IBPS Clerk Reasoning Ability Syllabus

In Cause and Effect questions, how do you identify the cause versus the effect?

The cause is the event that occurs first and brings about the second; the effect is the result that follows. The cause must logically and chronologically precede the effect.

In Cause and Effect, what does it mean when 'both events are independent causes'?

Both events are effects of some common/third unmentioned cause, or each occurs independently — neither one causes the other.

In Cause and Effect, what does 'effects of independent causes' mean?

Both given events are effects, each produced by its own separate independent cause, rather than one causing the other or both sharing one common cause.

In a Course of Action question, what two conditions must a suggested action satisfy to be a valid course of action?

It must be (1) practical/feasible/implementable and (2) effective in solving the problem or improving the situation described in the statement. Vague, extreme, or impractical actions are rejected.

In Course of Action, why are 'extreme' actions (e.g., banning something entirely, total shutdown) usually rejected?

Extreme/drastic actions are generally not considered the proper, balanced course of action; a reasonable, proportionate, and practical step is preferred over an extreme reaction.

In linear seating arrangement, what is the default convention for a SINGLE row facing North?

When all face North, the person's LEFT is to our right side and their RIGHT is to our left. So for someone facing North, immediate right is the next person toward the East end (our left mentally reversed) — always assign left/right from the seated person's perspective, opposite to the viewer.

In a single row of people all facing North, if A is to the immediate right of B, where does A sit relative to B from the solver's view?

A sits to B's left as the solver looks at the page (because for a North-facing person, their right hand points to the solver's left). Always map directions from the seated person's facing direction.

In a two-row (parallel) seating arrangement, one row faces North and the other faces South — how are the two rows positioned relative to each other?

They sit facing each other. Each North-facing person is opposite (face-to-face with) a South-facing person. Left/right are mirror-reversed between the two rows.

In a parallel-row arrangement, if persons in row 1 face South and row 2 (in front) face North, how do their left/right directions compare?

They are opposite. A South-facing person's left aligns with the facing North-facing person's right, since the two rows are mirror images facing each other.

In a circular arrangement where all persons face the CENTRE, how are left and right oriented?

When facing the centre, a person's left is in the clockwise direction and their right is in the anticlockwise direction (opposite to the watch's numbering as seen from outside).

In a circular arrangement where all persons face OUTWARD (away from centre), how are left and right oriented?

Facing outward, a person's left is anticlockwise and their right is clockwise — exactly the reverse of facing-centre arrangements.

In a circular arrangement with mixed facing (some inward, some outward), what is the key precaution?

Determine left/right separately for each person based on their individual facing direction; do not assume a uniform clockwise/anticlockwise rule for the whole circle.

In a square or rectangular seating arrangement, where are people typically seated and which way might they face?

People sit at the four corners and/or the middle of each side. In common puzzles, corner persons and middle persons may face the centre or face outside; left/right must be derived from each person's specific position and facing.

In a floor-based puzzle, what is the standard numbering convention for floors?

The lowermost (ground) floor is numbered 1 and numbering increases upward, so the topmost floor has the highest number (unless the question states otherwise).

In a flat/floor puzzle with floors and flats, what does a typical building grid look like?

A two-dimensional matrix: rows represent floors (e.g., 1 to 7 bottom to top) and columns represent flats (e.g., Flat 1, Flat 2 left to right). Each person occupies one (floor, flat) cell.

In floor puzzles, how do you interpret 'A lives immediately above B'?

A's floor number = B's floor number + 1; they are on consecutive floors with A directly on top of B (and in flat puzzles, often the same flat/column).

In a box/stack puzzle, how are boxes usually arranged and numbered?

Boxes are stacked vertically one above another. Typically the bottom box is position 1 and increases upward (or as specified). Only one box per level.

In a stack puzzle, what does 'only two boxes are kept between P and Q' tell you?

There is a gap of exactly 2 boxes between P and Q, so the difference in their positions is 3 (e.g., positions 2 and 5), but it does NOT tell you which of P or Q is higher.

In a stack puzzle, what does 'as many boxes above A as below B' typically help you fix?

It creates a symmetry/counting condition that, combined with total number of boxes, helps pin down exact positions by equating the count above one item to the count below another.

In month/date scheduling puzzles, what is a common set of months used and their day-counts you must remember?

Common puzzle months: January (31), February (28/29), March (31), April (30), May (31), June (30), July (31), August (31). Knowing 30 vs 31 day months matters for 'date' based scheduling and gaps.

In a day-based scheduling puzzle across a week, how many gaps separate two events 'with three days between them'?

If three days are between two events, the events themselves are on days with a difference of 4 (e.g., Monday and Friday), since 'between' excludes the endpoints.

In a month-scheduling puzzle (e.g., events on the 10th or 25th of four months), what is the standard approach?

Treat (month, date) as a single time-point on a chronological line, order all time-points earliest to latest, then apply 'before/after/between' clues to place each person.

In Order and Ranking, what does 'A is 7th from the top and 11th from the bottom' tell you about the total number?

Total = (position from top) + (position from bottom) - 1 = 7 + 11 - 1 = 17 (the person is counted once in both, so subtract 1).

In Order and Ranking, if A is 5th from the left and 9th from the right in a row, how many people are in the row?

Total = 5 + 9 - 1 = 13. (Add both ranks and subtract 1 because A is counted in both.)

In Order and Ranking, given a person's rank from one end and the total, how do you find their rank from the other end?

Rank from other end = (Total + 1) - (rank from given end). Example: total 40, rank 12 from top → 40 + 1 - 12 = 29th from bottom.

In Order and Ranking, 'between A and B there are X persons; A is ath from left, B is bth from left' — how do you compute the number between them?

Number of persons between them = |a - b| - 1, when both ranks are measured from the same end.

In Direction and Distance, what is the standard mapping of directions and turns when initially facing North?

Facing North: a right turn → East, left turn → West, U-turn → South. Facing South: right → West, left → East. Always rotate the four directions (N-E-S-W clockwise) according to the facing direction.

In Direction and Distance, how do you compute the shortest (straight-line) distance between start and end points?

Use Pythagoras: net displacement = √(net East-West distance² + net North-South distance²), after finding the resultant horizontal and vertical displacements separately.

A man walks 3 km East then 4 km North. What is his shortest distance from the start and in which general direction is he?

Shortest distance = √(3² + 4²) = √(9+16) = √25 = 5 km, and he is to the North-East of his starting point.

In Direction and Distance shadow problems, what does the direction of a shadow indicate in the early morning versus evening?

In the early morning the sun is in the East, so shadows fall toward the West; in the evening the sun is in the West, so shadows fall toward the East. (At noon shadows are negligible/overhead.)