5 Must Do Reasoning Questions for IBPS PO Prelims

IBPS PO recruitment this year has brought 3562 vacancies and this is certainly one of the biggest opportunity for you to become a banker in 2017. IBPS has also introduced some major changes in its Mains Exam pattern making it similar to SBI PO Mains exam pattern. Now you can also expect the difficulty level of IBPS Exam to change as well. 

All of this certainly calls for a full proof preparation of all the sections, English, Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, Computer Aptitude and General Awareness. No matter what is the difficulty level of any exam, but there are always some escape routes or “the must do questions” that can help you score. You might have either faced of heard about candidates who missed the cut off by 1 or 0.5 marks. This can be averted this year, as you have a chance to make a fresh start to fill in those gaps in your preparation and for this, you need to prepare and practice well these 5 Must Do Topics of Reasoning Section.

The year 2016 was revolutionary in the history of banking exams, where English Language Section brought some big surprizes and Reasoning Section became flooded with Puzzles and Seating Arrangement. But Should or Can you avoid Seating Arrangements and Puzzles in Reasoning Section completely? The answer is No, neither you should, nor you can. In Prelims exam itself where there will be a total of 35 questions in reasoning section, there is a high possibility you might face 18-20 questions of Puzzles and Seating Arrangement. We are saying this based on facts and the latest trend of SBI and IBPS Exam. This year itself SBI Prelims had around 23 questions of Puzzle, last year in SBI PO Prelims there were 25 questions of Puzzles and Seating Arrangement and IBPS PO Prelims 2016 had 20 questions from this very topic.  The sectional cut off for Reasoning Ability Section in 2015 and 2016 were 11.25 and 8.50 respectively. So, then what should one do to score in IBPS PO Prelims as clearly you cannot just solve 3-4 puzzles and be sure of clearing the cut off that too within a time constraint of 20-23 minutes. The solution to this problem is practicing enough to master the following must do topics for Reasoning Section:

Level: Easy-Moderate

Expected Number of Questions: 5

Practice Quiz-1 

These topics are your saviour in a tough level paper. You can expect around 5 questions from these 3 topics collectively and with simple daily practice you can master to solve the questions from these topics. Blood relation can also be asked in form of a short puzzle of combined with a puzzle or seating arrangement. The best advice is to practice all possible sorts of questions so that you know the correct approach to every type.

Level: Moderate

Expected Number of Questions: 5

 Practice Quiz-1

Syllogism can be a tricky topic especially if it is Reverse Syllogism. If you are not comfortable or familiar with different types and combinations of syllogism its best to start practicing them. You can get all the study material you’ll need to practice Reasoning questions of bankersadda and Adda247 app.

Level: Moderate

Expected Number of Questions: 2-3

Practice Quiz-1 | Practice Quiz-2 | Practice Quiz-3 | Practice Quiz-4

Practice both new pattern and the conventional pattern coding decoding. You’ll get an idea of how to find patterns and how to decode quickly by practicing different types of questions.

Here is an example of new type of Coding Decoding question asked in SBI PO Mains 2017 and IBPS PO Mains 2016:

Directions: Study the information carefully and In certain code language,
“Nothing can delight” is written as ‘GOI49 MA9 GIE49’
“Making brilliant career getting” is written as ‘MIA36 GIIA81 IEEA36 GIE49’
“Prestigious government job ensuring” is written as ‘GUOIIE121 EOEE100 QO9 HUIE64’
“Endeavors are yearning desire” is written as ‘EOEEA81 IEA9 BIEA64 HIEE36’

Q. Which of the following is the code for ‘your’?
(a) BOU16
(b) BUO64
(c) BUO16
(d) Cannot be determined
(e) None of these

Level: Easy-Moderate

Expected Number of Questions: 2-3

Practice Quiz-1 | Practice Quiz-2 

This is a scoring topic, and you must attempt questions of inequality in reasoning section. Proper practice will help you gain speed in solving questions and you will develop the right approach easily. Brush up your concepts for Inequalities from Study Notes.

Level: Moderate- Difficult

Expected Number of Questions: 18-20

Practice Quiz-1 | Practice Quiz-2 | Practice Quiz-3 | Practice Quiz-4

One thing you must keep in mind is you cannot escape from this topic at any cost, then it is to the best of your interest to see it as a must do but with the right approach. The key to identifying which puzzle to solve and which one to skip in the exam is practice…a lot of practice. If you are comfortable in solving linear seating arrangement then in exam you can choose them over the circular ones. You have to find out you are comfortable and confident in solving which type of puzzle and seating arrangement and then go with it. Remember this topic alone consumes most of your time so do try to solve a puzzle within 3-4 minutes or else it will be a wise decision to skip it.

When it comes to preparation another most important thing is “Revision”. Never miss out the daily revision, whatever you studied to get a time in a day to revise that will help you retain that for maximum time. Confidence also plays a big role in your exam preparation as self-confidence is a key element in any exam. The more you are confident the more you feel relaxed and calm. And this is how you can attempt the questions with patience and confidence. But always know the difference between confidence and overconfidence as many people fail because of their overconfidence.

You may also like to read:

• Questions asked in IBPS PO 2016 Exams (Memory Based Practice Set)
• IBPS PO Salary, Job Profile & Career Growth
• IBPS PO Syllabus & New Pattern