NATA Diagrammatic Reasoning and Aptitude Syllabus

Diagrammatic Reasoning and Aptitude syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Diagrammatic Reasoning and Aptitude in NATA, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   General Aptitude and Logical Reasoning

   3 topics

   • Verbal and Logical Reasoning
     • Syllogisms and statement-conclusion problems
     • Analogies and odd-one-out
     • Coding-decoding and pattern logic
     • Blood relations and direction sense
   • Numerical and Sequential Reasoning
     • Number and alphabet series
     • Seating arrangement and ordering
     • Data sufficiency basics
   • Diagrammatic Reasoning
     • Figure series and matrices
     • Embedded and hidden figures
     • Paper folding and punching
2. 2

   Mathematical and Inductive Reasoning

   4 topics

   • Mathematical puzzles and clock-calendar problems
   • Inductive vs deductive reasoning
   • Critical thinking and inference from premises
   • Quantitative comparison and estimation
3. 3

   Situation and Problem Solving Under Constraints

   3 topics

   • Decision making with multiple conditions
   • Optimization and resource allocation problems
   • Cause-and-effect and assumption identification

Diagrammatic Reasoning and Aptitude flashcards for NATA

24 of 50 cards from the Diagrammatic Reasoning and Aptitude deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In logical reasoning, what is a syllogism?

   A form of deductive argument with two premises and a conclusion, where the conclusion must logically follow from the premises (e.g., All A are B; All B are C; therefore all A are C).

2. What distinguishes deductive reasoning from inductive reasoning?

   Deductive reasoning moves from general premises to a guaranteed specific conclusion; inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to a probable general conclusion.

3. In verbal reasoning, what is the relationship type in an analogy like 'Hand : Glove :: Foot : Sock'?

   A 'object : covering' (functional/covering) relationship — each second term covers or fits the first.

4. What is a valid argument versus a sound argument?

   A valid argument has a conclusion that follows logically from its premises; a sound argument is valid AND has all true premises.

5. In a number series, how do you identify an arithmetic progression?

   Consecutive terms differ by a constant amount (common difference d); nth term = a + (n−1)d.

6. What is the nth term of a geometric progression?

   a·r^(n−1), where a is the first term and r is the common ratio between consecutive terms.

7. In the series 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ..., what is the pattern and next term?

   Differences increase by 2 (4, 6, 8, 10); equivalently n(n+1). Next term = 42.

8. In a Fibonacci-type series, how is each term formed?

   Each term equals the sum of the two preceding terms (e.g., 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13...).

9. What is diagrammatic (figural) reasoning?

   Reasoning that identifies patterns, rules, or relationships in visual figures—shapes, rotations, reflections, additions/removals—rather than words or numbers.

10. In figure series, what are the common transformation rules to check?

    Rotation, reflection (mirror), translation/movement, size change, addition/removal of elements, shading/color change, and number/count changes.

11. What is a mirror image transformation in diagrammatic reasoning?

    A figure flipped across an axis so left and right (or top and bottom) are reversed, like a reflection in a mirror.

12. What is a 'water image' in diagrammatic reasoning?

    The inverted reflection of a figure as seen in water—flipped along the horizontal axis (top becomes bottom).

13. In paper folding/punching problems, how do holes appear when unfolded?

    Each fold doubles the holes symmetrically about the fold line(s), so a single punch produces 2^(number of folds) holes positioned by mirroring across each crease.

14. How do you solve a 'odd one out' figure question?

    Identify the common rule shared by most figures (symmetry, number of sides, shading, orientation) and select the figure that breaks that rule.

15. In a clock, how many degrees does the hour hand move per hour and per minute?

    30° per hour (360°/12) and 0.5° per minute.

16. In a clock, how many degrees does the minute hand move per minute?

    6° per minute (360°/60).

17. What is the formula for the angle between the hour and minute hands of a clock?

    |30·H − 5.5·M| degrees, where H is the hour and M is the minutes (take 360 minus the result if it exceeds 180°).

18. How many times do the hands of a clock overlap in 12 hours?

    11 times (they coincide every 12/11 hours, about every 65.45 minutes).

19. How many times are the hands of a clock at right angles in 12 hours?

    22 times (a right angle occurs twice each hour but two are skipped over 12 hours).

20. What is the odd-days method for calendar problems?

    Count remaining days after complete weeks (days mod 7) to find the day of the week; 0 odd days = same day, 1 = next day, etc.

21. How many odd days are in an ordinary year and a leap year?

    An ordinary year (365 days) has 1 odd day; a leap year (366 days) has 2 odd days.

22. What is the rule for identifying a leap year?

    Divisible by 4, but century years must be divisible by 400 (e.g., 2000 is a leap year, 1900 is not).

23. How many odd days are in 100 years and 400 years?

    100 years = 5 odd days; 400 years = 0 odd days (the cycle repeats every 400 years).

24. What is critical thinking in the context of aptitude tests?

    The disciplined evaluation of arguments, evidence, and assumptions to judge validity and draw well-reasoned, unbiased conclusions.

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