State PSC & Services | UPPSC PCS
UPPSC PCS sets 100 Reasoning Ability questions for 200 marks in the Preliminary Examination (screening), so it is worth planning your preparation around the topics below.
The puzzles and seating arrangements carry the most marks and take the most time, so the skill is choosing which set to attempt and which to leave. Clear the quick scoring topics — inequality, syllogism, coding-decoding, blood relations — first, then spend the remaining time on one or two puzzles you can actually finish.
How much Reasoning Ability is worth in each UPPSC PCS stage, from the official pattern.
| Stage | Questions | Marks | Time | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Examination (screening) | 100 | 200 | — | 40% |
Every topic in the official syllabus. The linked ones open a set of solved questions you can practise straight away.
Written to the UPPSC PCS pattern, with the answer key and the method behind it — a look at how the section is actually set before you drill the full topic sets.
Ranking · solved example
In a row of 23 people, A is 7th from the left end and B is 5th from the right end. How many people sit between A and B?
Solution
Positions occupied from the two ends are 7 and 5; those between them number 23 − 7 − 5 = 11.
Direction sense · solved example
A person starts from a point and walks 3 km towards the north, then 1 km towards the east, then 1 km towards the north, then 2 km towards the east. In which direction is the person now from the starting point?
Solution
The net movement is 3 km east and 4 km north, which places the person to the North-east of the start.
Ranking · solved example
In a class of 20 students, a boy ranks 3rd from the top. What is his rank from the bottom?
Solution
Rank from bottom = total − rank from top + 1 = 20 − 3 + 1 = 18.
Coding and decoding · solved example
If A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 and so on, and the code for a word is the sum of its letters, what is the code for ACE?
Solution
A = 1, C = 3, E = 5, so the code is 1 + 3 + 5 = 9.
Advertisement
Untimed drills with the method shown after every question — the step between learning a topic and sitting it under a clock.
Analogy and classification
81 questions, instant feedback
Blood relations and direction sense
108 questions, instant feedback
Seating arrangement
93 questions, instant feedback
Coding, decoding and series
135 questions, instant feedback
Order and ranking
69 questions, instant feedback
Puzzles
99 questions, instant feedback
Syllogism and inequality
126 questions, instant feedback
Reasoning Ability shows up in every UPPSC PCS mock test, in the same interface, with sectional locking and negative marking.
UPPSC PCS: 18-question practice mock
18 questions | 18 min
UPPSC PCS 2026 cycle sets 100 Reasoning Ability questions for 200 marks in the Preliminary Examination (screening).
Yes. UPPSC PCS deducts one third of a mark for each wrong answer, Reasoning Ability included, so unsure guesses cost you. One-third of the marks for a question are deducted for a wrong answer in the objective Prelims.
The UPPSC PCS syllabus lists Comprehension and interpersonal and communication skills, Logical reasoning and analytical ability, Decision making and problem solving, General mental ability, Basic numeracy and data interpretation (Class 10 level). Weight your revision towards the ones you are weakest on and confirm the emphasis against the paper analysis for recent cycles.
Every Reasoning Ability question on this site is free and written to the exam pattern. Use the topic drills for instant-feedback practice, the daily quiz to keep the section warm, and the UPPSC PCS mock tests to sit it under a real clock with negative marking.