IBPS PO (Probationary Officer) Reasoning Ability Syllabus

Reasoning Ability syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Reasoning Ability in IBPS PO (Probationary Officer), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Logical and Analytical Reasoning

   3 topics

   • Seating Arrangement
     • Linear arrangement (single and double row)
     • Circular and rectangular arrangement
     • Facing inward and outward variations
   • Puzzles
     • Floor and flat-based puzzles
     • Box and scheduling puzzles (day/month)
     • Category and comparison puzzles
   • Order, Ranking and Direction Sense
     • Order and ranking of persons
     • Direction and distance
     • Blood relations
2. 2

   Verbal and Critical Reasoning

   4 topics

   • Syllogism
     • Possibility cases
     • Reverse syllogism
   • Inequality
     • Coded inequality
     • Direct mathematical inequality
   • Statement Based Reasoning
     • Statement and assumptions
     • Statement and conclusions
     • Cause and effect, course of action
   • Critical Reasoning
     • Strengthening and weakening arguments
     • Inference and conclusion
3. 3

   Coding and Series Reasoning

   3 topics

   • Coding-Decoding
     • New-pattern coding
     • Symbol and number coding
   • Machine Input-Output
     • Shifting-based input-output
     • Arithmetic-based input-output
   • Alphanumeric and Symbol Series
     • Letter and number series
     • Symbol substitution
4. 4

   Non-Verbal and Miscellaneous

   3 topics

   • Analogy and Classification
     • Word and number analogy
     • Odd one out
   • Data Sufficiency in Reasoning
     • Single and combined statements
   • Logical Venn Diagrams
     • Set relationships
     • Numerical Venn diagrams

Reasoning Ability flashcards for IBPS PO (Probationary Officer)

22 of 50 cards from the Reasoning Ability deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In a Seating Arrangement puzzle, what is the difference between a 'linear arrangement' and a 'circular arrangement'?

   In a linear arrangement, people sit in a single straight row (or two parallel rows) and you must distinguish left/right ends. In a circular arrangement, people sit around a circle (or square/rectangle) with no fixed ends; directions depend on whether they face the centre or face outward.

2. In a circular seating arrangement, how does the meaning of 'left' and 'right' change when a person faces the centre versus faces outward?

   When all persons face the centre, a person's right is anti-clockwise and their left is clockwise. When all face outward, it is reversed: their right is clockwise and their left is anti-clockwise.

3. In a two-row (parallel) seating arrangement where Row 1 faces north and Row 2 faces south, how are members of the two rows positioned relative to each other?

   The two rows face each other, so each person in Row 1 sits directly opposite (facing) one person in Row 2. The leftmost person of the north-facing row is opposite the rightmost person of the south-facing row, since the rows are mirror images.

4. What does the phrase 'P is an immediate neighbour of Q' specifically mean in a seating/puzzle question?

   It means P sits directly next to Q with no one in between - either immediately to Q's left or immediately to Q's right.

5. In solving Puzzles (e.g. floor or box puzzles), what is the recommended first step before placing any elements?

   Read all the statements first and classify the clues into definite (fixed) clues and conditional/negative clues. Start placing elements using the most definite clues (which give an exact position), then use comparative and negative clues to eliminate possibilities and form cases.

6. In a floor-based puzzle, if the ground floor is numbered 1 and the topmost is the highest number, what does 'A lives immediately above B' tell you about their floor numbers?

   A's floor number is exactly one greater than B's (A = B + 1); A is on the floor directly above B with no floor in between.

7. What is a 'scheduling/month-date' based puzzle, and what is the key to solving it?

   It is a puzzle where persons or events are assigned to given dates or months. The key is to first list all available slots (dates/months) in order, then anchor a fixed clue, and use the gaps/intervals between clues to place the rest.

8. In Order and Ranking, if a person is 'X-th from the top' and 'Y-th from the bottom' in a row of N people, what is the formula relating X, Y and N?

   Total number of people N = X + Y - 1. (The person is counted once from both ends, so 1 is subtracted.)

9. In Order and Ranking, how do you find the number of people between two persons whose positions from one end are known (positions m and n, m < n)?

   Number of people between them = n - m - 1 (subtract the two persons themselves from the gap).

10. In Ranking, if there are N people and a person's rank is X from the left, what is that person's rank from the right?

    Rank from the right = N - X + 1.

11. In a Ranking problem, 'A is taller than B but shorter than C' translates to what order, and who could be the tallest?

    It translates to C > A > B (C tallest among the three, B shortest, A in the middle). C is the tallest of these three, though someone not mentioned could still be taller.

12. In Direction Sense, what are the four main and four intermediate compass directions, and which way do they lie?

    Main: North (up), South (down), East (right), West (left). Intermediate: North-East (between N and E), South-East (between S and E), South-West (between S and W), North-West (between N and W).

13. In Direction Sense, if a person initially faces North and turns to their right, then again to their right, which direction are they finally facing?

    Facing North, a right turn makes them face East; a second right turn makes them face South. (Each 90 degree right turn goes N to E to S to W to N.)

14. In Direction Sense, which formula gives the straight-line (shortest) distance between the start and end points after movements in perpendicular directions?

    The Pythagoras theorem: shortest distance = the square root of (a squared + b squared), where a and b are the net horizontal and net vertical displacements.

15. In Direction Sense, if you face South and someone is to your left, in which actual compass direction is that person?

    When facing South, your left hand points East. So the person is to your East.

16. What is a Syllogism, and what two components make up each statement?

    A Syllogism is a logical argument where conclusions must be drawn only from given premises (statements), assuming them true even if they contradict real facts. Each statement is built from a quantifier (All/Some/No/Some-not) connecting two terms (subject and predicate).

17. In Syllogism, what does the statement 'All A are B' guarantee, and what does it NOT guarantee about the reverse?

    'All A are B' guarantees that every A is inside B, so a valid conclusion is 'Some B are A'. It does NOT guarantee 'All B are A', because B may contain elements that are not A.

18. In Syllogism, what definite conclusion follows from 'No A are B'?

    'No A are B' is convertible: 'No B are A' also follows. It also implies 'Some A are not B' and 'Some B are not A'.

19. In Syllogism, why does 'Some A are B' never let you conclude 'All A are B' or 'No A are B'?

    'Some A are B' only fixes that at least one A is a B; the status of the remaining A's is unknown. So neither 'All A are B' nor 'No A are B' is definite - both are merely possible, not certain.

20. In Syllogism, what is a 'Possibility' conclusion and when is it true?

    A possibility conclusion (e.g. 'Some A being C is a possibility') is TRUE if the given statements do not rule it out - that is, a valid Venn diagram can be drawn in which it holds. It is false only when the statements make it impossible.

21. In Syllogism, what does an 'Either-Or' (complementary pair) case look like and when does it apply?

    Either-Or applies when neither conclusion is individually definite, but the two conclusions are complementary - they cover all possibilities between the same two terms (typically a 'Some' and a 'No', or 'All' and 'Some-not' on the same pair). Then 'Either I or II follows' is the answer.

22. In Coded Inequality, what is the standard meaning of the symbols when 'A @ B' means A is not smaller than B, and 'A # B' means A is not greater than B?

    'A is not smaller than B' means A >= B (greater than or equal). 'A is not greater than B' means A <= B (less than or equal). 'Not smaller' = greater-or-equal; 'not greater' = less-or-equal.

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