Police Constable Test Analytical and Intelligence Reasoning Syllabus

If you face North and turn 90° clockwise, which direction do you face?

East.

If you face South and turn to your left, which direction do you face?

East. (When facing South, your left hand points East.)

What formula gives the shortest distance between start and end points in a direction problem after moving along perpendicular paths?

The Pythagorean theorem: shortest distance = √(a² + b²), where a and b are the two perpendicular displacements.

At sunrise, your shadow falls in which direction, and why?

Toward the West, because the sun rises in the East, so shadows are cast opposite to the sun in the West.

What is a Statement and Conclusion problem?

A logic problem giving one or more statements assumed to be true, after which you must decide which conclusion(s) logically and definitely follow from those statements alone.

What is the golden rule for Statement-Conclusion questions?

Treat the statements as absolutely true even if they contradict real-world facts, and accept only conclusions that necessarily follow from the given information—do not assume extra knowledge.

What is the definition of a syllogism?

A form of deductive reasoning with two premises (statements) and a conclusion, where you determine whether the conclusion logically follows from the premises.

What are the four standard categorical statement types in syllogisms?

A: Universal Affirmative (All A are B); E: Universal Negative (No A is B); I: Particular Affirmative (Some A are B); O: Particular Negative (Some A are not B).

In syllogisms, what conclusion can be drawn from 'All A are B' and 'All B are C'?

'All A are C' follows logically (and therefore 'Some C are A' and 'Some A are C' also follow).

What is a valid immediate inference from 'Some A are B'?

'Some B are A' (conversion of a particular affirmative is valid).

Can any definite conclusion be drawn from two particular premises (e.g., 'Some A are B' and 'Some B are C')?

No. Two particular premises yield no definite conclusion in standard syllogism rules.

What is the 'possibility' rule in syllogisms regarding 'No' statements?

From 'No A is B,' you can validly conclude 'No B is A' and 'Some A are not B' and 'Some B are not A.'

What is a Cause and Effect reasoning problem?

A problem giving two events; you must decide whether one is the cause of the other, whether both are independent effects of a common cause, or whether they are unrelated.

In cause-and-effect questions, what must be true about timing for one event to be the cause of another?

The cause must occur before (precede) the effect; an event that happens after another cannot be its cause.

What does it mean when two events are 'independent causes' in cause-effect analysis?

Both events happen due to separate, unrelated reasons, and neither one causes the other.

What is a Seating Arrangement problem?

A puzzle where people or objects must be placed in positions (a row, circle, or around a table) according to given conditions about who sits where relative to others.

In a circular seating arrangement where everyone faces the CENTER, how are left and right oriented relative to the solver?

They are reversed/opposite to the solver's own view: a person's right hand points to the seat that appears on the solver's left side of that person.

In a circular arrangement of people facing the center, if all face OUTWARD instead, how does left/right change?

When facing outward, each person's left and right align with the solver's view (left is left, right is right), the opposite of facing inward.

What is the best first step for solving a linear seating arrangement puzzle?

Note the direction everyone faces, fix any definite (fully determined) positions first, then place conditional clues, drawing a diagram and testing possibilities.

What is a Series Completion problem?

A problem giving a sequence of numbers, letters, or figures following a hidden pattern; the task is to identify the rule and supply the missing or next term.

Find the next number: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?

42. The differences increase by 2 each time (4, 6, 8, 10, 12), so 30 + 12 = 42. (Pattern: n×(n+1).)

Find the next term in the letter series: A, C, E, G, ?

I. Each letter skips one (advances by 2 positions): A, C, E, G, I.

Find the next number: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, ?

13. This is the Fibonacci series where each term is the sum of the two preceding terms (5 + 8 = 13).

What common operations should be checked when finding a number series pattern?

Check for addition/subtraction of constants, multiplication/division, squares, cubes, prime numbers, alternating patterns, and differences of differences.

What is a Pattern / Figure Matrix problem?

A visual reasoning problem with a grid (often 3×3) of figures following a rule across rows and columns; the task is to identify the missing figure that completes the pattern.

What features should you analyze in a figure matrix to find the missing figure?

Look for changes in shape, number of elements, rotation, shading, size, and the addition or removal of components across each row and column.

What is a Mirror Image in reasoning?

The reflection of an object as seen in a vertical mirror placed beside it; left and right are reversed (laterally inverted) while top and bottom stay the same.

What is a Water Image in reasoning?

The reflection of an object as seen in water (a horizontal mirror placed below it); top and bottom are inverted (vertically flipped) while left and right stay the same.

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

Letters with vertical symmetry such as A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y look identical in a mirror image.

Which letters look the same in their water image (horizontally symmetrical)?

Letters with horizontal symmetry such as B, C, D, E, H, I, K, O, X look identical in a water image.