🧩 Reasoning: Puzzles & Seating Arrangement
1. Linear Arrangement (Row facing North/South)
Concept: People/items are arranged in a straight line, facing either the same direction or opposite.
Facing North → left is left, right is right.
Facing South → directions reverse.
Example:
Eight friends sit in a row, all facing north. A sits third to the left of B. C is second to the right of B. D sits at one end.
Approach:
- Mark positions as 1–8.
- Place D at one end (say, position 1).
- Place B somewhere, then adjust A & C accordingly.
- Use elimination for the remaining positions.
✅ Tip: Draw small boxes or lines for positions. Avoid writing names randomly.
2. Circular Arrangement (Inside/Outside)
Concept: People sit around a circle, either facing the center (inside) or outside.
Facing inside → left is clockwise, right is anti-clockwise.
Facing outside → left is anti-clockwise, right is clockwise.
Example:
Six friends sit around a circular table, facing the centre. A is between B and C. D is opposite A. E sits second to the left of D.
Approach:
- Draw a circle with 6 slots.
- Fix A anywhere (circle is symmetric).
- Place B & C around A.
- Place D opposite A.
- Place E accordingly.
✅ Tip: Always fix one person’s position first to avoid multiple possibilities.
3. Box/Month/Day-based Puzzle
Concept: Items are arranged vertically (like stacked boxes) or by time order (months, days).
Example (Box type):
Seven boxes are placed one above another. Box C is above A but below E. D is at the top. F is just above A.
Approach:
- Make 7 slots from top to bottom.
- Place D at top (position 1).
- Place F above A, and C between E & A.
- Fill other boxes step by step.
✅ Tip: Work top-to-bottom systematically.
4. Floor Arrangement
Concept: People live on different floors of a building (say 8 floors).
Example:
A lives on an odd-numbered floor below B. C lives on the top floor. D lives on the second floor.
Approach:
- Draw 8 slots (floor 1 at bottom → floor 8 at top).
- Fix known info (C on 8, D on 2).
- Adjust A & B accordingly.
✅ Tip: Floor puzzles often mix with “likes X subject” type clues.
5. Mixed Puzzle (Combination)
Concept: Combines multiple attributes (e.g., people, floors, hobbies).
Example: 5 persons live on different floors and like different fruits.
Example (short):
Five people live on 5 floors (1–5). Each likes a different fruit.
A lives above B.
Person on 3rd floor likes Mango.
D lives on top floor.
C likes Apple and lives just below A.
Approach:
- Make a table: Floor | Person | Fruit.
- Fill fixed clues first (like 3rd floor → Mango, 5th → D).
- Use relational clues (C below A, etc.).
✅ Tip: Always use tabular approach for mixed puzzles.
🧠Inequalities & Coding
1. Direct Inequalities
Concept: Compare two or more quantities using signs like >, <, ≥, ≤.
Rules:
- Transitive property: If A > B and B > C, then A > C.
- Combining: If A ≥ B and B < C → A ? C (we can say A > C or A = C is possible).
Example 1:
A > B
B ≥ C
C < D
Question: Who is the largest?
Solution:
A > B ≥ C < D
We can only say D and A could be largest, depending on numbers.
✅ Tip: Always write inequalities in one line to check relationships.
2. Coded Inequalities
Concept: Inequality symbols are replaced by codes.
Example: ‘A @ B’ means A > B, ‘A # B’ means A < B.
Example 2:
A @ B ≤ C # D
E > D
Question: Who is smallest?
Approach:
- Replace symbols with actual meaning:
- A @ B → A > B
- C # D → C < D
- Combine relations step by step.
- Use elimination to find smallest/largest.
✅ Tip: Draw mini chain arrows: A → B → C → D
3. Coding-Decoding (Old & New Pattern)
Concept: Letters, numbers, or words are coded in a pattern.
Types:
- Letter coding – Replace letters with symbols/other letters
- Number coding – Numbers follow patterns
- Word coding – Words replaced in dictionary/code order
Example: In a code language, “CAT” is written as “DBU.” What is “DOG”?
Rule: Each letter is replaced by next letter (C→D, A→B, T→U) → “DOG” → “EPH”
Number coding – Example: 2 5 8 → 3 6 9 → What is 7 → 10 13
Word coding – Example: ‘Eagle’ → ‘Bird’ → choose the synonym/relationship logic
New Pattern Types:
- Letter + Position Coding – letters replaced by letters depending on alphabetical order and position.
- Word Coding with Meaning / Dictionary Order
- Number Coding with Logic
Old Pattern = 1 step, simple shift/substitute/reverse
New Pattern = 2+ steps, may involve position, logic, or meaning
Approach:
- Identify the pattern/rule first (addition, shift, reverse, alphabetical).
- Apply consistently.
- Don’t assume random codes.
✅ Tip: Most coding-decoding in SBI Clerk is letter shift or position based.
🧠Logical Relations
1. Blood Relations
Concept:
Questions involve family relationships like father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, etc.
Can be direct (explicitly mentioned) or coded (symbols/letters used).
Symbols often used in coding:
“@” = father, “#” = mother, “&” = brother, “%” = sister
Example 1 (Direct):
A is the father of B. B is the brother of C. C is the son of D. How is A related to D?
Solution: Draw family tree → A → B → C → D.
A is son-in-law/father depending on genders.
Example 2 (Coded):
In a code language, “A @ B” means A is father of B, “B # C” means B is mother of C.
Question: Find relationship between A & C.
Solution: Translate symbols → A is grandfather of C.
✅ Tip: Always draw a mini family tree to avoid confusion.
2. Direction Sense
Concept:
A person moves in given directions (North, South, East, West) and we are asked final position or direction faced.
Steps to solve:
- Start from origin (mark a dot).
- Follow moves step by step.
- Use right/left turn rules carefully.
- Final direction: relative to starting point.
Example:
Ram starts facing North, walks 5m forward, turns left, walks 3m, turns right. Which direction is he facing?
Solution:
- Facing North → move forward → still North
- Turn left → now facing West
- Move forward → walk in West direction
- Turn right → now facing North-West
✅ Tip: Use clockwise/anticlockwise diagram if multiple turns.
3. Ranking / Order
Concept:
People/items ranked based on height, weight, marks, position.
Can involve direct clues or comparisons.
Example:
Five students: A, B, C, D, E
A > B > C
D < E < C
Question: Who is 2nd highest?
Solution: Combine relations: A > B > C > E > D → 2nd highest = B
✅ Tip: Always draw a small table or line to arrange ranks.
🧠Miscellaneous Reasoning
1. Alphanumeric / Number Series
Concept:
A series of numbers, letters, or a combination follows a specific pattern.
Types:
- Number Series – Arithmetic, geometric, squares/cubes, alternating patterns
- Alphabet Series – Shift letters forward/backward
- Alphanumeric Series – Combination of letters & numbers
Example: 2, 4, 8, 16, ? → pattern: ×2 → next = 32
Example: A, C, F, J, ? → pattern: +2, +3, +4, +5 → next = O
Example: A1, B3, C6, D10, ? → pattern: 1,3,6,10 (triangle numbers), letters in sequence → next = E15
✅ Tip: Check differences (arithmetic/geometric), positions, or alternating patterns.
2. Syllogism (Old/New Pattern)
Concept:
Logical deductions based on statements.
Decide if conclusions are True (T), False (F), or Cannot be Determined (C).
Example (Old Pattern):
Statements:
All cats are animals.
Some animals are dogs.
Conclusions:
Some cats are dogs? → Cannot be determined
All cats are animals? → True
Example (New Pattern):
Statements use symbols:
A @ B → A ≥ B, C # D → C < D
You must deduce relationships using symbols.
✅ Tip: For syllogism:
Draw Venn diagrams for old pattern
Use chains / inequalities for new pattern
3. Input-Output (Less Frequent but Important)
Concept:
A word or number is processed step by step according to a rule.
Your task: find the final output or next step.
Example 1 (Word):
Input: “STORM”
Step 1: Reverse → “MROTS”
Step 2: Replace each letter by next in alphabet → “NSPUT”
Output: “NSPUT”
Example 2 (Number):
Input: 2468
Step 1: Add 2 to each digit → 46810
Step 2: Arrange in ascending → 01468
Output: 01468
✅ Tip: Write step-by-step transformations. Don’t skip steps; chain errors are common.
