Reasoning in the CMAT

Reasoning forms the most important part of the CMAT exam. In fact, it is your ability to do well in reasoning questions that will decide how useful your score is. Thus, mastering reasoning questions forms the key to getting into the top institutes through the CMAT. Though weightage wise, the Reasoning section accounts for the same number of questions as the other three sections (i.e. 25 questions), it is clearly the most time consuming section of the CMAT paper. The questions here are very tricky, and hence you need to spend sufficient time on every question in order to improve your accuracy.

Reasoning questions can be categorized into the following 4 types:

1. Logical Puzzles (Mathematical and Verbal)

2. Logical Caselets

3. Logical Data Sufficiency

4. Verbal Reasoning (Syllogisms)

5. Decision Making

1. Logical Puzzles (8 to 10 Questions)

Type 1: Math Based Puzzles

1.    Complete the following series:                 57           58           118         357         ?

2. If ‘+’ stands for division, ‘-‘ stands for addition, ‘x’ stands for subtraction, ‘÷’ stands for multiplication, then insert the missing signs in the dashes given below.

4____3____2____20____2    =    0

3.     Starting from a point ‘M’, Shekhar walked 18 metres towards south. He turned to his left and walked 25      metres. He then turned to his left and walked 18 metres. He again turned to his left and walked 35 metres and reached a Point ‘P’. How far is Shekhar from the point ‘M’ and in which direction?

1. 4.     Four of the following five numbers are alike in a certain way and so form a group: 93, 26, 34, 69, 42. Which is the one that does not belong to the group?

Type 2: Verbal Puzzles

5.     Which character is the 6^th to the right of the 14^th character from the left hand, if the second half of the series given below is reversed?

P  T  5  M  3  9  B  K  R  4  D  8  F  G  7  6  Y  2  I  H  P  W  J  N

6.     If the word ‘COURAGEOUS’ is written as ‘HFPVTDPVSB’, how will you write the word ‘COWARDLY’?

7.     While walking with his friend, Mahesh meets another man whose mother is the wife of Mahesh’s father’s only son. How is the man related to Mahesh?

8.     If a word can be formed using the 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th and 8^th letter of the word ‘CONTEMPORARY’ then what would be the first letter of that word. If no such word can be formed, mark the answer as (4) and if more than one word can be formed, mark the answer as (5)?

9. How many such pairs of letters are there in the word ‘ADVERTISE’, each of which has as many letters between them in the word as they have in the English alphabet?

2. Logical Caselets (6 to 8 Questions)

1. Eight friends J, K, L, M, N, O, P and Q are sitting around a circle facing the centre, J is not the neighbour of N. L is third to the right of K. Q is second to the left of N who is to the right of L. O is not the neighbour of N or K and is to the immediate left of P. Who is sitting opposite J?

2. Seven friends B, R, K, M, Y, T and F study in three different schools i.e. A, C and X. not more than three or less than two study in any of the schools. Each one has a favorite fruits among pineapple, banana, pear, mango, watermelon, sweet lime and papaya, not necessarily in that order. R studies in School X and likes mango whereas Y studies in School A and likes pineapple. None in School C likes the fruit pear. T studies in the same school as only Y whereas M does not study in School C. M likes papaya whereas F like watermelon. B does not like sweet lime and only two them study in School X. Which fruit does T like?

3. Logical Data Sufficiency (1 to 2 Questions)

Directions for questions 13 to 16: Each of the questions below consists of a question and two statements numbered I and II given below it. You have to decide whether the data provided in the statements are sufficient to answer the question.

1.     How many people are between P and Q when P, Q, R, S, T, U are arranged in decreasing order of their heights?

(i)  P is taller than R but not the tallest

(ii) There are two people who are taller than R, U but shorter than S, T.

4. Verbal Reasoning / Syllogisms (5 to 7 Questions)

These are questions based on finding conclusions and assumptions based on a set of statements, finding strong and weak arguments from a set of arguments, finding the degree of truth and falsity in conclusions, determining the correct courses of action, finding which statement is a cause and which one is an effect, and critical reasoning. We will be a full article to syllogisms and hence will refrain from giving any examples here.

5. Special Reasoning Questions (1 to 2 Questions)

Decision Making

In these questions, certain conditions for selection of candidates into an institute or an organization are given. Based on these you need to take suitable course of action on different candidates.

From our experience we believe that you need to spend at least an hour on this section, if you need to make an attempt of more than 20 questions out of 25. Your ability to quickly complete the other sections of the CMAT paper, will hold the key to your performance in the Reasoning section.

Manish Salian,

Faculty, CPLC Pvt. Ltd.