LIC AAO reasoning revision sheet

This is the sheet to read in the ten minutes before a mock or the exam. It does not teach a topic from scratch; each topic has its own guide for that. It collects the rules that decide answers, the phrases that trip people up, and the time plans, so that the right habit is fresh when the clock starts. Read it, then take the self-test at the end. Any wrong answer tells you which guide to reopen.

Puzzles

• Draw the grid first: positions down the side, one column for each variable.
• Place definite clues first ("E is on floor 3"), then linked clues ("B is just above E"), then vague ones ("B is not on an even floor").
• Write negative information in the grid, such as "not D" in a cell.
• If two cases survive, keep both in separate columns until a clue kills one.
• Before answering, check the final grid against every clue.
• "Two boxes between A and B" means positions three apart.

Seating

• "Three people between" means seats four apart.
• In a circle of n, "opposite" means n/2 seats apart. In a circle of six, third to the left and third to the right are the same seat.

Syllogism

• A definite conclusion must hold in every possible diagram. A possibility conclusion needs only one.
• "Only a few A are B" means some A are B and some A are not B.
• "All A are B" allows A = B, so "All B are A is a possibility" follows.
• Never use real-world knowledge.
• Either–or: when neither of two conclusions follows alone, but between them they cover every case (such as "Some A are B" and "No A is B"), pick "either I or II follows".

Inequality

• Combine signs only along one direction: A > B ≥ C gives A > C.
• A change of direction (A > B < C) gives no relation.
• > with ≥ gives >. ≥ with ≥ gives ≥. = keeps the other sign.
• Either–or with ≥: if A ≥ B is certain, "A > B" and "A = B" each fail alone, but one of them must be true.
• In coded inequalities, rewrite every statement with real signs before reading the conclusions.

Coding–decoding

• Positions: A = 1 to Z = 26. Learn EJOTY: E 5, J 10, O 15, T 20, Y 25.
• Opposite letter = 27 − position. A–Z, M–N.
• Test these patterns: a fixed shift, a growing shift (+1, +2, +3), reversal, opposite letters, letters written in reverse order.
• Check a rule on every letter, not just the first.
• Sentence codes: a word shared by two sentences takes the code shared by them. Never assign codes by position.

Blood relations

• Gender comes only from relation words: son, daughter, brother, sister, father, mother, husband, wife, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece.
• Child, sibling, parent, spouse and cousin do not fix gender. Names never do.
• If the answer depends on an unstated gender, the answer is "cannot be determined".
• Draw the tree: generations in rows, + for male, − for female, = for a couple.

Direction sense

• Coordinates: start at (0, 0). East +x, north +y. Distance = √(x² + y²).
• Right turn = 90° clockwise; left turn = 90° anticlockwise.
• Bearings: N 0°, E 90°, S 180°, W 270°. Clockwise adds, anticlockwise subtracts.
• Morning shadows fall west; evening shadows fall east.
• Triples: 3–4–5, 6–8–10, 5–12–13, 8–15–17, 9–12–15.

Order, ranking and alphanumeric series

• Left + right = total + 1. Total = left + right − 1.
• Position from the right = N − k + 1.
• People between (no overlap) = N − (p + q), where p and q are positions from opposite ends.
• In "minimum number" questions, test the overlapping case.
• Number every position of a series before answering. For "removed" questions, rewrite the series.

Input–output

• Find the rule on Step 1, then confirm it on Step 2.
• Elements that do not move keep their order.
• Watch for early completion: a machine can stop before the number of pairs suggests.
• You can work forward from any step. You usually cannot recover the input from a later step.

Data sufficiency and critical reasoning

• Test I alone, then II alone, then together. Cover the other statement.
• Sufficient means one definite answer. A definite "no" counts.
• The statements never contradict each other.
• In critical reasoning, find the conclusion first. For each option ask: more believable, less believable or unchanged?
• Assumption test: deny the option. If the argument collapses, it was assumed.

Time plans

Adjust these after your mocks. A plan that suits your strengths beats a borrowed one.

Self-test

1. In a row of 30, a person is 12th from the left. What is their position from the right?
2. A ≥ B = C < D. Conclusions: I. A ≥ C. II. D > B. Which follow?
3. Some claims are forms. All forms are receipts. Conclusions: I. Some claims are receipts. II. All receipts are forms. Which follow?
4. If LIFE is coded as OLIH, how is RISK coded?
5. Which letter is opposite G (the same position from the other end of the alphabet)?
6. Walk 3 km south, turn left and walk 4 km. How far and in which direction are you from the start?
7. C is the father of D, and D is the sister of E. How is E related to C?
8. Eight people sit around a circle facing the centre. What is the same seat as "fourth to the left" of a person?
9. In the morning, a person's shadow falls to their right. Which way are they facing?
10. X is 10th from the left and 15th from the right. How many people are in the row?
11. Is Q the tallest of P, Q and R? I. P is taller than Q. II. R is shorter than Q. Which statement is sufficient?
12. P > Q < R. What is the relation between P and R?

Answers

1. 19th. 30 − 12 + 1.
2. Both. A ≥ B = C gives A ≥ C. D > C = B gives D > B.
3. Only I. The claims that are forms are also receipts. II reverses "all forms are receipts", which is not allowed.
4. ULVN. Each letter moves three steps forward: L→O, I→L, F→I, E→H; so R→U, I→L, S→V, K→N.
5. T. G is 7th, and 27 − 7 = 20.
6. 5 km, south-east. Left from south is east: (4, −3), and √(16 + 9) = 5.
7. E is C's child; son or daughter cannot be determined. No word gives E's gender.
8. Fourth to the right. Both are the seat directly opposite.
9. South. Morning shadows fall west, and west is on the right of someone facing south.
10. 24. 10 + 15 − 1.
11. I alone. P is taller, so the answer is a definite no. II leaves P unplaced.
12. No relation. The signs change direction at Q.

What to do next

• Take the self-test before your next mock. Reopen the guide for any question you missed.
• Keep your own error list beside this sheet, as described in common reasoning mistakes.
• For the mains, revise the full 40-minute approach in reasoning for the LIC AAO mains.