Tips to Pass a Logical Reasoning Test

How to Pass a Logical Reasoning Test

As the name implies, a logical reasoning test (also called a logic test) assesses an individual’s ability to reason logically, meaning that it makes sense. And doing these using arguments, premises, and statements that define whether something is true or false in that context. Explaining it this way may seem simple, but these tests are often quite demanding and keep away sleep from young college students and recent graduates who go through marathons of selective processes. If you are one of them, it is worth following our text, in which we offer several tips to do better in logic issues.

What Does Logical Reasoning Test Measure?

It is important to point out that logical reasoning is not about doing math in your head but going through a logical process. How do get the information? Which path to take?

It is a way of measuring the candidate’s analytical capacity – that is, his ability to analyze problems and propose solution strategies – and the type of reasoning he adopts in this process. Thus, these tests end up measuring a professional trait that all companies want, which is the ability to solve problems.

Logical reasoning tests have become more frequent in the last decade and appear mainly in the initial stages of processes with a high volume of candidates, such as public examinations, internships, and trainee programs.

Who uses the logical reasoning test?

Many scholarship awarding institutions use logic tests both in the selection of the team and in its scholarship program, in which the applications exceed a thousand candidates for a few slots.

These tests are also favourites of companies in the financial industry, which are often demanding results, as the daily challenges of the investment world demand high analytical capacity.

Even so, such exams are now used by the most diverse sectors, from large corporations to non-governmental organizations.

How does the logic test work?

The level of difficulty of the test depends on the characteristics of the vacancy. A logic test for a management position will be different from a test for beginners. The difference can even appear within the same selection process, for example, candidates for an engineering position can answer more difficult questions than others.

The most competitive processes tend to have logic tests with high difficulty levels, and candidates who rate the exam are rare, so don’t be nervous if you think you made mistakes or didn’t know the entire questions.

Likewise, the questions change from time to time, both to prevent candidates from becoming addicted to the answers and to prevent cheats and jigs from emerging.

The importance of the grade in logic tests

And what does a bad grade signal? The logic test is very situational, so if you are not having a good day and present a big deviation, the recruiter can reapply it. Despite this being the indication of the recruiter, the possibility is much more common in small and niche teams than in large selection processes – in them, it will be difficult to get a second chance, because it is important even if you are surprised in the test and don’t know the issues.

Still, over time, many processes allow you to update the logic test if it hasn’t passed the first selection. The following are some characteristics common to most logical reasoning tests:

• Limited time

Tests are timed. Some have a time limit for each question, while others have a time limit for the entire test. In most cases, whoever uses about 30 seconds for each question will do well, so it’s important to be familiar with this type of test.

• Increasing difficulty

Tests often have questions of varying difficulty, with the easiest ones at the beginning and the difficulty level rising as you progress.

4 Tips to Prepare for a Logical Reasoning Test

1. Practice to get used to questioning types

Before facing the questions, it is good to recall structures of logical reasoning, such as deductions (conclusion through the analysis of facts), inferences (conclusion from premises), equivalences, negations, and analogies, among others. It is worth remembering that some types of questions tend to be quite recurrent, such as those that test deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning.

• What does it mean to test deductive reasoning and inferences?

This particular kind of reasoning (which is part of logical reasoning) is nothing more than the ability to start from the general to the particular and to do this through premises.

To do this, we need to assess how much a general rule applies to specific situations. A simple example: All metal is heat dilated. Silver is a metal. Is silver dilated by heat? The answer to that question is yes. How do we get to it? By deducing that if silver is a metal, and all metals are heat dilated, then silver is heat dilated. We had a premise, and we used it to conclude.

We have to beware of sophisms, a reasoning that is not true but seems to be logical. For example, Men have two feet. Chickens have two legs. Men are chickens. The conclusion here couldn’t be more wrong.

Note: Solving these questions using graphical representations of set theory is a good way to avoid mistakes.

• What does it mean to test inductive reasoning?

Inductive reasoning questions are also common, which follow the opposite path: they start from a specific proposition to generalize and apply it in a general scenario.

Calm down, we’ll explain to you! Induction is when we assume that when a certain fact is repeated over and over, it can be considered a general rule and will repeat itself. This is the case of the maxim “there are only white swans”; whoever said this assumed that all swans were white, as he had only seen swans of that colour.

On the mathematical side, it is important to review basic concepts of geometry and set intersections. And it’s less necessary, but it’s also worth reviewing first-degree equations, probability, combinatorial analysis, arithmetic and geometric progressions, fractions and percentages, and the rule of three.

• Where to study for logic tests?

Don’t be scared by the names, these are things you probably already know and have forgotten. Another good news is that there is no shortage of study resources.

2. Track problem resolution

When it comes to practice, it’s vital to closely monitor the resolution of problems, even if you got it right. It is this practice that will allow you to understand the mental structure behind the conclusion – that is, to understand the logical reasoning itself – and to improve even more.

3. Concentrate before the logic test

The test environment is also a highlight. As a logical thinking test requires focus and lasts between an hour and an hour and a half, it is essential to be calm, in a comfortable space, and avoid interruptions.

Once immersed, always read everything carefully. Understand each part of the statement and remember that just because the sentence is true in the world (like “the sky is blue”) does not necessarily mean that it is right at that moment. In the logic test, everything depends on the context of the question – may be at that moment, the sky is red.

4. Know the company

Another tip is to research the company in question. Some take the opportunity to customize the tests and include in the questions their products, distribution methods, and logistical operations, among other topics, in an attempt to create familiarity between candidate and company.