Analytical Reasoning Test

Free Analytical Reasoning Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   Four runners finish a race with no ties. X finished ahead of Y. Z finished last. W did not finish first. Who finished first?

   1. Y
   2. W
   3. X
   4. It cannot be determined.
   Show the answer

   Answer: C. X

   Z is last, so first place goes to W, X or Y. W did not finish first, leaving X or Y, and since X finished ahead of Y, Y cannot be first, so X finished first. Placing Y first ignores that X is ahead of Y. Placing W first ignores that W did not finish first. Concluding it cannot be determined overlooks that the three clues together fix first place exactly.

2. Question 2 of 10

   Five colleagues, F, G, H, J and K, sit in a row of five seats numbered 1 to 5 from left to right. G sits in seat 3. F sits immediately to the left of G. K sits in seat 5. J sits somewhere to the left of F. Who sits in seat 1?

   1. J
   2. F
   3. H
   4. It cannot be determined.
   Show the answer

   Answer: A. J

   G is in seat 3, and F is immediately to its left, so F is in seat 2. J must be left of F, and the only seat left of seat 2 is seat 1, so J is in seat 1, leaving H in seat 4. Placing F in seat 1 ignores that F is pinned to seat 2. Placing H in seat 1 ignores that J must sit to the left of F. Concluding it cannot be determined overlooks that the clues fix every seat.

3. Question 3 of 10

   Six trainees, P, Q, R, S, T and U, are split into two project groups of three. P and Q are in the same group. R and S are in different groups. T is not in the same group as P. Which trainee must be in the same group as T?

   1. P
   2. Q
   3. It cannot be determined.
   4. U
   Show the answer

   Answer: D. U

   P and Q share a group, and T is barred from it, so T is in the other group. R and S are split, so exactly one of them joins P and Q, filling that group of three. That leaves T, the other of R and S, and U together, so U must be with T. Placing T with P is barred directly; placing T with Q is barred too, because Q sits with P, so joining Q would put T with P. Concluding it cannot be determined misses that U is forced, even though which of R or S joins T is not.

4. Question 4 of 10

   Four warehouses are compared by floor area. The Northgate site is larger than the Riverside site. The Eastfield site is smaller than the Riverside site. The Westbank site is the largest of the four. Which site is the smallest?

   1. Riverside
   2. Eastfield
   3. Northgate
   4. It cannot be determined.
   Show the answer

   Answer: B. Eastfield

   The clues chain into Eastfield smaller than Riverside smaller than Northgate, with Westbank largest above them all, so Eastfield is smallest. Choosing Riverside stops at it being below Northgate but ignores that Eastfield is smaller still. Choosing Northgate reverses the comparison, since Northgate is second largest. Concluding it cannot be determined overlooks that the chain orders all four sites.

5. Question 5 of 10

   A shop runs one training session on each of Monday to Thursday, covering one topic per day: Safety, Systems, Service and Stock, in some order. Safety is not on Monday. Systems is scheduled on the day immediately before Service. Stock is on Thursday. On which day is Safety?

   1. Wednesday
   2. Monday
   3. Tuesday
   4. Thursday
   Show the answer

   Answer: A. Wednesday

   Stock takes Thursday, so Safety, Systems and Service fill Monday to Wednesday. Systems immediately before Service means the pair is either Monday and Tuesday or Tuesday and Wednesday; the second leaves Safety on Monday, which is barred, so Systems is Monday, Service Tuesday and Safety Wednesday. Monday breaks the “not Monday” clue; Tuesday is Service’s day; Thursday is Stock’s day.

6. Question 6 of 10

   Three boxes are labelled A, B and C. Exactly one contains a manual. The manual is not in box A. If the manual is in box C, then box B is empty. Box B is not empty. Which box holds the manual?

   1. Box C
   2. Box A
   3. It cannot be determined.
   4. Box B
   Show the answer

   Answer: D. Box B

   If the manual were in C, box B would be empty; but box B is not empty, so by the contrapositive the manual is not in C. It is not in A either, so it must be in B. Choosing box C ignores that a full box B rules C out. Choosing box A breaks the “not in A” clue. Concluding it cannot be determined misses that eliminating A and C leaves B as the only possibility.

7. Question 7 of 10

   Five books are stacked in a single pile. The dictionary sits directly on top of the thesaurus. The atlas is somewhere above the dictionary. The novel is at the very bottom. The guide sits directly above the atlas. Which book is on top?

   1. The atlas
   2. The guide
   3. The dictionary
   4. The thesaurus
   Show the answer

   Answer: B. The guide

   The novel is at the bottom. The dictionary sits on the thesaurus, and the atlas is above the dictionary with the guide directly above the atlas, giving from the top: guide, atlas, dictionary, thesaurus, novel. So the guide is on top. Choosing the atlas forgets the guide sits above it. Choosing the dictionary starts the pile there, ignoring the atlas and guide above it. Choosing the thesaurus inverts the “directly on top of” relation.

8. Question 8 of 10

   Four staff, Ade, Bea, Cai and Dot, each take exactly one of four roles: chair, notes, timing and welcome. Bea takes timing. Ade takes neither notes nor the chair. Dot will not take the chair. Cai takes welcome only if Ade takes the chair. Which role does Cai take?

   1. Welcome
   2. Notes
   3. Chair
   4. Timing
   Show the answer

   Answer: C. Chair

   Bea has timing. Ade cannot take notes, the chair or timing, so Ade takes welcome. Cai takes welcome only if Ade takes the chair; Ade does not, and welcome is gone, so Cai cannot take welcome. Chair and notes remain for Cai and Dot, and since Dot will not take the chair, Dot takes notes and Cai takes the chair. Choosing welcome ignores the “only if” condition; choosing notes would force Dot into the chair, which is barred; timing is Bea’s role.

9. Question 9 of 10

   Three colleagues each made one statement about who won an internal quiz. Ada said, “I did not win.” Ben said, “Ada won.” Cara said, “I did not win.” Exactly one of the three won, and exactly one of these three statements is true. Who won?

   1. Cara
   2. Ada
   3. Ben
   4. It cannot be determined.
   Show the answer

   Answer: A. Cara

   Test each winner against the “exactly one true” rule. If Ada won, Ben’s statement and Cara’s are both true; if Ben won, Ada’s and Cara’s are both true; if Cara won, only Ada’s statement is true and the other two are false, which is exactly one, so Cara won. A winner of Ada or Ben each produces two true statements, breaking the rule. Concluding it cannot be determined misses that only one winner satisfies the count.

10. Question 10 of 10

    Every item on a shelf is either a mug or a plate, and is either blue or green. All mugs are blue. An item is chosen and it is green. Which of these must be true of it?

    1. It is a mug.
    2. It is blue.
    3. It cannot be determined.
    4. It is a plate.
    Show the answer

    Answer: D. It is a plate.

    Every mug is blue, so a green item cannot be a mug, and as each item is only a mug or a plate, the green item must be a plate. Claiming it is a mug contradicts “all mugs are blue”. Claiming it is blue contradicts the stated colour of the item. Concluding it cannot be determined overlooks that ruling out “mug” leaves “plate” as the only category available.