Syllogisms section which is part of the reasoning ability section is one of the important sections of the competitive exams like the SSC exams, Bank exams and railway exams. This section is important because it is one of those sections which carry maximum marks and are hence important for the candidates to attempt successfully.

Syllogisms comprise of about four to five questions in the reasoning section and thus carry the highest weightage in the entire section. The syllogism questions are usually questions with argument sentences which tests the candidates’ deductive reasoning ability. To solve these questions you would need a lot of practice and the right tips and tricks.

Through this article we will focus on the tips and tricks which would help you to solve the syllogism questions successfully in your competitive exams. But first to understand the nature of these syllogism questions, let’s have a brief look at the types of syllogisms.

Types of Syllogisms

There are basically four types of syllogism questions which can be asked. These are as follows:

1. All A are B
   In these types of questions, one element is a subset of the other element.

2. No A is B
In such questions, both elements involved are completely independent of each other, meaning they are not associated with each other in any way.

3. Some A are B
In this case, one element has something common with the other element.

4. Some A are not B
In such questions, only a minute part of the first element is different from the second element.

The syllogism questions asked in the competitive exams can be of any of the above types.

Tips for Solving Syllogisms

Now that you are a little familiar with the expected nature of the syllogism questions that may appear in the competitive exams. Let’s see what tips and tricks you can use to successfully solve these questions and bag those marks that will potentially lead you to clearing the entire examination.

• When you are facing the syllogism questions in your exam, the first step is to read all the statements in the question carefully and one by one to avoid getting yourself confused. You need to understand each statement clearly before attempting the question.
• It is always advised to solve these questions by drawing Venn diagrams, so you need to understand how these Venn diagrams would be according to the statements.
• While reading the statements, make sure that you concentrate on the words like, “some”, “few”, “all”, etc. Such words are important as they form the base of the questions and will help you in your solution.
• Focus on analysing the conclusion for each question and try not to assume anything which is not present in the statement.
• Read all the statements in the questions and try to understand the pattern of the question. Also, make sure to solve the question in a sequential manner.

By following the above tips and tricks, you would be easily able to solve the syllogism question part of the reasoning ability section. You can practice these tips and tricks while preparing for the competitive exams as this will help you gain confidence and increase your chances of clearing the exam.