IBPS PO / SBI PO 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 / SBI PO, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Logical and Verbal Reasoning

   5 topics

   • Syllogism
     • Standard statements and conclusions
     • Possibility cases and reverse syllogism
   • Statement and Argument Based Reasoning
     • Statement and assumptions
     • Cause and effect, course of action
   • Inequality
     • Direct coded inequality
     • Coded and indirect inequality symbols
   • Blood Relations
     • Family tree based questions
     • Coded blood relations
   • Direction and Distance
     • Path tracing and shortest distance
     • Coded directions and turns
2. 2

   Seating Arrangement and Puzzles

   5 topics

   • Linear Seating Arrangement
     • Single row facing same direction
     • Double row facing each other
   • Circular and Rectangular Arrangement
     • Persons facing centre and outside
     • Square and rectangular table arrangements
   • Floor and Box Puzzles
     • Floor based building puzzles
     • Stacked box and shelf puzzles
   • Scheduling and Day-Month Puzzles
     • Day, date and month based scheduling
     • Comparison and order based puzzles
   • Categorisation and Tabular Puzzles
     • Multiple variable grouping
     • Designation and department puzzles
3. 3

   Analytical and Coding Reasoning

   5 topics

   • Coding-Decoding
     • Letter and number coding
     • New pattern and symbol based coding
   • Order, Ranking and Alphanumeric Series
     • Rank from top and bottom
     • Alphanumeric and symbol series
   • Data Sufficiency
     • Two statement sufficiency
     • Three statement sufficiency
   • Input-Output Machine Reasoning
     • Word and number shifting logic
     • Step-wise arrangement input-output
   • Logical Sequence and Analogy
     • Series completion and analogy
     • Classification and odd-one-out
4. 4

   Critical and Non-Verbal Reasoning

   3 topics

   • Critical Reasoning
     • Strengthening and weakening arguments
     • Inference and conclusion drawing
   • Passage and Conclusion Based Reasoning
     • Logical deduction from passage
     • Decision making and seating mix
   • Non-Verbal Series and Figures
     • Figure series and analogy
     • Mirror and water image

Reasoning Ability flashcards for IBPS PO / SBI PO

22 of 51 cards from the Reasoning Ability deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In syllogism, what does the 'A' type proposition (Universal Affirmative) state and what is its standard form?

   A universal affirmative asserts that the whole subject is included in the predicate. Standard form: 'All S are P' (e.g., All cats are animals).

2. In syllogism, name the four standard proposition types and their codes (A, E, I, O).

   A = Universal Affirmative (All S are P); E = Universal Negative (No S is P); I = Particular Affirmative (Some S are P); O = Particular Negative (Some S are not P).

3. What are the only two valid 'definite' conclusions that follow from 'Some A are B' alone?

   'Some B are A' (conversion of I-type) and 'Some A are B' itself. No universal conclusion follows from a particular premise alone.

4. In syllogism, what conclusion validly follows by conversion from 'No A is B'?

   'No B is A.' The E-type proposition converts fully (both terms remain distributed).

5. In syllogism, what is a 'possibility' conclusion and when is it always true?

   A possibility conclusion states something 'may' be true. A possibility is valid whenever the opposite is not definitely established by the premises. E.g., from 'All A are B', 'Some B are A is a possibility' and 'Some B are not A is a possibility' are both true.

6. From 'All A are B' and 'All B are C', what definite conclusion follows?

   'All A are C' (and by conversion 'Some C are A', 'Some B are A', 'Some C are B').

7. In Statement and Argument reasoning, what makes an argument 'strong'?

   A strong argument is directly related to the statement, logically sound, addresses the core issue, is practical/realistic, and not based on assumptions, individual cases, or ambiguous phrasing.

8. In Statement and Argument reasoning, list three features that make an argument 'weak'.

   It is irrelevant to the statement, based on a single/individual example, ambiguous or superficial, restates the statement, appeals to emotion/authority illogically, or is simply impractical.

9. What are the standard coded inequality symbols and their meanings used in banking exams (e.g., A @ B, A # B)?

   Symbols are defined per question, but a common set: '@' = greater than (>), '#' = less than (<), '$' = greater than or equal (≥), '%' = less than or equal (≤), '&' = equal (=). Always read the question's own key.

10. In coded inequality, when can a definite conclusion be drawn between A and C from 'A > B > C'?

    A > C is definite. A common direction of strict '>' throughout a chain gives a definite strict conclusion.

11. In inequality, why does 'A ≥ B' and 'B ≥ C' NOT give 'A > C' but does give 'A ≥ C'?

    Because equality is possible at each step (A could equal B could equal C), so the strict '>' cannot be guaranteed; only '≥' (A ≥ C) is definite.

12. In inequality, what is the 'either-or' (complementary pair) case and when does it apply?

    When two conclusions between the same pair are individually not definite but together cover all possibilities (e.g., A ≥ C and A < C, or A > C and A = C), the answer is 'either I or II follows'. The pair must share the same two elements and be complementary.

13. From the chain 'A > B = C ≥ D', what is the relationship between A and D?

    A > D (definite). A strict '>' anywhere in a same-direction chain combined with '=' and '≥' yields a strict '>' overall.

14. In blood relations, who is your 'father's brother' and how is the relationship classified (paternal/maternal)?

    Your father's brother is your paternal uncle (Chacha/Tau in Hindi). It is a paternal-side relation.

15. In blood relations, what relation is 'the daughter of my mother's brother' to me?

    Maternal cousin (specifically the daughter of your maternal uncle / Mama's daughter).

16. In blood relations, define 'son-in-law' and 'daughter-in-law'.

    Son-in-law = husband of one's daughter. Daughter-in-law = wife of one's son.

17. In a blood-relation coded statement 'A + B' meaning A is the father of B, how do you typically read 'A − B' and 'A × B'?

    Codes are question-defined, but a common convention: '+' = father of, '−' = mother of (or wife), '×' = brother of, '÷' = sister of. Always apply the key given in the problem.

18. In Direction and Distance, what does a right turn followed by another right turn do to your facing direction?

    Two consecutive right turns reverse your direction (you end up facing exactly opposite, i.e., 180° turn).

19. In Direction and Distance, write the Pythagorean formula for shortest (straight-line) distance after moving 'a' units east then 'b' units north.

    Shortest distance = √(a² + b²). The displacement is the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed by the two perpendicular legs.

20. In Direction problems, if you face North and turn 90° clockwise, which direction do you face?

    East. Clockwise from North: North → East → South → West.

21. In Direction and Distance, what are the four primary and four ordinal directions?

    Primary: North, South, East, West. Ordinal (intercardinal): North-East, South-East, South-West, North-West.

22. In linear seating arrangement, what is the difference between a single row 'all facing North' and a double row 'facing each other'?

    In a single row facing North, the person's left is West and right is East (left-right is uniform). In double rows facing each other, the two rows have mirror-image left/right, and 'opposite' pairs face one another.

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