Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude Section Strategy For IBPS Clerk Mains

Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude is an onerous section. With the increasing complexity of questions, it becomes hard for one to give it the cold shoulder. The pattern is getting complex day by day and most of the topics of this section are now being asked in the form of puzzles only. Earlier students used to have a mindset of ignoring the complex puzzles, thereby solving the other questions that are comparatively easy. But to their dismay, this strategy won’t be working anymore as so many questions from the other topics like directions, etc. are being asked in the form of puzzles only. The number of questions being asked on puzzles ranges from 60-65% of all the questions in Reasoning Section.


The other important topics to be prepared for IBPS Clerk Examinations are Syllogism, Logical Reasoning, Inequality, Data Sufficiency, Blood Relation, Direction and Distance, Ranking, Alpha-Numerical, Direction Sense, Blood Relations, Coding-Decoding, Input-Output etc. The only way to ace the scores in the section is strenuous practice. The number of questions that will be asked in the IBPS Clerk Mains Examinations in the reasoning section is 50.

Puzzle is the most significant part of Reasoning Section as the number of expected questions from this topic is 15-20. So many other miscellaneous topics too are being asked in the form of puzzles only. The puzzles now being asked are very lengthy, complex and even calculation based. They are usually based on Seating Arrangement (linear, circular, triangular, rectangular and sometimes hexagonal even), Floors, Tabular form, Blood Relations, etc. and can be asked in 2-4 variables, depending on the difficulty level of the question. A mix of Seating Arrangement and Blood Relations is also being frequently asked in the examinations. An important tip to solve difficult puzzles with 100% accuracy is to make 2-3 possibilities for the same puzzle and keep canceling them out as you proceed. Another important point to bear in mind while doing puzzles is not to ignore the important key points while reading the question. The puzzles that are easy to solve should not consume more than 2-3 minutes, the puzzles of moderate level should be solved within 5 minutes and the difficult puzzles should be finished within 8-10minutes. If the time that you take while solving different puzzles is more than the time affirmed above, then you really need to work on it.

Syllogism is another important topic of Reasoning Ability Section. The number of expected questions on this topic is 5-6. The questions can be based on the usual old pattern as well as the new pattern of Reverse Syllogism in which the conclusion is given in the question and you have to choose the correct statements for that particular conclusion. It is one of the easiest and scoring topics so prepare it well and you will be able to bag 5 marks very easily in Reasoning Ability Section. Data Sufficiency is also an important topic that can get you at least 3 to 5 marks in the Reasoning Section. The questions based on data sufficiency can have 2 or 3 statements based on the difficulty level of the questions. The questions asked from Logical Reasoning are based on cause and effect, a course of action, assumptions and conclusions, strength of arguments, inference, etc. The number of expected questions on this topic is 5-6. Little tricky questions can be asked on Coding Decoding and Input-Output as well. They just need full concentration and, once solved, can get you sufficient marks. The number of questions on them can range from 5-10. The level of questions has always been moderate so you can easily attempt the questions without wasting much of time on them. Inequality, Blood Relation, Direction and Distance are the other miscellaneous topics that are easy to solve as compared to the topics mentioned above. The questions asked on these topics range from 2 to 5 from each topic. Try to attempt these questions in the beginning as these are easy to solve and do not consume much of your time.


Computer Aptitude is a subject that many students are already familiar with. Although in SBI PO Mains and IBPS PO Mains, there were no questions from computer aptitude but, as an aspirant yearning to score maximum in the exam, you should revise this subject too. So, in case, there is a set of questions in this section from computer aptitude, it will help you score good marks. For Computer Aptitude you need to be familiar with basics of computers and proper definitions. You can refer to the computer capsule available on Bankersadda and Adda247 App for quick revision.

So students, the more you practice, the better you get. And, to let you practice and ace the score in the Reasoning Section of all the Banking Examinations, Bankersdda is proving you with Daily Quizzes on these topics. Knowledge is of no value unless you put it in practice. Work hard, keep practicing, and everything will come up roses in the end.