SSC CGL Reasoning Section: How to Solve All 25 Questions in Under 15 Minutes

CodeClowns Editorial TeamJuly 12, 202511 min read

The ultimate guide to mastering the SSC CGL Reasoning section. Learn our 'Green Light' strategy, tips, and tricks to increase your speed and solve all 25 questions in under 15 minutes.

In the high-speed environment of the SSC CGL Tier 1 exam, the General Intelligence & Reasoning section is your golden opportunity. It is the one section where a well-prepared candidate can realistically target a perfect score of 50 out of 50. More importantly, it's the section where you can save precious time to be used for the more calculation-intensive Quant section. But how do top scorers do it? How do they solve 25 complex questions in what seems like an impossibly short amount of time?

The answer is not magic; it's a strategy. This definitive guide will provide you with a tactical playbook to conquer the Reasoning section. We will break down the topics by speed, reveal the shortcuts for the most common question types, and provide a minute-by-minute execution plan to help you solve all 25 questions in **under 15 minutes**.

The Foundational Mindset: It's All About Pattern Recognition

The first step to achieving elite speed in Reasoning is to change your mindset. This is not Maths. You are not meant to do complex calculations. Reasoning is a game of **pattern recognition**. The more patterns you have seen and practiced, the faster your brain will identify the logic in a new question. Your entire preparation should be geared towards exposing yourself to thousands of patterns from Previous Year Questions (PYQs) so that on exam day, nothing looks new.

The "Green Light" Topics: Solve These in Under 30 Seconds

The bulk of the Reasoning paper (around 15-18 questions) falls into this category. Your goal is to solve these questions almost instantaneously.

  • Analogy, Classification, Odd One Out: These questions are based on relationships (e.g., Country-Capital, Tool-Use, Synonym-Antonym). The trick is to identify the relationship in the first two seconds. If you know it, you can answer it. If you don't, don't waste time—mark it and move on.
  • Mirror & Water Images, Embedded Figures, Paper Folding: These are purely visual tests. The killer technique is to focus on **one unique corner or element** of the given figure. Then, scan the options and eliminate any that don't match that single element. This avoids the need to mentally construct the entire image.
  • Coding-Decoding: Always check for the simplest patterns first (+1/-1, +2/-2, reverse letters) before assuming a complex logic. 90% of the time, the pattern is simple. Knowing the numerical position of all alphabets (A=1, B=2, etc.) and their reverse pairs (A-Z, B-Y) by heart is non-negotiable.

The "Yellow Light" Topics: Approach with a Clear Method (30-60 Seconds)

These topics (around 5-7 questions) are slightly more time-consuming but can be solved very quickly if you have a fixed, mechanical process.

  • Syllogism: Do not rely on intuition or mental logic. The only reliable method is the **Venn Diagram technique**. Practice drawing clean Venn diagrams for all cases ("All A are B," "Some B are C," "No A is C") until it becomes muscle memory.
  • Blood Relations: Never try to solve these questions in your head. Always draw a clear **family tree** using standard notations (e.g., a circle for females, a square for males, horizontal lines for marriage, vertical lines for generations). This visual map makes complex relationships instantly clear.
  • Number & Alphabet Series: Quickly check for common patterns in this order: (1) Difference between terms, (2) Double difference, (3) Squares/Cubes or their neighbors, (4) Alternate series. If you don't spot the pattern in 15-20 seconds, it's likely a complex one. Mark it for later.

[Saving time in Reasoning gives you more time for the real challenge. Get our 5 Killer Strategies for SSC CGL Maths here.]

The "Red Light" Topics: The Potential Time Sinks

A topper's secret is not just solving questions fast, but also skipping the right questions fast. Be wary of these potential traps.

  • Missing Number in a Matrix: These can be the most frustrating questions. The logic can be row-wise, column-wise, diagonal, or something completely obscure. If the pattern doesn't strike you in 20-30 seconds, skip it without hesitation.
  • Mathematical Operations: These questions (e.g., "If + means x, and - means ÷...") are not difficult, but they are designed to be tedious and prone to silly mistakes under pressure. Always save them for the end of your attempt.

The "15-Minute" Execution Strategy

Here is a minute-by-minute plan to implement on exam day.

  1. Minutes 0-8 (The First Sweep): Your goal is to race through all 25 questions and solve every single "Green Light" topic you see. Do not stop for anything that requires more than 30 seconds of thought. This should secure you 15-18 correct attempts and build massive confidence.
  2. Minutes 8-13 (The Second Sweep): Now, go back to the beginning of the section and solve all the "Yellow Light" questions you are confident about (Syllogism, Blood Relations, easy Series). This should add another 4-5 correct attempts to your score.
  3. Minutes 13-15 (The Final Polish): With a solid 20-23 attempts in the bag, use these last two minutes to pick off one or two of the easier "Red Light" questions you marked, or quickly review your paper for any obvious errors.

Your Training Starts Now

This level of speed and accuracy comes from one thing: practice. Dwij's AI platform can provide you with thousands of practice questions to make these strategies second nature.


Conclusion: Your Key to a Higher Overall Score

Mastering the Reasoning section is not just about scoring 50/50; it's about doing so in record time. By internalizing the "Green Light" topics for instant solving, using a fixed method for the "Yellow Light" topics, and being disciplined about skipping the "Red Light" traps, you can achieve this elite speed.

The 5-7 minutes you save in this section are a priceless gift you give to your Quant section, allowing you more time to tackle difficult calculations. Practice these strategies relentlessly with PYQs, and you will turn the Reasoning section into the engine that drives your entire Tier 1 performance.

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