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Three question types sit in almost every reasoning paper and look completely unrelated: 'if + means ÷, find the value', 'which two signs should be interchanged to make the equation correct', and 'if A ≥ B and B < C, which conclusion follows'.
They are one skill. In every case the paper hands you symbols that do not mean what they normally mean, and your only job is to rewrite the line in ordinary mathematics before you attempt to solve it.
That rewriting step is where the marks live. A candidate who substitutes mentally and computes in the same breath will get roughly half of these right. A candidate who writes the translated line on the paper first, then solves it, will get all of them right — and faster, because there is nothing left to hold in memory.
These are among the most reliably scorable questions in the whole reasoning section. They need no general knowledge, no vocabulary, and no formula. They need discipline for about twenty seconds.
1. If '+' means '÷', '÷' means '−', '−' means '×' and '×' means '+', then the value of 16 + 4 ÷ 3 − 2 × 5 is:
2. If 'A' means '×', 'B' means '+', 'C' means '÷' and 'D' means '−', then the value of 18 C 3 B 4 A 5 D 6 is:
3. Which two signs should be interchanged to make the equation 12 ÷ 4 + 3 × 6 − 5 = 10 correct?
4. If 'P © Q' means P is greater than Q, 'P @ Q' means P is greater than or equal to Q, and 'P % Q' means P is equal to Q, then from the statements 'A © B, B @ C, C % D' which of the following is definitely true?
5. Given the statements 'P ≥ Q' and 'Q < R', which of the following definitely follows?
6. Statements: A ≥ B, B ≥ C. Conclusions: I. A > C II. A = C. Which of the following holds?
7. If '+' means '−', '−' means '×', '×' means '÷' and '÷' means '+', then the value of 36 ÷ 4 × 2 + 3 − 6 is:
8. Given X ≥ Y, Y > Z and Z ≥ W, which of the following is definitely true?