NTS GAT-General Analytical Reasoning Syllabus

Analytical Reasoning syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Analytical Reasoning in NTS GAT-General, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Logical Deduction

   4 topics

   • Syllogisms
   • Statements and Conclusions
   • Statements and Assumptions
   • Cause and Effect
2. 2

   Analytical Puzzles

   5 topics

   • Seating Arrangements
   • Ordering and Ranking
   • Grouping and Selection
   • Conditional Constraint Sets
   • Matching and Distribution
3. 3

   Critical Reasoning

   5 topics

   • Strengthening and Weakening Arguments
   • Identifying Assumptions
   • Drawing Inferences
   • Evaluating Conclusions
   • Logical Flaws and Fallacies
4. 4

   Inductive and Pattern Reasoning

   4 topics

   • Number and Letter Series
   • Analogical Reasoning
   • Classification (Odd One Out)
   • Coding and Decoding
5. 5

   Logical Relationships

   4 topics

   • Blood Relations
   • Direction Sense
   • Venn Diagrams
   • Calendar and Clock Problems

Analytical Reasoning flashcards for NTS GAT-General

20 of 50 cards from the Analytical Reasoning deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In categorical syllogisms, what is the basic structure of a standard syllogism?

   Two premises (a major and a minor premise) sharing a common 'middle term', leading to a conclusion that links the remaining two terms. A valid conclusion must follow logically from both premises.

2. In syllogisms, what is the rule about the 'middle term'?

   The middle term appears in both premises but never in the conclusion. It must be distributed (taken universally) at least once; otherwise the syllogism commits the fallacy of the undistributed middle and is invalid.

3. In syllogism rules, can a valid conclusion be drawn from two particular premises (both using 'Some')?

   No. Two particular premises yield no definite conclusion. At least one premise must be universal (All/No) for a valid conclusion to be possible.

4. In syllogism rules, what can you conclude when both premises are negative?

   Nothing. Two negative premises give no valid conclusion. At least one premise must be affirmative.

5. In syllogisms, what is the rule for the quality and quantity of the conclusion relative to the premises?

   If one premise is particular, the conclusion must be particular. If one premise is negative, the conclusion must be negative. The conclusion always follows the 'weaker' premise (particular is weaker than universal; negative is weaker than affirmative).

6. In syllogism problems, what is a 'complementary pair' (the either-or case)?

   When neither a positive ('All/Some') nor its negative form definitely follows, but two possible conclusions are contradictory pairs (e.g., 'Some A are B' and 'Some A are not B'), then together they form a valid 'either-or' conclusion.

7. For a 'Statements and Conclusions' question, what is the core rule for accepting a conclusion?

   Assume the given statements are true (even if they contradict known facts), then determine whether the conclusion definitely and logically follows from them alone. Do not use outside knowledge.

8. In 'Statements and Assumptions' questions, what is an 'assumption'?

   An assumption is something taken for granted or supposed — an unstated idea that must be true for the statement to hold or make sense. It is the implicit premise on which the statement rests.

9. What is the standard test for whether an assumption is 'implicit' in a statement?

   Negate the assumption; if its negation makes the statement fall apart or become illogical/meaningless, then the assumption is implicit. If the statement still holds when the assumption is negated, it is not implicit.

10. In assumption questions, why are assumptions that are 'too obvious' or restate the statement usually rejected?

    An implicit assumption must be unstated and genuinely presupposed. If an option merely restates the statement's information or is universally known/already given, it is not the hidden assumption the statement depends on.

11. In 'Cause and Effect' questions, what defines the 'cause' and the 'effect'?

    The cause is the event/factor that occurs first and brings about a result; the effect is the consequence that follows. The cause must precede the effect and have a direct, independent influence on it.

12. In Cause and Effect reasoning, what does it mean if 'both statements are independent causes'?

    Both events are effects of some common third cause but neither causes the other — they occur due to a separate underlying factor rather than one producing the other.

13. What logical error does the phrase 'correlation does not imply causation' warn against in cause-effect reasoning?

    Two events occurring together (correlation) does not prove one caused the other; the link may be coincidental, reversed, or due to a hidden third factor. (Related fallacy: post hoc ergo propter hoc.)

14. In a linear seating arrangement, how do 'left' and 'right' change when people face NORTH versus face SOUTH?

    When people face North, a person's right is the observer's right (east) — the arrangement reads normally. When they face South, left and right are reversed relative to the observer.

15. In a circular seating arrangement, how do neighbours' positions differ when members face the CENTRE versus face OUTWARD?

    Facing the centre: clockwise is to a person's left, anticlockwise to their right. Facing outward: this reverses — clockwise is to the right and anticlockwise to the left.

16. In circular seating problems, how many seats are exactly opposite each other if N people sit evenly around a circle?

    A person directly opposite is N/2 seats away (only possible when N is even). E.g., with 8 people, the person opposite is 4 seats away in either direction.

17. In Ordering and Ranking, if a person is Xth from the top and Yth from the bottom in a group of N, what is the relationship?

    N = X + Y - 1. The '-1' avoids counting the person twice. Conversely, position from the other end = N - rank + 1.

18. In ranking problems, how do you find the total number of people if A is xth from left and yth from right (A counted once)?

    Total = x + y - 1. If two given positions overlap or describe the same person from both ends, subtract 1 to avoid double counting.

19. In Grouping and Selection problems, what are the two key constraint types to track?

    (1) Positive constraints — items that must be selected together (if A then B). (2) Negative constraints — items that cannot be together (if A then not C). Build valid groups satisfying all such rules simultaneously.

20. In Conditional Constraint Sets, what does a rule of the form 'If P then Q' (P→Q) logically also guarantee?

    Its contrapositive: 'If not Q then not P' (¬Q→¬P). The contrapositive is always equally true. Note it does NOT guarantee the converse (Q→P) or inverse (¬P→¬Q).

See more Analytical Reasoning flashcards →

Planning Analytical Reasoning for NTS GAT-General

Analytical Reasoning (NTS GAT-General) FAQ