Reasoning Inequality for Government Exams

Questions based on reasoning inequality are mostly asked in all major Bank, Insurance, SSC, RRB and other major Government exams conducted in the country. 

The number of questions asked and the weightage of marks is between 2-4 marks and is an easy to score topic from the reasoning ability section. 

Candidates who are willing to know the detailed logical reasoning syllabus can visit the linked article.

Over the years, the competition in the Government sector examinations has increased marginally, which is why the difficulty level of the papers is also increasing. It is thus important that a candidate emphasizes the preparation of every topic under each section to ensure their place in the final list of shortlisted candidates.

In this article, we shall discuss the concept of reasoning Inequality along with the type of questions which may be asked, followed by the tips and tricks to save some time while solving these questions. Candidates can also find some sample questions on Inequality further below in this article.

Aspirants who need assistance with the other reasoning ability topics can refer to the links mentioned below:

What is Reasoning Inequality?

When a group of elements are given with a certain coded relationship denoted by <, >, = ≤ or ≥, such type of questions fall under the category of reasoning Inequality. 

To make the concept even more understandable, refer to the table given below:

Once a candidate understands the meaning of each of the symbols mentioned above, answering questions based on reasoning inequality shall become easier. 

Another critical aspect that a candidate must know concerning the Inequality in reasoning is the order or the rank of these symbols. 

1. If in a question, P > Q ≥ R is given, the greater-than sign (>) will be of the highest order and P > R and not P ≥ R
2. If in a question, P ≥ R = Q is given, in that case, P > Q or P = Q
3. If in a question, P < Q < R is given, then P < R 
4. If in a question, P < Q > R is given, the no relation can be found between the terms

Similar conclusions can be drawn for other questions based on inequalities.

Candidates need to solve questions based on this topic to get more familiar with the concept and also to increase their speed in answering them and choosing the correct approach to answer them. Thus, they can visit the logical inequality questions page and get solved inequality questions.

Candidates can refer to the below-mentioned links to ace the reasoning ability section for the upcoming Government exams:

The questions based on inequality have to be solved with the help of cracking the coding relationship between the given elements but to make the questions more complex, a new pattern for reasoning inequality questions has come up.

Given below are the two patterns in which the Inequality questions in reasoning are asked:

• Direct Questions – In direct questions, the candidates are given the elements and the relationship between them is marked with the help of the signs, <, >, =, etc. For example A>B=C≤D
• Coded Questions – The new format of inequality questions which is now being asked in all major exams is that they denote each sing with a symbol. For example, they may give “A@B, where @ means that A is neither greater than nor equal to B”. In this case, the “=” sign has been denoted with the “@” sign. This pattern is now being followed for all major Government exams to make the questions complex and confusing.

Aspirants must note that the code-based questions take a bit more time than the direct inequality questions, and more a candidate practises, his/her speed to solve such questions shall also increase.

Every aspirant preparing for the competitive exams knows the value of time management to qualify any of these exams. So, any small tip or trick which can help you save some time in the final examination must be used to answer the questions. 

Given below are such tips to help you answer the questions on Inequality and ace the reasoning ability section:

1. To answer any inequality question, the most important thing is to be aware of the signs and their representation. Only then can you answer the questions without making errors
2. If the statements given comprise a single element more than once, try to combine the statement so that no element is repeated. For example, “A>B>C, F<C, A=E”, all are a part of a single statement, so you can combine them to form, “E=A>B>C>F”
3. At no point should you change the sign between two given elements. However, you can write H>E or E<H as both denote the same
4. For coded inequalities, make sure that you make a table or any other diagram which mentions what sigh each code represents. This will save you some time as you shall not have to read the question again and again and spend time on it.

Aspirants must make sure that questions like thee are such where they can easily score marks if well prepared as there is less scope of making a mistake here if solved carefully.

It is recommended that candidates solve more and more questions for all topics under the reasoning section to increase their overall marks. Interested candidates can get solved topic-wise logical reasoning questions at the linked article.

Interested candidates can also check the syllabus for the various Government exams conducted in the country in the links given below:

As stated above also, the more a person practises, the more likely is that he/she may solve the questions correctly and more efficiently. Discussed below are a few questions on both direct and coded reasoning inequalities to simplify the concept even further for the candidates. 

Directions (Q1-Q2):  Answer the following questions based on the statement given below:

Statement: P < S < R < T > Q

Q 1. Which of the given conclusions is incorrect based on the given statement?

1. P < R
2. S < T
3. No relation between P & Q
4. No relation between P & T
5. P < T

Answer: (3) No relation between P & Q

Q 2. Which sign should be filled in the blank for the conclusion given below?

Conclusion: P ___ T

1. >
2. <
3. =
4. ≤ 
5. ≥

Answer: (2) <; P<T

Directions (Q3-Q4): Based on the statements, answer the following questions.

‘P * Z’ means P is neither greater nor smaller than Z

‘P # Z’ means P is neither greater than nor equal to Z

‘P & Z’ means P is neither smaller than nor equal to Z

‘P + Z’ means P is not smaller than Z

‘P % Z’ means P is not greater than Z

Q 3. For the statement given below, which of the following options is correct?

Statement: A # C * F & R % T

1. A & C
2. F # T
3. C * R
4. A % T
5. C # F

Answer: (5) C # F

Solution:

Statement: A # C * F & R % T

Conclusion: A < C = F > R ≤ T

A & C ↔ A > C

F # T ↔ F < T

C * R ↔ C = R

A % T ↔ A ≤ T

C # F ↔ C > R

And only C > R is correct based on the given equation

Q 4. To prove that A > B in the given statement, which code should be filled in the blank?

Statement: C & B ____ F * E # A

1. #
2. *
3. &
4. +
5. %

Answer: (5) %

Solution:

C & B ____ F * E # A

When % is placed in the blank, the statement becomes,

C & B % F * E # A

⇒ C > B ≤ F = E < A, which proves that A > B
The above-mentioned questions are just to give the candidates an idea as to how the questions are asked in the examination. 

Candidates can go through the video on Reasoning Inequalities given below to gain conceptual clarity on strategies to solve inequalities questions in the exam.

Candidates can check out the second part of the inequalities video on the Reasoning Inequalities Questions page linked here.

Aspirants looking for other topics to prepare for the Government exams can refer to the below-mentioned links:

Candidates who are willing to apply for the competitive exams for the upcoming recruitments must start their preparation now as the competition is very tough, and the syllabus is vast and comprehensive.

For any information regarding the upcoming exams, study material or preparation tips, candidates can refer to BYJU’S for assistance and help.