogies must keep both the dimension and the order: warm : hot pairs with cool : cold, not with cool : icy.

Logical selection: discard any option that contradicts a stated premise; only the conclusion forced by all premises together is correct.

Quantifier logic: "all A are B" does not permit "all B are A", and "some A are B" means at least one and possibly every A is B.

Contrapositive is valid: "if P then Q" is equivalent to "if not Q then not P". The converse "if Q then P" is not equivalent.

Inference items: the answer must be supported by the passage alone; extreme wording (always, never, all) and outside knowledge are standard traps.

Arithmetic reasoning: translate the words into an equation with labelled units before calculating, then re-read to confirm which quantity is asked for.

Series check: examine one attribute at a time - number, size, position, orientation, shading, and object type - to isolate which attribute is actually changing.

Alternating series: odd-numbered frames follow one rule and even-numbered frames follow a different rule, so the two patterns are tracked separately.

Growth series: each frame adds or removes a fixed count (1, 2, 3, ...), or the count doubles, or a shape gains one side per step.

Position rules: an element moves clockwise or counterclockwise by a fixed number of places, or reflects across a vertical or horizontal axis.

Picture analogy: identify the exact transformation from the first picture to the second, then apply that same transformation, in the same direction, to the third picture.

Picture classification: name the feature shared by the majority (for example, every option except one contains a curved line) and select the option that breaks it.

Distractor rule: reject options that change two attributes at once when the series changes only one.

Fill patterns: shading may alternate between two states, cycle through three states, or shift with the element's position in the frame.

Rotation versus reflection: a rotated figure keeps its handedness and can be turned back to the original; a mirrored figure cannot be produced by rotation in the plane.

Rotation increments are usually 90, 180, or 270 degrees clockwise; tracking one marked corner or arrow tip makes the increment visible.

2x2 matrix rule: the change that maps the left cell to the right cell in the top row must map the left cell to the right cell in the bottom row.

3x3 matrix rule: two rules operate at once, one across each row and one down each column; the answer must satisfy both.

Superimposition: overlapping frames may combine (union), keep only shared parts (intersection), or cancel where shapes coincide (exclusive-or).

Countable attributes: sides, vertices, enclosed regions, and symmetry axes may be constant, increase by one, or equal the sum or difference of the other cells.

Symmetry: the number of lines of symmetry, or the loss or gain of symmetry, is a frequent rule in figural series and classification.

Figural classification: the odd option violates a property shared by all others, such as being convex while every other figure is concave.

Dot placement is a rule, not decoration: inside, outside, or on the boundary, and which shape the dot occupies, often determines the answer.

Number series first step: compute consecutive differences. A constant difference means an arithmetic series; a constant ratio means a geometric series.

Constant second differences indicate a quadratic rule (n squared style); alternating signs often mean multiplication by a negative number or alternating add/subtract.

Interleaved series: when odd positions and even positions each form their own pattern, treat the sequence as two separate series.

Fibonacci-type rule: each term equals the sum, or occasionally the difference, of the two preceding terms.

Memorize squares 1-15 and cubes 1-6; many series are n squared, n cubed, or n squared plus or minus 1.

Function machine (numeric inference): use two input-output pairs to find the operation or pair of operations, verify on a third pair, then apply it.

Number matrix: test row sums, column sums, and products; a frequent rule is third cell equals first times second, or first plus second.

Core formulas: distance = rate x time; average = sum divided by count; percent change = (new - old) divided by old, times 100.

Estimation rule: if the answer choices are far apart, round the given values to eliminate options; if they are close, compute exactly.