In this guide
Look at the questions you got wrong in your last three reasoning mocks. It is very unlikely that they were thirty different mistakes. Most candidates make four or five kinds of error again and again, and each kind can be fixed with one habit. This guide lists the common ones by topic, shows each with a small example, and ends with a log to find your own.
The mistakes at a glance
| Topic | Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Puzzles | Answering before all clues are used | Check the final grid against every clue |
| Seating | Left and right confused for people facing south or the centre | Write the facing direction on the diagram first |
| Syllogism | Using real-world knowledge | Judge only from the statements |
| Inequality | Joining signs that point opposite ways | A change of direction means no relation |
| Blood relations | Guessing gender from names | Only relation words decide gender |
| Direction | Wrong turn after facing south or west | Use a turn table or coordinates |
| Ranking | Forgetting the − 1 or + 1 | Left + right = total + 1 |
| Alphanumeric | Counting from the wrong end | Position from the right = N − k + 1 |
| Coding | Deciding the rule from one letter | Test the rule on every letter |
| Input–output | Assuming one step per pair | Write the last step and check it |
| Data sufficiency | Mixing statements when testing alone | Cover statement I while testing II |
| Critical reasoning | Choosing an option because it is true | Ask whether it changes the conclusion |
The big five, with examples
1. Left and right for people who face you
In a row facing south, a person's right is your left on paper. Suppose A faces south and B sits immediately to A's right. On your sheet, B goes to the left of A. In a circle where everyone faces the centre, left is clockwise.
Fix: write "facing S" or an arrow above the row before placing anyone. Never picture yourself in the seat.
2. Real-world knowledge in syllogism
All pens are fruits. Some fruits are sweet. Does "Some pens are sweet" follow?
It does not. The sweet fruits might not include any pens. It is only a possibility. The strangeness of "pens are fruits" is a distraction. Treat every statement as true and judge only from the diagram.
Fix: draw the diagram that tries to break the conclusion. If you can draw one, a definite conclusion fails.
3. Inequality chains that change direction
P > Q < R. Candidates see two signs and look for a relation between P and R. There is none: P and R are both greater than Q, and nothing compares them with each other.
Fix: follow the chain from one letter to the other. If the signs point both ways along the way, write "no relation".
4. Gender from names or habit
A is the child of B, and B is the brother of C. How is A related to C? B is male, but A's gender is not given, so A is C's nephew or niece. The answer depends on an unstated gender, so it cannot be determined.
Fix: mark gender on your tree only when a relation word gives it. A blank means unknown.
5. The off-by-one in counting
X is 10th from the left and 15th from the right. How many are in the row? The tempting answer is 25. X has been counted twice, so the answer is 24.
Fix: remember why the formula works. Left + right counts the person twice, so the total is left + right − 1.
Smaller traps worth knowing
- Coding rules from one letter. If MAP is coded as NCS, the first letter moves one step, but the second moves two and the third moves three. TOE then becomes UQH, not UPF. Check every letter.
- Direction turns. Facing west, a left turn leads south, not north. Use the turn table from the direction sense guide until you no longer need it.
- Early completion in input–output. A machine with five pairs can finish in four steps if an element is already in place.
- Statement leakage in DS. Using statement II's information while judging statement I alone. Cover it physically.
- True but irrelevant options in critical reasoning. An option can be correct and still not strengthen or weaken anything.
Exam-hall habits that cost marks
| Habit | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Starting with the longest puzzle | Uses the freshest minutes on the slowest marks | Do quick questions first, then puzzles by how definite their first clue is |
| Staying on one set too long | Sinks time you needed for easier questions | Five-minute rule: if a puzzle is still open, mark it and move on |
| Changing answers at the end without new reasoning | Swaps right answers for wrong ones under stress | Change only if you find a specific error |
| Not marking skipped questions | You forget to return to them | Use the "mark for review" button every time |
| Leaving blanks with no negative marking | Throws away free chances | Keep the last 30 seconds to fill every blank, if the paper has no penalty |
A mistake log
Copy this table into a notebook. After each mock, fill one row for every wrong or skipped question you should have got.
| Mock | Topic | What I did | What I should have done | Type of error |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mock 4 | Seating | Put B on the right of A, who faces south | Write "facing S" above the row first | Process |
Use four error types: concept (you did not know the rule), reading (you misread a word), process (you knew the rule but skipped a step) and time (you ran out). After five mocks, count them. Any error that appears three times becomes next week's warm-up. Reading and process errors are the quickest to fix, because they need a habit, not new knowledge.
Spot-the-error practice
Each solution below contains one mistake. Find it before you read the answer.
- In a row, X is 12th from the left and 9th from the right. Total = 12 + 9 + 1 = 22.
- Statements: A ≥ B > C ≤ D. Conclusion: A > D. Follows.
- A person facing north turns right, then right again, then left. They now face south.
- K is the sibling of L, and L is the mother of M. So K is M's maternal aunt.
- Statement: Only a few forms are claims. Conclusion: Some forms are not claims. Does not follow.
- Six people sit around a circle facing the centre. P is second to the left of Q, so P is two seats anticlockwise from Q.
Answers
- The sign. X is counted twice, so the total is 12 + 9 − 1 = 20.
- The direction change. C ≤ D reverses the chain, so A and D have no relation. The conclusion does not follow.
- The last turn. North → right → east → right → south → left → east.
- The gender. K's gender is not given, so K is M's maternal uncle or aunt. The relation cannot be determined.
- The meaning of "only a few". It means some forms are claims and some are not, so the conclusion follows.
- The circle rule. For people facing the centre, left is clockwise, so P is two seats clockwise from Q.
What to do next
- Start the mistake log with your last three mocks, before your next one.
- Read the reasoning revision sheet before every mock until your repeat errors disappear.
- If direction errors dominate, redo the turn and circle rules in seating arrangements.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Life Insurance Corporation of India website .
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