General Intelligence and Reasoning for SSC MTS, GD and police constable exams

Reasoning is the fastest-scoring section in matriculation-level SSC, railway and state police papers, because there is nothing to memorise. This guide maps the topics that actually appear, the method for each, and how to build the speed the paper rewards.

General Intelligence and Reasoning is the section where matriculation-level exams are most often won, because it rewards something you can build fast: recognising a question type and applying a method you have rehearsed. There is almost nothing to memorise. A candidate who has drilled the dozen recurring types walks in able to solve nearly everything the section throws up — which is rarely true of General Awareness. This guide is the map of those types and the method for each, written for the SSC MTS and GD Constable papers, the RPF and state police constable exams, and any other paper that sets a “reasoning” or “general intelligence” section at the Class-10 level.

What the section actually contains

The topics repeat across all these exams. They fall into three families:

Family	Topics that recur	Where the marks are
Verbal reasoning	Analogy, classification (odd one out), coding-decoding, series, blood relations, direction sense, order and ranking, alphabet and number test	The bulk of the section
Logical reasoning	Syllogism, statement and conclusion, Venn diagrams, missing number, matrix	A few reliable marks each
Non-verbal reasoning	Figure series, mirror and water images, paper folding and cutting, embedded and completed figures, dice and cubes	Heavier in SSC and railway papers

None of this needs a formula sheet. Each type has a fixed way in, and once you know it the question becomes mechanical.

The verbal core — learn these first

These carry the most questions and are the quickest to lock down.

Analogy and classification. Both test the same skill: find the relationship, then apply it or spot the one that breaks it. Relationships are a short, finite set — synonym, antonym, worker and tool, cause and effect, arithmetic. Work them with analogy, classification and operations.
Coding-decoding and series. Letter-to-number shifts, and the number and letter series that follow a rule. Speed here comes from knowing the alphabet’s positions cold. The method is in coding-decoding and series and number series patterns.
Blood relations and direction sense. Two of the most reliable marks in the paper — draw a small diagram every time rather than reasoning in your head. See blood relations and direction sense.
Order and ranking. “How many are between”, “who is fifth from the right” — a diagram and a counting rule settle these. The method is in order and ranking.

The logical topics — a few dependable marks each

Syllogism is worth a proper method because it is asked in almost every paper. The Venn-diagram approach in syllogism, the Venn method turns a confusing “all/some/no” question into a picture you read the answer off.
Statement–conclusion, missing number and matrix are one or two questions each; a little practice makes them automatic. The reasoning shortcuts cheat sheet collects the quick rules.

Do not skip the non-verbal figures

In SSC and railway papers the non-verbal questions — figure series, mirror images, paper folding, embedded figures — are among the fastest marks once your eye is trained, and they are learnt purely by volume. There is no theory to read; there is only recognising the transformation. Set aside time to work through a large number of them so the pattern jumps out in seconds under exam pressure.

How to build the speed the paper rewards

The section is not hard; it is a race. Two habits decide your score:

Drill by type, not at random. Do twenty analogies in a row, then twenty codings, so the method becomes reflex. Mixing types too early means you never build fluency in any one.
Then practise mixed and timed, because the exam mixes them and the real skill is switching quickly between types. Use the daily quiz to keep the section warm and a mock test to rehearse the whole paper under the clock. Where the exam has negative marking, apply the discipline in negative marking strategy.

Put it to work

Pick your exam and rehearse under real conditions: SSC MTS and GD Constable, RPF Constable, and the state police papers such as Delhi, UP, Bihar and Rajasthan police constable. Each exam page has a full-length mock built to that paper’s pattern, so the reasoning section is routine before you sit it.

Frequently asked questions

Is reasoning the easiest section to score in these exams?

For most candidates, yes. General Intelligence and Reasoning has almost nothing to memorise — it rewards recognising a pattern and applying a fixed method, both of which improve quickly with practice. Unlike General Awareness, where a fact you never learnt is simply lost, a reasoning question you have seen the type of is almost always solvable in the exam. That is why it usually gives the best return per hour of preparation at the matriculation level.

How much of the reasoning section is non-verbal?

In SSC and railway papers a meaningful share is non-verbal — series of figures, mirror and water images, paper folding and cutting, embedded and completed figures. These are pure pattern recognition and are learnt entirely by doing volume, so do not skip them; they are among the quickest marks once your eye is trained.

Do I need to worry about negative marking in the reasoning section?

Treat it exactly as the rest of the paper. Where the exam deducts a fraction for a wrong answer, guess only when you can eliminate at least two options; where there is no penalty, attempt everything. Reasoning is where blind guessing tempts candidates most because the questions look approachable, so a disciplined rule matters here.