The role of Intelligence and Critical Reasoning in MAT
Intelligence and Critical Reasoning has 30 questions in MAT, one mark each with a 0.25 deduction for a wrong answer. It blends two kinds of questions. The first is classic reasoning: series, coding-decoding, blood relations, directions, ranking, syllogisms and simple puzzles, which reward recognition of question families. The second is critical reasoning: short arguments with questions about assumptions, strengthening or weakening, inference and conclusions, which reward careful reading. Both are quick for a prepared candidate (about 40 to 45 seconds), so the section is a good place to bank marks and time.
Question families
| Family | Task | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Series and patterns | Find the next term | Differences, ratios, squares; alternating terms |
| Coding-decoding | Decode or encode | Compare letters; find the rule |
| Blood relations, directions, ranking | Work out a relation or position | Tree; coordinates; total = left + right − 1 |
| Syllogisms and Venn diagrams | Valid conclusions | Draw diagrams |
| Puzzles and arrangements | Order or placement under conditions | Clean diagram; fixed facts first |
| Critical reasoning | Assumptions, strengthen, weaken, inference | Separate premises from the conclusion; test options |
Worked examples
Series. 3, 7, 15, 31, ? The differences are 4, 8, 16, so the next is 63.
Coding. If COLD is coded as DPME, how is WARM coded? Each letter moves one place forward: XBSN.
Ranking. Ravi is 12th from the left and 9th from the right in a row. How many are in the row? 12 + 9 − 1 = 20.
Syllogism. All pens are tools. Some tools are metallic. Does "some pens are metallic" follow? Not necessarily: the metallic tools may not include any pens.
Assumption. Argument: "The city should ban cars from the downtown area to reduce air pollution." Which is an assumption? That cars are a significant source of pollution downtown. The argument depends on it: if cars did not contribute, the ban would not help.
Weaken. Argument: "Umbrella sales rose in June, so it must have rained more in June." A weakening fact: the main umbrella retailer ran a heavy discount sale in June. It offers another explanation for the rise in sales.
Strengthen. For the same argument, a strengthening fact: the weather office recorded more rainy days in June than in earlier months.
A method for critical reasoning
- Identify the conclusion (often signalled by "therefore", "so", "should").
- List the premises that support it.
- Find the gap: what must be true for the premises to lead to the conclusion?
- Read the question (assumption, strengthen, weaken, inference) and test each option against the gap.
- Reject options that bring in new topics or extreme words unless the argument supports them.
The step that most candidates skip is step 3. If you can state the gap in your own words before reading the options, the right option usually stands out.
Time management
| Stage | Time (about 22 minutes) | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Series, coding, relations, rankings | About 8 minutes | Fast; 30 to 40 seconds each |
| Syllogisms and puzzles | About 6 minutes | Draw diagrams; skip long puzzles |
| Critical reasoning | About 6 minutes | State the gap; test options |
| Marked questions | About 2 minutes | Return if time allows |
Negative marking in this section
Verbal questions where you can narrow to two options have a positive expected value; puzzles with a long set of conditions are not worth a blind guess. Track net marks from guesses by family. See our negative marking guide.
How to practise
- Family drills (10 to 15 questions): one family a day with a method card. See number series, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense and syllogisms.
- Critical-reasoning sets: five arguments a day, stating the gap before reading options.
- Sectionals (30 questions in about 22 minutes): two a week in the middle phase.
- Full papers: weekly in the last month.
For puzzles, see how to solve logical reasoning puzzles step by step.
Analysing your result
| Pattern | Probable cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Errors in one family | Method not mastered | Family drill; method card |
| Critical-reasoning errors | No explicit gap or wrong question type | State the gap; identify the type first |
| Right method, wrong answer | Misreading | Re-read the question before marking |
| Section takes over 25 minutes | Slow recognition or long puzzles | Timed mixed sets; skip long puzzles |
| Guessed answers losing marks | No elimination | Guess only after narrowing |
Common mistakes in preparation
- Practising untimed.
- Choosing the "most sophisticated" option in critical reasoning instead of the one that fills the gap.
- Solving relations and directions mentally.
- Skipping the short questions to chase a puzzle.
- Not separating assumption questions from strengthen and weaken questions.
Related pages
See the MAT hub, the exam pattern and the mock test strategy. Other sections: Language Comprehension, Mathematical Skills, Data Analysis and Sufficiency and Economic and Business Environment. For a worked review read how to use mock tests for MAT. Reasoning tests published by institutes appear below.
Note: the section structure above follows AIMA's published pattern (30 questions per section); confirm the pattern for your session at mat.aima.in.
