Indian Army GD / Technical Recruitment Reasoning and Mental Ability Syllabus

In Ranking from both ends, what formula gives the total number of people in a row?

Total = (Position from left) + (Position from right) − 1, for a single person counted from both ends.

If a person is 7th from the left and 12th from the right, how many people are in the row?

7 + 12 − 1 = 18 people.

In a row of 25, if someone is 9th from the left, what is their position from the right?

Position from right = Total − Position from left + 1 = 25 − 9 + 1 = 17th from the right.

What are the two main types of seating arrangement problems?

Linear arrangement (people in a straight row/line) and circular arrangement (people around a circle/table, facing center or outward).

In a circular arrangement facing the center, are left/right of a person same as ours?

No — when people face the center, their left and right are opposite to our viewing perspective; only those facing outward share our left/right orientation.

What is a syllogism?

A logical argument with two (or more) premises (statements) from which a conclusion is logically drawn; reasoning must follow only from the given statements.

State the standard four categorical statement types in syllogism (A, E, I, O).

A = All ... are ... (universal affirmative); E = No ... is ... (universal negative); I = Some ... are ... (particular affirmative); O = Some ... are not ... (particular negative).

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

All A are C (and consequently Some C are A, Some A are C).

In syllogism, can a definite conclusion be drawn from two particular (Some) premises?

No — two particular premises (e.g., Some + Some) yield no definite conclusion.

What is the rule about 'possibility' conclusions in syllogism?

A possibility conclusion is true if the situation it describes can exist without contradicting the premises; if the premises do not forbid it, the possibility holds.

What is the complementary pair (either-or) rule in syllogism?

When two conclusions are individually false but together cover all cases (e.g., 'Some A are B' and 'No A is B' with same terms), the answer is 'Either I or II follows'.

In 'Statement and Assumption' questions, what is an assumption?

Something taken for granted or presupposed by the statement — implied but not directly stated, and necessary for the statement to hold.

In 'Statement and Course of Action', what makes a course of action valid?

It must be a practical, logical step that genuinely addresses the problem stated and is likely to improve or solve the situation.

In analytical reasoning puzzles, what is the recommended approach to organize data?

Build a table/grid or diagram, place definite clues first, then use conditional clues to eliminate possibilities until each variable is fixed.

What distinguishes a 'strong' argument from a 'weak' argument in critical reasoning?

A strong argument is directly relevant to the question and addresses a real, significant aspect of it; a weak argument is trivial, irrelevant, or based on personal/ambiguous reasoning.

In Alphabet Test, what does counting 'to the right of' a letter typically mean?

Counting the letters that come after the given letter toward Z (forward direction), unless the sequence is reversed.

What is the rule for finding the middle letter of the English alphabet between two positions?

Middle position = (sum of the two positions) ÷ 2; convert that number back to its letter. Between A(1) and S(19): (1+19)/2 = 10 = J.

In a Number Test, how do you find how many times a digit appears immediately followed by a specific digit?

Scan the sequence left to right and count each occurrence where the target digit is in the required position relative to the next/previous digit, per the question's condition.

What defines a 'figure series' (non-verbal) problem?

A sequence of figures changing by a consistent rule (rotation, addition/removal of elements, shading, size change); you must find the figure that continues the pattern.

What are the common transformation rules to look for in pattern/figure series?

Rotation (clockwise/anticlockwise by fixed degrees), reflection, addition or deletion of elements, change in shading/orientation, and movement of an element step-by-step.

What is a mirror image?

The reflection of an object as seen in a vertical mirror placed on one side — left and right are interchanged while top and bottom remain the same.

In a mirror image with the mirror on the right side, which side of the object becomes which?

The right side of the object appears on the left and the left side appears on the right; the image is laterally inverted (left-right reversed).

What is a water image?

The reflection of an object as seen in water (a horizontal mirror at the bottom) — top and bottom are interchanged (vertical inversion) while left and right stay the same.

Which letters look the same in their mirror image (vertical mirror)?

Symmetrical letters such as A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y look the same in a vertical mirror image.

Which letters/numbers look the same in their water image?

Letters/numbers with horizontal symmetry such as B, C, D, E, H, I, K, O, X and digits 0, 1, 3, 8 look the same in a water (horizontal) image.

What is an embedded (hidden) figure problem?

You are given a simple figure and must identify which of the answer options contains that simple figure hidden within it, in the same shape, size, and proportion (orientation may vary).

What is the key rule when searching for an embedded figure in a complex one?

The given figure must be present without changing its shape or proportion; it may be rotated but cannot be resized or distorted, and every line of it must exist in the complex figure.

In paper folding and punching problems, how do holes appear when the paper is unfolded?

Each hole is mirrored across every fold line; one punch produces multiple symmetrical holes — the number doubling with each fold crossed by the punch.

If a square paper is folded once and one hole is punched through both layers, how many holes appear when unfolded?

Two holes — symmetrical about the fold line (each layer punched yields one hole).

In paper cutting problems, what symmetry governs the resulting unfolded pattern?

The cut pattern is reflected across each fold line, so the final design is symmetrical about all the fold axes used.

In a standard dice/cube, what is true about the sum of opposite faces of a normal die?

On a standard die, opposite faces sum to 7 (1-6, 2-5, 3-4).

When a large cube painted on all faces is cut into n×n×n smaller cubes, how many small cubes have exactly 3 painted faces?

Always 8 — these are the corner cubes (each corner has three painted faces), regardless of n.

In an n×n×n painted cube cut into unit cubes, how many small cubes have no painted face?

(n−2)³ — the inner core cubes that were never on any outer surface.