IRDAI Assistant Manager 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 IRDAI Assistant Manager, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Verbal and Analytical Reasoning

   4 topics

   • Syllogisms and Logical Deductions
     • Two and three statement syllogisms
     • Possibility cases and reverse syllogisms
     • Statement, assumptions, conclusions and inferences
   • Statement and Argument Analysis
     • Strong vs weak arguments
     • Course of action and cause-effect relationships
   • Critical Reasoning and Decision Making
   • Analogy and Classification (Verbal)
2. 2

   Seating Arrangement and Puzzles

   5 topics

   • Linear Seating Arrangements
     • Single row and double row arrangements
     • Persons facing same and opposite directions
   • Circular and Rectangular Arrangements
     • Facing inward and outward variations
   • Floor and Flat-based Puzzles
   • Box, Scheduling and Month/Day Puzzles
   • Comparison and Ranking Based Puzzles
3. 3

   Logical Sequences and Coding

   5 topics

   • Coding-Decoding
     • Letter and number coding
     • New pattern and Chinese coding
   • Alphanumeric and Symbol Series
   • Order and Ranking
   • Direction Sense and Distance
   • Blood Relations and Coded Relations
4. 4

   Data Sufficiency and Input-Output

   4 topics

   • Two-statement Data Sufficiency
   • Quantity Comparison Data Sufficiency
   • Machine Input-Output (Shifting and Arrangement Logic)
   • Inequalities and Coded Inequalities
     • Direct and coded inequality symbols
     • Either-or and priority cases

Reasoning Ability flashcards for IRDAI Assistant Manager

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

1. In syllogisms, what does the statement "All A are B" allow you to definitely conclude?

   That every A is a B, so "Some A are B" and "Some B are A" are valid conclusions. It does NOT mean all B are A.

2. What is the rule for drawing a conclusion from two particular ("Some") statements in a syllogism?

   No definite conclusion can be drawn from two particular premises. At least one premise must be universal.

3. In syllogisms, what conclusion follows from "No A are B"?

   "No A are B" and "No B are A" (conversion of a universal negative is valid). Also "Some A are not B" and "Some B are not A".

4. What is a "complementary pair" (either-or case) in syllogisms?

   When neither of two conclusions is individually definite but together they cover all possibilities (e.g., "Some A are B" and "Some A are not B"), the answer is "either I or II follows."

5. When are two negative premises valid in a syllogism?

   Never. From two negative premises, no valid conclusion can be drawn.

6. In a "Statement and Argument" question, what makes an argument STRONG?

   It is directly related to the statement, addresses the core issue rationally, and is practically significant (not trivial, ambiguous, or merely emotional).

7. In Statement and Argument analysis, what makes an argument WEAK?

   It is irrelevant, superficial, restates the statement, is based on individual examples, is ambiguous, or appeals to emotion rather than logic.

8. What is the difference between an "assumption" and an "inference" in critical reasoning?

   An assumption is something taken for granted/unstated that must be true for the statement to hold; an inference is a conclusion logically drawn from the given information.

9. In critical reasoning, what is a "course of action"?

   A step or administrative decision taken to improve a situation or solve a problem. It is valid only if it logically follows from the problem and is practical and likely effective.

10. In a "cause and effect" question, how do you identify the cause?

    The cause is the event that occurs first (or independently) and leads to the other event (the effect). The effect cannot precede the cause.

11. What is the key to solving verbal analogy questions like "Doctor : Hospital"?

    Identify the precise relationship between the first pair (e.g., worker : workplace) and apply the exact same relationship to find the answer.

12. In classification ("odd one out") questions, what is the method?

    Find the common property shared by most items; the one item that does NOT share that property is the odd one out.

13. In a linear seating arrangement, what does "facing North" imply for left and right?

    For a person facing North, their left is West and right is East. So the person's right side corresponds to the observer's right when both face North.

14. In a single-row linear arrangement facing North, who is to the immediate right of the leftmost person?

    The person at position 2 from the left (the next person to the east), since for North-facing people, right means toward the higher-numbered/east end.

15. In a two-row (parallel) seating arrangement where rows face each other, how are left/right oriented?

    The two rows face opposite directions (one North, one South), so their left-right are mirror-opposite; persons facing each other sit directly across.

16. In a circular arrangement where all face the CENTER, how is left and right determined?

    When facing the center, a person's left hand points clockwise and right hand points anticlockwise (opposite to facing outward).

17. In a circular arrangement where all face OUTWARD (away from center), how is left and right determined?

    When facing outward, a person's left points anticlockwise and right points clockwise.

18. In circular arrangements, what does "third to the left of X" require checking first?

    Whether X faces the center or outward, because that reverses the clockwise/anticlockwise direction for counting left and right.

19. In a rectangular/square table arrangement with people on all four sides facing center, how many people typically sit per side in an 8-person setup?

    Usually 2 people on each of the 4 sides (corners and middles), all facing the center.

20. In floor-based puzzles, what does "lives on a floor immediately above" mean?

    The person is exactly one floor higher (e.g., if X is on floor 3, the person immediately above is on floor 4).

21. In floor puzzles, if the building has 7 floors, how are they typically numbered?

    Ground/lowest floor is numbered 1 and the topmost is 7; "above" means higher number, "below" means lower number.

22. In flat/floor puzzles combining floors and flats, what two variables must be tracked?

    The floor number (vertical position) and the flat/side (e.g., Flat 1 = West side, Flat 2 = East side), since each person occupies a specific floor-flat combination.

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