Logical Reasoning Practice Questions With Answers

Logical reasoning tests check whether you can draw the conclusions the information supports, and nothing more. Employers use them for graduate schemes, police and defence selection, and analytical roles. Everything you need is in the question; the difficulty lies in rejecting conclusions that sound right but do not follow.

Below are 16 practice questions grouped by type: syllogisms, ordering puzzles, if-then statements, series and two short logic grids. All were written by us for practice; none come from a real test.

How to use this page: solve each question before reading the Answer and Why lines. If your reasoning differs from ours, find the exact step where it went wrong.

Syllogisms (questions 1–4)

Treat both premises as true, however odd they sound, and pick only the conclusion that holds in every possible situation. A quick Venn sketch is the most reliable check.

Question 1

All managers are graduates. All graduates have passed an entrance exam.

Which conclusion must be true?

A) All managers have passed the entrance exam.
B) Everyone who passed the entrance exam is a manager.
C) Some graduates are not managers.
D) Some people who passed the entrance exam are not graduates.

Answer: A

Why: Draw nested circles: "managers" inside "graduates", "graduates" inside "passed the exam". Anything in the inner circle is in the outer one, so every manager passed. B reverses the direction. C and D might be true, but the circles could be exactly the same size (every graduate a manager, every exam-passer a graduate), so neither is forced.

Question 2

No pilots are colour-blind. Some engineers are colour-blind.

Which conclusion must be true?

A) No engineers are pilots.
B) Some colour-blind people are pilots.
C) Some pilots are engineers.
D) Some engineers are not pilots.

Answer: D

Why: "Pilots" and "colour-blind" are two circles that do not touch. At least one engineer sits inside the colour-blind circle, which lies completely outside the pilots circle, so that engineer is not a pilot. A goes too far: other engineers may still be pilots. C is possible but not forced. B contradicts the first premise.

Question 3

Some analysts are runners. All runners are early risers.

Which conclusion must be true?

A) Some early risers are analysts.
B) All analysts are early risers.
C) Some analysts are not early risers.
D) All early risers are runners.

Answer: A

Why: "Runners" sits inside "early risers". At least one analyst is a runner, so that analyst is also an early riser. "Some" statements can be turned around, so some early risers are analysts. B and C both overreach: analysts who are not runners could fall inside or outside the early-risers circle. D reverses the second premise.

Question 4

All doctors are scientists. Some scientists are writers.

Which conclusion must be true?

A) Some doctors are writers.
B) No doctors are writers.
C) Some writers are scientists.
D) All writers are scientists.

Answer: C

Why: The classic trap. "Doctors" sits inside "scientists"; "writers" overlaps "scientists" somewhere. That overlap can lie entirely in the part of "scientists" without doctors, so A is not forced. It could also include doctors, so B is not forced either. C is the second premise turned around, which is always allowed with "some". D turns "some" into "all".

More practice and the validity rules are in our guide to syllogism questions.

Ordering and seating puzzles (questions 5–6)

Write numbered slots on paper. Both puzzles have exactly one solution.

Question 5

Five runners (P, Q, R, S and T) finish a race. There are no ties.

T finishes before Q.
Q finishes before R.
P finishes immediately after R.
S finishes immediately before Q.

Who finishes third?

A) P
B) R
C) S
D) T
E) Q

Answer: E

Why: The first three clues give T … Q … R, P, with P directly after R. S sits directly before Q, forming the block S, Q. T is before Q, and the slot right before Q belongs to S, so T is before S. Order: T, S, Q, R, P. Check: T (1st) before Q (3rd); Q before R (4th); P (5th) directly after R; S (2nd) directly before Q. Q is third.

Question 6

Six colleagues (A, B, C, D, E and F) sit in a row of seats numbered 1 to 6 from left to right.

C sits in seat 3.
B sits immediately to the right of C.
A sits at one of the two ends.
F sits next to A.
E sits somewhere to the left of C.
D does not sit at an end.

Who sits in seat 2?

A) A
B) D
C) E
D) F

Answer: B

Why: C is in seat 3, so B is in seat 4. Test A in seat 1: E must be left of C, so E takes seat 2, leaving no seat next to A for F. Contradiction, so A is in seat 6 and F in seat 5. D and E share seats 1 and 2; D cannot sit at an end, so D is in seat 2 and E in seat 1. Row: E, D, C, B, F, A. Every clue checks out.

If-then statements (questions 7–11)

If P then Q gives two valid moves: P is true, so Q is true (modus ponens); Q is false, so P is false (modus tollens). And two traps: Q is true, so P is true (affirming the consequent); P is false, so Q is false (denying the antecedent).

Question 7

If the server is overloaded, the website slows down. The website has not slowed down.

What follows?

A) The server is not overloaded.
B) The server is overloaded.
C) The website will slow down later.
D) Cannot say.

Answer: A

Why: Overloaded → slows down. The slowdown did not happen. Had the server been overloaded, it would have had to happen, so the server is not overloaded (modus tollens). C adds a time element the statement never mentions.

Question 8

If a candidate passes the numerical test, they are invited to an interview. Jordan has been invited to an interview.

What follows?

A) Jordan passed the numerical test.
B) Jordan did not pass the numerical test.
C) Jordan will be offered the job.
D) It cannot be determined whether Jordan passed the numerical test.

Answer: D

Why: Passed → invited, and "invited" is true. The rule says passing leads to an invitation, not that it is the only route; Jordan may have been invited through a referral. Choosing A is affirming the consequent, the most frequent wrong answer in this item type.

Question 9

If the train is cancelled, Sara works from home. The train was not cancelled.

What follows?

A) Sara does not work from home.
B) It cannot be determined where Sara works.
C) Sara works from home.
D) Sara takes the train.

Answer: B

Why: Cancelled → home, and "cancelled" is false. The rule only covers what happens when the train is cancelled; Sara may work from home anyway. Choosing A is denying the antecedent. D is never stated.

Question 10

If the budget is approved, the project starts in May. If the project starts in May, extra staff are hired. No extra staff were hired.

Which must be true?

A) The budget was approved.
B) The project started in May.
C) The budget was not approved.
D) The project started in June.

Answer: C

Why: Chain: approved → May → staff hired. Work backwards. No staff hired, so no May start (modus tollens on rule 2). No May start, so no approval (modus tollens on rule 1). D is a guess: "not May" says nothing about June.

Question 11

"Visitors may enter the lab only if they wear safety goggles."

Which statement means the same?

A) If a visitor wears safety goggles, they may enter the lab.
B) Every visitor wearing safety goggles enters the lab.
C) If a visitor may not enter the lab, they are not wearing safety goggles.
D) If a visitor may enter the lab, they wear safety goggles.

Answer: D

Why: "P only if Q" means P → Q: goggles are a requirement, not a guarantee. With P = "may enter" and Q = "wears goggles", that is D. A reverses the arrow. C is the contrapositive of A, so it is equally wrong. B claims goggle-wearers actually go in.

Number and letter series (questions 12–14)

Check differences first, then ratios, alternating patterns and combined rules such as "double and add one". A rule must work for every step, not just the first two.

Question 12

3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ?

A) 127
B) 95
C) 128
D) 126

Answer: A

Why: Each term is the previous one doubled plus one: 3 × 2 + 1 = 7; 7 × 2 + 1 = 15; 15 × 2 + 1 = 31; 31 × 2 + 1 = 63; 63 × 2 + 1 = 127. Cross-check: the differences 4, 8, 16, 32 double each time, so the next is 64, and 63 + 64 = 127.

Question 13

2, 6, 5, 15, 14, 42, ?

A) 40
B) 41
C) 43
D) 126

Answer: B

Why: Two operations alternate: × 3, then − 1. 2 × 3 = 6; 6 − 1 = 5; 5 × 3 = 15; 15 − 1 = 14; 14 × 3 = 42; next is − 1, so 42 − 1 = 41. D applies × 3 twice in a row.

Question 14

B, E, I, N, ?

A) R
B) S
C) T
D) U

Answer: C

Why: Alphabet positions: B = 2, E = 5, I = 9, N = 14. Gaps: +3, +4, +5, so the next gap is +6: 14 + 6 = 20 = T. More patterns are in our guide to logical sequence questions.

Logic grids (questions 15–16)

Draw a table with people as rows and options as columns. Mark a cross for every "no"; when a row or column has one empty cell left, it is a tick.

Question 15

Anna, Ben and Carla each work in a different department (Finance, HR, IT) and each drink something different (coffee, tea, water).

Anna does not drink coffee.
The person in HR drinks tea.
Ben drinks water.
Carla does not work in Finance.

Who works in IT, and what do they drink?

A) Ben, water
B) Anna, tea
C) Carla, coffee
D) Carla, water

Answer: C

Why: Ben drinks water (clue 3). Anna does not drink coffee (clue 1), so Anna drinks tea and Carla coffee. The HR person drinks tea (clue 2), so Anna is in HR. Carla is not in Finance (clue 4) and HR is taken, so Carla is in IT and Ben in Finance. Solution: Anna – HR – tea; Ben – Finance – water; Carla – IT – coffee.

Question 16

Four candidates (Dev, Eli, Fay and Gus) each have an assessment at a different time (9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00) and each take a different test (numerical, verbal, logical, personality).

Eli's slot is neither 9:00 nor 12:00.
Gus's slot is immediately after Eli's.
Fay's slot is earlier than Dev's.
Dev's slot is not the last one.
The verbal test is taken at 9:00.
Gus takes neither the numerical nor the personality test.
The numerical test is taken earlier than the personality test.

Which test does Eli take?

A) Numerical
B) Verbal
C) Logical
D) Personality

Answer: D

Why: Times first. Eli is at 10:00 or 11:00 (clue 1). If Eli is at 10:00, Gus is at 11:00 and Fay and Dev share 9:00 and 12:00; Fay is earlier (clue 3), so Dev is at 12:00, breaking clue 4. So Eli is at 11:00, Gus at 12:00, Fay at 9:00 and Dev at 10:00. Tests: 9:00 is verbal (clue 5), so Fay takes verbal. Gus takes neither numerical nor personality (clue 6), and verbal is gone, so Gus takes logical. Dev and Eli share numerical and personality; numerical comes first (clue 7), so Dev (10:00) takes numerical and Eli (11:00) personality.

For a method that scales to larger grids, see our logic grid puzzle guide.

Is there a PDF with the real answers?

An answers PDF for a specific employer's test will not help. Publishers draw questions from large item banks and randomise them per candidate; a copied answer sheet will not match your questions, and unsupervised tests are often followed by a supervised retest. What transfers is method: Venn sketches, spotting the conditional traps, numbered slots and grids. All questions on this page are our own.

How to prepare

Learn the four conditional moves. Two are valid, two are traps; most if-then items test exactly this.
Draw, do not imagine. A ten-second sketch prevents most errors on syllogisms, seating puzzles and grids.
Ask "must", not "could". An option that is possible but not forced is wrong, which is why "cannot say" is often correct.
Verify series rules on every step. A rule that fits three terms but not the fourth is the wrong rule.
Accuracy first, then speed. Start untimed; practise under real time limits in the final week.
Keep an error log. Note the item type and the exact step you got wrong.

Frequently asked questions

What do logical reasoning tests measure?

Whether you draw only the conclusions the information supports. Typical items are syllogisms, if-then statements, ordering puzzles, series and small logic grids. No prior knowledge is needed.

Is there a PDF with the real answers to logical reasoning tests?

No answer sheet will match your test. Publishers draw items from large, randomised banks, so questions differ per candidate. Practising the question types is what raises your score.

What is the most common mistake in logical reasoning questions?

Choosing an answer that could be true instead of one that must be true. Affirming the consequent and reading "some" as "all" cost candidates the most points.

How long should I spend per logical reasoning question?

Most tests allow 45 to 90 seconds per item. Grids and seating puzzles take longer than syllogisms, so bank time on quick items and move on after 90 seconds.

How many practice questions should I do before the test?

Aim for 150 to 250 over two to three weeks. Start untimed to learn the methods, then switch to timed sets and review every mistake.

Conclusion

Thirteen or more correct with the right reasoning means the methods are in place; next comes speed. Missed several in one group? Redo it tomorrow without the explanations.

Item mix and time limits differ per test publisher. To see which test you are likely to face and practise full timed sets in that format, use our test finder, or train every aptitude type with the complete test package.

Logical Reasoning Practice Questions With Answers