CAT Logical Reasoning Practice Sets with Solutions

The best way to prepare for CAT LR is to practise different types of problems rather than repeatedly solving the same pattern.

Question 1: Ranking and Ordering

Six students — A, B, C, D, E and F — are ranked from 1 to 6.

• A ranks higher than C.
• C ranks higher than D.
• B ranks higher than E.
• F ranks lower than D.
• B ranks higher than A.

Which of the following could be the correct order from highest to lowest?

A. B – A – C – D – F – E

B. A – B – C – D – E – F

C. B – C – A – D – F – E

D. B – A – D – C – F – E

Answer: A

The conditions require:

B > A > C > D > F

and B > E.

Therefore, B – A – C – D – F – E satisfies all the conditions.

Concept tested: Ranking and ordering.

Question 2: Linear Arrangement

Five people — P, Q, R, S and T — are sitting in a row facing north.

• P sits to the left of Q.
• R sits immediately to the right of P.
• S sits at one of the extreme ends.
• T sits to the right of Q.

Which of the following could be the correct arrangement from left to right?

A. S – P – R – Q – T

B. P – R – S – Q – T

C. P – Q – R – T – S

D. T – P – R – Q – S

Answer: A

P must be immediately followed by R, P must be before Q and T must be after Q. S must occupy an extreme position. Only Option A satisfies all the conditions.

Concept tested: Linear arrangement.

Question 3: Team Selection

A team of three members is to be selected from six people — A, B, C, D, E and F.

The following conditions apply:

• If A is selected, B must also be selected.
• C and D cannot be selected together.
• If E is selected, F must be selected.

Which of the following could be a valid team?

A. A, C, D

B. A, B, C

C. C, D, E

D. A, E, D

Answer: B

A requires B, and B is included. C and D are not together, and E is not selected, so all conditions are satisfied.

Concept tested: Selection and conditional logic.

Question 4: Scheduling

Four presentations — P, Q, R and S — are scheduled from Monday to Thursday, one presentation per day.

• P must be before Q.
• R must be immediately after S.
• Q cannot be on Thursday.

Which of the following is a possible schedule?

A. P – Q – S – R

B. Q – P – S – R

C. S – P – R – Q

D. S – R – Q – P

Answer: A

P is before Q, R immediately follows S and Q is not on Thursday.

Therefore:

Monday: P

Tuesday: Q

Wednesday: S

Thursday: R

satisfies all conditions.

Concept tested: Scheduling.

Question 5: Games and Tournaments

Four teams — A, B, C and D — play each other exactly once. Each win gives 2 points, a draw gives 1 point to each team and a loss gives 0 points.

After all matches:

• A has 5 points.
• B has 4 points.
• C has 2 points.
• D has 1 point.

Which of the following must be true?

A. A defeated B

B. B defeated C

C. C drew with D

D. A drew with C

Answer: A

A has 5 points from three matches. The only possible combination is two wins and one draw, meaning A must have defeated two teams. Based on the available point combinations, A must have defeated B.

Concept tested: Games and tournaments.

Question 6: Distribution

Five different books — Economics, Finance, Marketing, Operations and HR — are distributed among three students A, B and C. Each student receives at least one book.

The following conditions apply:

• A receives Economics.
• B receives Finance.
• Marketing and Operations cannot go to the same student.
• C receives HR.

Which of the following could be a valid distribution?

A. A: Economics, Marketing | B: Finance, Operations | C: HR

B. A: Economics, Operations | B: Finance, Marketing | C: HR

C. A: Economics, Marketing, Operations | B: Finance | C: HR

D. A: Economics | B: Finance, Marketing, Operations | C: HR

Answer: A

In Option A, Marketing and Operations are assigned to different students and all three students receive at least one book.

Concept tested: Distribution.

Question 7: Ranking

Seven candidates — P, Q, R, S, T, U and V — are ranked from highest to lowest.

• P ranks higher than Q.
• Q ranks higher than R.
• S ranks higher than T.
• U ranks lower than R.
• V ranks higher than P.

Which of the following must be true?

A. V ranks higher than Q

B. P ranks higher than S

C. T ranks higher than U

D. R ranks higher than S

Answer: A

The conditions establish:

V > P > Q > R > U

Therefore, V must rank higher than Q.

Concept tested: Ranking and deduction.

Question 8: Conditional Logic

Five people — A, B, C, D and E — are being considered for a project.

• If A is selected, C must be selected.
• If C is selected, D cannot be selected.
• If B is selected, E must be selected.
• A is selected.

Which of the following must be true?

A. B is selected

B. C is selected

C. D is selected

D. E is selected

Answer: B

A is selected. According to the first condition, C must therefore be selected.

Concept tested: Conditional reasoning.

Question 9: Arrangement

Six products — P, Q, R, S, T and U — are displayed from left to right.

• P is somewhere to the left of Q.
• R is immediately to the left of S.
• T is at the extreme right.
• Q is not adjacent to T.

Which of the following could be the arrangement?

A. P – Q – R – S – U – T

B. R – S – P – Q – T – U

C. P – R – S – Q – U – T

D. U – P – Q – R – S – T

Answer: C

P is before Q, R is immediately before S, T is at the extreme right and Q is not adjacent to T.

Therefore, Option C satisfies all conditions.

Concept tested: Arrangement.

Question 10: Logical Deduction

Five employees — A, B, C, D and E — work in different departments: Finance, HR, Marketing, Operations and Sales.

The following conditions apply:

• A does not work in Finance or Sales.
• B works in Marketing.
• C works in Finance.
• D does not work in HR.
• E works in either HR or Operations.

Which department must A work in?

A. Finance

B. HR

C. Marketing

D. Operations

Answer: D

Finance is occupied by C and Marketing by B. A cannot be in Finance or Sales. E must be in HR or Operations, while D cannot be in HR.

The only department that can necessarily accommodate A under the given constraints is Operations.

Practising CAT previous year questions (PYQs) is one of the best ways to understand the actual level and structure of CAT Logical Reasoning. PYQs also help you identify how familiar concepts are presented in different formats.

Tip: Attempt PYQs under timed conditions instead of immediately checking the solution. After completing a set, analyse where you spent time and whether you selected the right questions.

LR preparation is less about solving hundreds of questions and more about learning how to approach unfamiliar sets.

A useful habit is to spend the first few minutes understanding a set before committing to it. If the conditions are becoming unnecessarily complicated, moving to another set can be a better strategy.

• Start with easy and moderate sets before moving to difficult puzzles.
• Draw tables, diagrams or flowcharts whenever they make the information clearer.
• Practise arrangements, games, rankings, selection and scheduling regularly.
• Solve CAT PYQs to understand actual exam-level questions.
• Time yourself during practice.
• Analyse every mistake instead of simply checking the correct answer.
• Most importantly, practise set selection — you do not need to solve every DILR set in the exam.

Once you are comfortable with Logical Reasoning, combine it with Data Interpretation because CAT's DILR section can contain sets that combine logical conditions with numerical data.

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