Reasoning is part of almost every competitive exam – Banking, SSC, Railway, OSSC, OSSSC, ASO and Police recruitment. It tests how clearly you think, not how much you have memorised. The good news: reasoning is the section where regular practice gives the fastest improvement.
Our approach: we teach each reasoning topic individually or in small groups. First we explain the logic behind the question type, then students solve at least 300 questions on that topic, and only then do we work on speed.
Main topics in Reasoning
Verbal reasoning
Coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, alphabet and number series, ranking and order, analogy, classification (odd one out).
Analytical reasoning
Seating arrangement (linear and circular), puzzles, syllogism, inequalities, input-output, data sufficiency.
Critical reasoning
Statement and assumption, statement and conclusion, cause and effect, course of action – important for Banking Mains and OPSC.
Non-verbal reasoning
Figure series, mirror and water images, paper folding, embedded figures, counting of figures – common in SSC, Railway and Police exams.
Solved examples
1. Number series
Q. 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ?
Answer: 127. Each number is double the previous number plus 1 (3×2+1 = 7, 7×2+1 = 15 …, 63×2+1 = 127).
2. Coding-decoding
Q. If CAT is written as DBU, how is DOG written?
Answer: EPH. Each letter moves one place forward in the alphabet (C→D, A→B, T→U), so D→E, O→P, G→H.
3. Blood relation
Q. Pointing to a man, Rina says, “He is the son of my mother’s only brother.” How is the man related to Rina?
Answer: Cousin. Rina’s mother’s only brother is Rina’s maternal uncle, and his son is Rina’s cousin.
4. Direction sense
Q. Ramesh walks 5 km north, turns right and walks 3 km, then turns right again and walks 5 km. How far is he from his starting point, and in which direction?
Answer: 3 km east. The two 5 km walks (north, then south) cancel each other, leaving only the 3 km walked towards the east.
5. Syllogism
Q. Statements: All pens are books. Some books are bags.
Conclusion: Some pens are bags.
Answer: Does not follow. The books that are bags may not be the same books that are pens. Draw a Venn diagram and you will see a possible case where no pen is a bag.
How to prepare Reasoning
- Learn one topic at a time. Finish coding-decoding completely before moving to puzzles.
- Write the alphabet with position numbers (A=1 … Z=26, and reverse Z=1 … A=26). It saves time in coding and series questions.
- Draw diagrams for blood relations, directions, seating arrangements and syllogisms. Never solve them only in your head.
- Practise puzzles daily. Banking exams give a large share of marks to puzzles and seating arrangement. One or two puzzles every day is enough to build speed.
- Take timed sectional tests once you are accurate, and analyse every wrong answer.