MAT Intelligence & Critical Reasoning Questions PDF Download (With Answers)

Overview: Looking to improve your logical and analytical skills? Check out the most important 25+ Intelligence and critical Reasoning questions for MAT exam here!

Preparing for the MAT exam requires a sharp focus on improving logical and analytical skills, and one of the key sections that tests this ability is Intelligence and Critical Reasoning. 

This area evaluates how well you can analyse situations, draw conclusions, and solve puzzles. 

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Practising intelligence and critical reasoning questions for MAT not only helps you score higher but also improves your problem-solving mindset for management studies.

Here we’ll cover sample MAT intelligence and critical reasoning questions and answers, preparation tips, solving strategies, and the advantages of practising these questions before the exam.

Download MAT Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Questions PDF

How Many Intelligence And Critical Reasoning Questions In MAT exam?

In the MAT exam, the Intelligence and Critical Reasoning section has 30 questions out of the total 150 questions. Since each correct answer gives 1 mark and a negative marking of 0.25 is applied for every wrong attempt, aspirants are advised to focus on both speed and accuracy.

This section includes a mix of various reasoning-based topics:

• Logical puzzles
• Seating arrangements
• Syllogisms (statements & conclusions)
• Blood relations
• Coding-decoding
• Critical reasoning and assumptions
• Series and pattern completion problems

If you are still exploring the overall MAT paper structure, check out the detailed guide on MAT Exam Subjects and updated MAT Exam Syllabus so you can see how reasoning fits within the complete exam.

25+ Intelligence And Critical Reasoning Questions In MAT exam

1. Eight friends – A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H – are sitting around a rectangular table, two on each side, facing the center.

• A sits second to the left of B.
• C faces A.
• D sits between C and E.
• F is not facing D.
• G is to the immediate left of F.

Who is sitting opposite H?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) G

Answer: B) B

2. A person walks 4 km east, then 6 km north, then turns west and walks 2 km, then south 4 km. How far is he from the starting point?

A) 2 km
B) 4 km
C) 5 km
D) 6 km

Answer: A) 2 km

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3. Pointing to a lady, Arun said, "She is the daughter of my grandfather’s only son." How is the lady related to Arun?

A) Sister
B) Cousin
C) Aunt
D) Niece

Answer: A) Sister

4. Five people live on five different floors of a building numbered 1–5.

• P lives above R.
• Q lives above S but not on the top floor.
• T lives below Q but above R.
• R lives on the first floor.

Who lives on the top floor?

A) P
B) Q
C) T
D) Cannot be determined

Answer: A) P

5. If in a certain language:

• CAT = 3120
• DOG = 4157

What will BAT equal?

A) 2140
B) 2120
C) 2130
D) 2150

Answer: B) 2120

6. Four students – A, B, C, and D – got different marks: 60, 70, 80, and 90.

• A scored less than C.
• D did not get the least.
• B scored more than D but less than C.

Who scored 90?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D

Answer: C) C

7. Statement 1: Heavy rains caused waterlogging in several areas of the city.
Statement 2: Many schools declared a holiday today.

A) Statement 1 is the cause and Statement 2 the effect.
B) Statement 2 is the cause and Statement 1 the effect.
C) Both are independent causes.
D) Both are effects of some common cause.

Answer: A) Statement 1 is the cause and Statement 2 the effect.

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8. Statements:

• All teachers are writers.
• Some writers are poets.

Conclusions:
I. Some teachers are poets.
II. Some poets are writers.

A) Only I follows
B) Only II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither follows

Answer: B) Only II follows

9. Five people are sitting in a row. P is to the left of Q but right of R. S is to the right of Q. T is to the right of R but left of P. Who is sitting in the middle?

A) P
B) Q
C) R
D) T

Answer: D) T

10. The average age of Ram, Shyam, and Ajay is 30 years. Ram is 5 years older than Shyam, and Shyam is 5 years older than Ajay. What is Shyam’s age?

A) 25
B) 30
C) 35
D) 40

Answer: B) 30

11. Five friends – Aman, Bhavya, Chetan, Divya, and Eswar – are sitting in a line.

• Aman is at one of the ends.
• Divya is to the immediate left of Chetan
• Eswar is not at an extreme end.
• Bhavya is second from the left.

Who is sitting at the right end?

A) Eswar
B) Chetan
C) Aman
D) Bhavya

Answer: C) Aman

12. Input: BOOK 51, NOTE 43, PEN 32, COPY 64

Step 1: 32 43 51 64 BOOK NOTE PEN COPY
Step 2: COPY PEN NOTE BOOK

What will be Step 2 for: LION 54, KING 82, GOAT 60, CUB 45?

A) CUB GOAT LION KING
B) KING LION GOAT CUB
C) GOAT KING CUB LION
D) LION KING GOAT CUB

Answer: A) CUB GOAT LION KING

13. Five boxes A, B, C, D, and E are kept one above another.

• D is above A.
• B is below C but above A.
• E is below only one box.

Which box is at the bottom?

A) A
B) D
C) B
D) C

Answer: A) A

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14. Statement: “Internet services should be made free for all students to encourage online learning.”

Conclusions:
I. Free internet can help in increasing access to online resources.
II. All students will score high marks if the internet is free.

A) Only I follow
B) Only II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither follows

Answer: A) Only I follow

15. Find the missing term: 3, 6, 11, 18, 27, ?

A) 36
B) 38
C) 40
D) 41

Answer: B) 38

16. Six friends – Arjun, Bhavna, Chirag, Divya, Eshan, and Farah – are sitting around a circular table facing the center.

• Arjun is to the immediate right of Bhavna.
• Chirag is opposite Arjun.
• Divya is between Chirag and Eshan.
• Farah is not next to Chirag.

Who is sitting to the immediate left of Farah?

A) Divya
B) Arjun
C) Bhavna
D) Eshan

Answer: A) Divya

17. Five colleagues – Anita, Bharat, Charu, Deepak, and Ekta – are working in an office. Each one takes a different day (Monday to Friday) for reporting.

• Anita reports on Tuesday.
• Deepak reports immediately after Anita.
• Bharat reports before Charu but after Anita.
• Ekta does not report on Monday.

Which day does Charu report?

A) Wednesday
B) Thursday
C) Friday
D) Monday

Answer: C) Friday

18. Pointing to a man, Aarav said: "His father is my mother’s only son." How is the man related to Aarav?

A) Son
B) Nephew
C) Brother
D) Cousin

Answer: A) Son

19. In a five-floor building (numbered 1 to 5 from bottom to top), five persons – P, Q, R, S, and T – live on different floors.

• P lives on the topmost floor.
• R lives immediately below S.
• Q does not live on the first floor.
• S lives on the third floor.

Who lives on the first floor?

A) Q
B) P
C) S
D) R

Answer: B) P

20. A introduces B as the son of the only brother of his father’s wife. How is B related to A?

 A) Brother
B) Cousin
C) Uncle
D) Nephew

Answer: A) Brother

21. Statement: “Students should participate in group discussions to develop communication and teamwork skills.”

Assumptions:
I. Group discussions help in building communication skills.
II. Teamwork is an essential skill for students.

A) Only I follows
B) Only II follows
C) Both I and II follow
D) Neither follows

Answer: C) Both I and II follow

22. Four students – Aman, Bhavna, Chirag, and Deepti – distribute books among themselves. Each gets a different number of books 3, 4, 5, and 6, but not necessarily in that order.

• Aman has more books than Deepti.
• Chirag has more books than Bhavna but fewer books than Deepti.
• Deepti does not have 6 books.

Who got 6 books?

A) Aman
B) Bhavna
C) Chirag
D) Deepti

Answer: A) Aman

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23. Input: GREAT 25 NICE 14 JOY 36 SMART 11

Step 1: 11 14 25 36 GREAT NICE JOY SMART
Step 2: JOY NICE GREAT SMART 11 14 25 36

If above is the logic, what would be Step 1 for this input: CAT 19 BAT 23 HAT 11 RAT 17?

A) 11 17 19 23 CAT BAT HAT RAT
B) 23 19 17 11 RAT HAT BAT CAT
C) RAT HAT CAT BAT 19 23 11 17
D) 11 19 23 17 CAT BAT HAT RAT

Answer: A) 11 17 19 23 CAT BAT HAT RAT

24. Rahul is twice as old as Sita. Five years ago, Rahul was three times Sita’s age. What is Sita’s present age?

A) 5 years
B) 10 years
C) 15 years
D) 20 years

Answer: B) 10 years

25. Statement 1: Many people have shifted from petrol vehicles to electric vehicles.
Statement 2: Petrol prices have gone very high in the last two years.

A) Statement 1 is the cause and Statement 2 is the effect.
B) Statement 2 is the cause and Statement 1 is the effect.
C) Both statements are independent causes.
D) Both statements are independent effects.

Answer: B) Statement 2 is the cause and Statement 1 is the effect.

26. Five friends – A, B, C, D, and E – are sitting in a row facing north.

• C sits immediately right of A.
• Only one person sits between B and E.
• D sits second to the left of C.
• E does not sit at the extreme end.

Who is sitting at the extreme left?

A) A
B) D
C) B
D) C

Answer: B) D

27. A man travels 3 km north, then 4 km east, then 2 km south, and finally 4 km west. How far is he from the starting point?

A) 1 km
B) 3 km
C) 2 km
D) 5 km

Answer: A) 1 km

28. In a certain language:

• "MOON IS BRIGHT" is coded as 435 27 589.
• "BRIGHT STARS SHINE" is coded as 589 62 346.
• "SUN IS HOT" is coded as 713 27 924

What is the code for "SUN IS BRIGHT"?

A) 435 27 713
B) 713 27 589
C) 713 435 62
D) 435 589 27

Answer: B) 713 27 589

29. The sum of ages of A, B, and C is 81 years. A is three times B, and B is twice C. What is A’s age?

A) 18 years
B) 24 years
C) 36 years
D) 54 years

Answer: D) 54 years

30. Five employees (P, Q, R, S, T) are assigned jobs – Engineer, Doctor, Teacher, Manager, and Lawyer.

• P is not a Manager or Lawyer.
• Q is a Teacher.
• R is not a Doctor.
• S is a Lawyer.
• T is not Teacher or Engineer.

Who is an Engineer?

A) P
B) R
C) T
D) Q

Answer: B) R

How To Prepare For Intelligence And Critical Reasoning Questions For MAT Exam?

The reasoning section in MAT doesn’t demand advanced mathematics but tests the presence of mind, pattern recognition, and critical interpretation skills. A well-planned strategy can help you maximise your score.

1. Understand the question types

Familiarise yourself with important reasoning categories like puzzles, series, assumptions, arguments, and syllogisms. Going through previous-year papers can show you trend-based repetition of topics.

2. Start early with mocks

Once you’ve explored the basics of reasoning, take sectional tests and MAT mock papers. Regular practice helps you replicate exam pressure, which is crucial. Explore this full guide on How to Start MBA Preparation to build a foundation.

3. Sharpen analytical skills daily

Engage with puzzles, Sudoku, crosswords, and logical riddles. These improve quick problem-solving ability.

4. Avoid guesswork

Because of negative marking, random attempts can bring your score down. Practice enough to identify solvable questions fast and leave uncertain ones.

Remember, MAT also tests your consistency in preparation. Learn about deadlines and timely planning through MAT Exam Application guidelines, so you have maximum time left for focused practice.

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How to Solve Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Questions for MAT exam?

Reasoning questions may look tricky, but breaking them down into steps can make them easy. Here are some tips:

1.  Break big puzzles into smaller chunks

For arrangement and scheduling questions, write down all conditions step by step.

2. Use elimination method

If you’re not clear about the correct answer, try to discard wrong answers. This often narrows it down to two options.

3. Use diagrams and charts

Blood relations, flow-based puzzles, and seating problems become much easier with small diagrams.

4. Check logical flow in critical reasoning

Don’t try to memorise read arguments carefully, and validate assumptions by asking, “Does this logically follow?”

For a stronger understanding, it’s helpful to compare reasoning with other subjects in MAT. You can find detailed insights on each section in the MAT Syllabus and evaluate weightage before planning.

Advantages of Solving Intelligence and Critical Reasoning Questions for MAT exam

Many students focus heavily on Quantitative Aptitude and overlook reasoning. But solving reasoning questions has long-term benefits:

1. Builds logical clarity for MBA courses

MBA classroom discussions often demand interpreting problems logically, not just memorising.

2. Improves time management

These are quicker to solve than Quantitative Aptitude if practised well.

3. Enhances decision-making

Questions demand structured thought, which mirrors real-world management skills.

4. Fetches higher marks with moderate effort

Compared to quants, reasoning has a mid-level difficulty in MAT, so consistent practice can give excellent returns.

Conclusion

Along with preparation tips, aspirants should stay aware of practical things like MAT Exam Fees and MAT Exam Eligibility, which are important during the application process. You can also go through the MAT Exam Guide to access everything in one place.

By practising a balanced mix of intelligence and critical reasoning questions for MAT exam, you can approach this section with confidence. Once familiar with the basics, build your speed, check accuracy through mocks, and integrate reasoning practice into your full MAT strategy.