Problem Solving Reasoning

Problem Solving Reasoning is a logical reasoning part where candidates will be given various questions
and they need to perform various operations such as addition, division, greater than, lesser than, etc are
interchanged or substituted to find the correct answer. Almost all the government examinations ask
questions on the problem solving reasoning section.

What is Problem Solving Reasoning?

As mentioned above, Problem Solving Reasoning is a tricy section under logical reasoning which involves
solving problems by performing various mathematical operations. Important topics that come under
problem solving reasoning are Inequality, Analogy, Series, Puzzle, and so on.

Types of Problem Solving Reasoning

Let us see the various types of questions that may come in the Problem Solving Reasoning section one by
one from below.

1. Analogy

Analogy is a topic of Logical Reasoning where the two things are compared and conclusions are drawn
based on their similarities. A question consists of words related to each other based on some logic will
be given, and candidates will need to find a word or paid words analogous to those given in the
question.

2. Puzzle

Puzzle reasoning is all about analyzing the given data, arranging them in given order, and marking the
correct answer. This section requires candidates to analyze the given piece of information, pick the
information that is important, and leave out the information that is not required in solving the given set
of questions.

3. Number Series

Number Series refers to a sequence of numbers following some pattern. Candidates need to find the
missing or wrong number in the provided series. There may be some questions where one of the terms
in the given series will be incorrect, and candidates need to find out that term of the series by identifying
the pattern involved in the formation of the series.

4. Inequality

Inequality refers to expressions that contain inequality signs such as <, >, =, etc. To understand the
questions based on mathematical inequalities, candidates must know about various signs, which are
used in such types of questions. The same is given below:

Symbol Meaning
A>B A is greater than B

A<B A is less than B

A=B A is equal to B

A≥B A is either greater than or equal to B

A≤B A is either less than or equal to B

A≠B A is either greater than or less than B

How to Solve Question Based on Problem Solving Reasoning – Know all Tips and Tricks

Candidates can find various tips and tricks from below for solving the questions related to the Problem
Solving Reasoning section.

Tip # 1: Read the question thoroughly and understand the meaning of all the symbols given in the
question to solve problem solving reasoning based questions easily.

Tip # 2: Problem based questions are mathematics related, so it requires a lot of calculation. It is also
good to know the basic mathematical theories, formulas and equations to ace this section.

Tip # 3: Practice mock tests and quizzes as much as possible to get well versed with all the topics and
their question patterns to score well in the problem solving reasoning section.

Problem Solving Reasoning Sample Questions

Question 1: 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, ?

Solution: The solution of the series is as follows.

50 – 5 = 45

45 – 5 = 40

40 – 5 = 35

35 – 5 = 30

30 – 5 25

Hence, the correct answer is 25.

Question 2: 4096, 1024, 256, ?, 16, 4

Solution: The solution of the series is as follows.

4096 / 4 = 1024

1024 / 4 = 256
256 / 4 = 64

64 / 4 = 16

16 / 4 = 4

Hence, the correct answer is 64.

Question 3: In the question, assuming the given statements to be true, find which of the conclusions
among given two conclusions is/are definitely true, and then give your answer according to it.

Statement:

H<A<T=G>U≥V≥B

Conclusion:

1. T > B

2. G > H

(1) Only conclusion I follow

(2) Either conclusion I or II follow

(3) Only conclusion II follow

(4) None Follows

(5) Both conclusion I and II follow

Solution: Given Statement: H < A < T = G > U ≥ V ≥ B

1. T > B = True (as T = G > U ≥ V ≥ B)

2. G > H = True (as H < A < T = G)

If we analyse the given statements, then we get the answer both conclusion I and II follows.

Question 4: In the question, assuming the given statements to be true, find which of the conclusions
among given two conclusions is/are definitely true, and then give your answer according to it.

Statement:

B=K ≥H=T>U≤I

Conclusion:

1. H > I

2. H ≤ I

(1) Only conclusion I follow

(2) Either conclusion I or II follow

(3) Only conclusion II follow

(4) None Follows

(5) Both conclusion I and II follow

Solution: Given Statement: B = K ≥ H = T > U ≤ I

1. H > I = False (as H = T > U ≤ I)

2. H ≤ I = False (as H = T > U ≤ I)

Hence, Either conclusion I or II follows.

Question 5: In the question, assuming the given statements to be true, find which of the conclusions
among given two conclusions is/are definitely true, and then give your answer according to it.

Statement:

1. O < L > P > M ≤ N ≤ B

2. L = K, M ≥ R

Conclusion:

1. K > M

2. O = M

III. R < B

1. R = B

(1) Only conclusion II follow

(2) Either conclusion I or III follow

(3) Only conclusion I and IV follow

(4) Either conclusion III or IV follow

(5) Only conclusion I and Either conclusion III or IV follow

Solution: Given Statement:

1. O < L > P > M ≤ N ≤ B

2. L = K, M ≥ R

3. K > M = True (as L = K, so L replaced by K then K > P > M)

4. O = M = False (as O < L > P > M)

III. R < B = False (as M ≥ R then R ≤ M ≤ N ≤ B gives either R < B or R = B)

1. R = B = False (as M ≥ R then R ≤ M ≤ N ≤ B gives either R < B or R = B)

Hence, Only conclusion I and Either Conclusion III or IV follow.

Question 6: 67 : 76 :: 42: ?

Solution: 67 + 9 = 76

Similarly, 42 + 9 = 51,

Hence, 51 will replace the question mark.

Question 7: 71 : 42 :: 98 : ?

Solution: 71 – 29 = 42

Similar, 98 – 29 = 69

Hence, 69 will replace the question mark.

Question 8: 5, 7, 21, 55, ?, 215

Solution: The solution of the series is as follows.

5 + ( 2 ^ 2 – 2) = 7

7 + ( 4 ^ 2 – 2) = 21

21 + ( 6 ^ 2 – 2) = 55

55 + ( 8 ^ 2 – 2) = 117

117 + ( 10 ^ 2 – 2) = 215

Hence, the correct answer is 117.

Question 9: The position of how many digit(s) in the number 381576 will remain the same after the
number is arranged in the ascending order?

Solution: Original number form is: 3 8 1 5 7 6

Ascending order form is: 1 3 5 6 7 8

If we check the number/s whose position will remain the same in both forms then we will see that the
position of only number remains same or unchanged which is the number 7.

Hence, the correct answer is One.

Question 10: In the question, assuming the given statements to be true, find which of the conclusions
among given two conclusions is/are definitely true, and then give your answer according to it.

Statement:

C=T≥V≥U

Conclusion:

1. C > U

2. T = U

(1) Only conclusion I follow

(2) Either conclusion I or II follow

(3) Only conclusion II follow

(4) None Follows

(5) Both conclusion I and II follow

Solution: Given Statement: C = T ≥ V ≥ U

1. C > U = False (as C = T ≥ V ≥ U)

2. T = U = False (as T ≥ V ≥ U)

As we can see either I or II is true as we can see C = T, Hence it is the correct answer.
Polya's

Polya's first principle for solving problems is arguably one of the most important steps: Understand the
Problem. You first need to make sure you understand any vocabulary words, understand what the
problem is asking for, and understand what information is given in the problem which will help you solve
it.

What is Polya's 4 steps in problem solving?

Polya's four step method for problem solving is

1) Understand the Problem-Make sure you understand what the question is asking and what information
will be used to solve the problem.

2) Devise a Plan-Figure out what method you will use to solve the problem.

3) Carry out the Plan-Use that method to solve the problem

4) Look Back-Double check your answer and make sure it is reasonable.

George Polya (1887-1985) was born in Hungary. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of
Budapest. For many years he served as a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
Then, in 1940, Dr. Polya moved to the United States where he taught briefly at Brown University, and
then he moved to Stanford University.

Dr. Polya maintained a lifelong interest in the thought processes we use when we solve math problems.
Dr. Polya wrote many books, including How to Solve It (1945). This book sold over a million copies in at
least 21 different languages. His methods are now commonly used amongst students when solving word
problems. (Long et al., 2015)