Analogies, odd one out, and statements with conclusions

These three question types test whether you can see a pattern and refuse to add anything that is not there. Analogy and odd-one-out questions check pattern spotting; statement-and-conclusion questions check whether you can stop your own knowledge from leaking into the answer. The method for all three is the same: name the rule in words before you look at the options.

Analogies: say the relationship aloud

"Doctor is to hospital as teacher is to ___." Name the link: a doctor works in a hospital. So the answer is the place a teacher works, which is school. Not "student", which is who a teacher teaches, a different link.

Number analogy: "4 : 17 :: 6 : ?". Try rules in order: add 13 gives 19; square plus 1 gives 17, so 6 squared plus 1 is 37. When two rules fit, look for a second pair in the question or pick the rule that uses the number more fully.

Odd one out: find what three share, not what one lacks

"Copper, iron, mercury, zinc." Three are solid at room temperature; mercury is a liquid. The rule belongs to the majority. Start from one item and you will find a dozen reasons it differs.

Numbers: "27, 64, 125, 100." Three are cubes (3, 4, 5 cubed); 100 is a square but not a cube. Letters: "BDF, HJL, MOQ, SUX." Three sets step by two; SUX steps by two then three.

Statements and conclusions: use only what is written

Statement: "All employees who complete the course receive a certificate. Meena received a certificate."

Conclusion I: Meena completed the course. Conclusion II: Some people who receive certificates did not complete the course.

Neither follows. The statement says completing leads to a certificate, not that a certificate proves completion; there may be other routes to one. The answer is that neither conclusion follows, even though I feels likely in real life. "Feels likely" is the trap.

Second example. Statement: "No manager works on Saturday. Ramesh works on Saturday." Conclusion: Ramesh is not a manager. This follows, because if he were a manager he would not work Saturday.

Common mistakes

• Choosing an analogy option that is related to the third word in any way rather than in the same way.
• Picking the odd one out by the first difference you notice instead of the property the other three share.
• Marking a conclusion as true because it is true in the world. The question asks whether it follows from the statement.

Practice habit: For ten questions a day, write the rule in one short sentence before reading the options, then check the options against the sentence. If you cannot write the rule, you are guessing; move on and come back.