SBI PO reasoning revision sheet

In the last fortnight before an exam you do not need new topics. You need the rules you already know to come back instantly, without a second's doubt about which way "left" goes. This sheet collects those rules for every reasoning type in SBI PO, with the trap that catches people in each. Read it once a day in the final week, then take the self-test at the end.

Puzzles

• Grid first. One row per position, one column per variable.
• Order of clues: definite ones, then clues linked to someone already placed, then vague ones.
• Blocks beat branches. Join "immediately after" clues into one block before you open cases.
• Cases side by side. Kill one as soon as a clue breaks it.
• Counting gaps: "two people between A and B" means their positions differ by 3. "Two boxes between" works the same way.
• Time rule: about four minutes a set in the prelims and five in the mains. Past that, move on.

Seating directions

• Around a table, fix one person first. Every other position is relative to them.
• In square and rectangular tables, note which seats are corners and which are middles before placing anyone.
• When some people face in and some face out, write an arrow beside each name as you place it.

Syllogism

• Definite conclusion: true in every possible diagram.
• Possibility conclusion: true in at least one diagram.
• "Only a few A are B" means some A are B and some A are not B. Both parts are definite.
• Either–or: the two conclusions use the same terms and one must be true. The usual pairs are "Some A are B / No A is B" and "All A are B / Some A are not B".
• "All A are B" never gives "All B are A". It does give "Some B are A".

Inequality

• Combine only when every sign on the path points the same way.
• One strict sign (> or <) anywhere on the path makes the result strict.
• A change of direction anywhere means no definite relation.
• Coded inequalities: decode the whole statement once on rough paper, then answer every conclusion from that line.

Coding–decoding

• EJOTY gives the positions 5, 10, 15, 20, 25. Build any letter from the nearest one.
• Opposite letters add to 27: A–Z, B–Y, C–X, and so on.
• Check the usual rules in order: shift forward or back, reverse, opposite letter, position-based change, then a mix of these.
• Sentence coding: a word common to two sentences takes the code common to them. A word appearing only once may stay undetermined, and "cannot be determined" can be the right answer.

Blood relations

• Take gender only from a stated relation ("father", "sister", "wife"). Never infer it from a name.
• Draw the tree as you read, with generations on separate levels.
• "Cannot be determined" is a real answer when a gender or a link is missing.

Direction and distance

• Give every move coordinates. Start at (0, 0), with east as +x and north as +y.
• Straight-line distance = √(x² + y²).
• Turning right from north faces you east; from east, south; from south, west; from west, north.
• Shadows: in the morning the sun is in the east, so shadows fall to the west. In the evening they fall to the east.

Input–output

• Find the rule from the input and the first two steps, then test it on every step shown.
• Note whether one or two elements move per step, and from which end.
• For "which step will be the last", count the elements still out of place and apply the per-step rule.

Critical reasoning and data sufficiency

• Underline the conclusion before reading the options.
• Strengthen or weaken: would I believe the conclusion more, less, or the same if this were true?
• Assumption (negation test): negate the option. If the argument collapses, it was an assumption.
• Data sufficiency: test statement I alone, then II alone, then both together. Never let one statement's information leak into the test of the other.

Mains time plan (50 minutes)

Computers (5) → quick sets (9) → puzzles (26) → one extra set (10). The full reasoning is in our mains reasoning guide.

Ten-minute self-test

Try all eight before reading the answers.

Set A (Q1–Q3). Six people, A, B, C, D, E and F, sit around a circular table facing the centre.

• B sits opposite A.
• C sits immediately to the right of A.
• E sits between C and B, next to both.
• F is an immediate neighbour of B.

Q1. Who sits immediately to the left of A?

Q2. Who sits second to the right of F?

Q3. Who sits opposite D?

Q4. Codes: P @ Q means P > Q, P # Q means P ≥ Q, P $ Q means P = Q, P & Q means P ≤ Q. Statement: M # N @ O $ P & Q. Conclusions: I. M @ P. II. Q # O. Which follow?

Q5. Statements: Only a few loans are secured. All secured items are audited. Conclusions: I. Some loans are not secured. II. Some loans are audited. Which follow?

Q6. J is K's father. K is L's mother. L is M's father. How is J related to M?

Q7. A candidate walks 5 km north, turns right and walks 3 km, then turns right again and walks 1 km. How far are they from the start, and in which direction?

Q8. In a code, BANK is written YZMP. How is LOAN written in that code?

Answers

1. D. Fix A. B is opposite. Facing the centre, right is anticlockwise, so C is next to A on that side. E must touch both C and B, and only one seat does. F must neighbour B, and the only free seat beside B is on the other side of B. D takes the last seat, which is A's immediate left. Going clockwise: A, D, F, B, E, C.
2. A. Moving to F's right (anticlockwise): D, then A.
3. E. With six seats, opposite means three seats away: D, F, B, E.
4. Both. Decoded: M ≥ N > O = P ≤ Q. M to P has ≥, >, = with one strict sign, so M > P. Q to O, read backwards, is Q ≥ P = O, so Q ≥ O.
5. Both. "Only a few" gives some loans secured and some not, so I follows. The secured loans are all audited, so some loans are audited and II follows.
6. Great-grandfather. J is male (a father). J is K's father, K is L's mother, and L is M's father, so M is three generations below J. M's gender is not stated, so the question is framed from J's side.
7. 5 km, north-east. The moves end at (3, 4): 3 km east and 4 km north of the start. √(9 + 16) = 5.
8. OLZM. Each letter becomes its opposite (positions add to 27): L (12) to O (15), O to L, A to Z, N (14) to M (13).

Last-week checklist

• Two mains-level puzzles a day, timed.
• One full reasoning sectional every other day.
• Computer aptitude notes revised once.
• Mistake log read every evening, with the rule behind each mistake written beside it.
• This sheet read once a day, and the self-test retaken on the last day.