Logical / Abstract Reasoning
What the section tests
Logical and Abstract Reasoning measures pattern detection and rule-following with minimal verbal or numerical content: number and letter series, matrices, figural analogies, syllogisms, coding and spatial transformations.
Concepts you must command
- Sequences: check differences, ratios, alternating sub-series (odd and even positions), and operations that cycle (+3, ×2, −1, ...).
- Matrices: read across rows and down columns separately; look for element addition or cancellation, rotation, shading counts and movement of parts.
- Transformations: distinguish rotation (handedness preserved) from reflection (handedness reversed). Track one element at a time.
- Syllogisms: use Venn diagrams; 'all A are B' does not imply 'all B are A'; 'some' means at least one.
- Odd-one-out and analogies: find the single attribute that separates the group, then verify it against every item.
- Coding: map letters to positions, watching for shifts, reversals and pairing rules.
Traps
The main trap is a rule that fits the first two or three items but breaks later - always test a candidate rule against the final given term. In figures, reflection masquerading as rotation is common. In syllogisms, conclusions that are merely possible are not valid. Beware of assuming a pattern must be arithmetic when it is positional or alternating.
Rule of thumb
State the rule in one sentence ('each term is the previous multiplied by 2, minus 1'), apply it both forwards and backwards, and prefer the simpler rule that explains every given term.
Worked example: 2, 3, 5, 9, 17, ... The differences are 1, 2, 4, 8, doubling each time; the next difference is 16, so the next term is 33.