Sample Diagrammatic Reasoning Questions

Diagrammatic reasoning questions approximate the type of reasoning used by information technology professionals to design and maintain software systems. That is, they require you to:

• Infer rules from a diagram and then apply those rules to a new situation

• Follow a series of logical instructions presented using symbols

• Follow flowchart or pseudo-code logic

These types of questions can appear in other types of test but they are particularly suited to information technology jobs in which analysts and programmers need to be able to work through complex problems in an analytical way.

Sample Diagrammatic Reasoning Questions
The diagram shows 'inputs' and 'outputs' made up of short 'strings' of letters. The 'operators' or 'processes' are shown in the small boxes. You need to determine what effect each of the 'operators' or 'processes' is having on the 'input' in order to produce the 'output' shown.

Hint: The type of operations or processes you can expect include things like: swapping letters, moving letters, adding letters, removing letters, etc. In this diagram the black diamond appears twice and must be having the same effect each time.

1)

 

2)    

 

3)

 

In the next sample, the operators are defined for you. The sequence of operations is from top to bottom and each operator acts on the figure that it is attached to. Use this information to answer the questions below.

 

4)

5)

Hint: You need to work from top to bottom, making a note of the effect of each operator at each stage. Remember some of the operations involve changing the relative position of figures. Subsequent operations may need to be applied to the 'new' figure - not to the one shown.

Answers to sample diagrammatic reasoning questions.

It is not always easy to assess whether someone has the analytical ability needed to succeed in a technical job in the information technology industry. Many people who are regarded as 'intelligent' and who have good academic qualifications find this kind of pure analytical thinking both alien and difficult. It is widely accepted in the IT industry that a 'natural' programmer can be many times more productive than someone who does not share this 'natural' ability. It is not surprising therefore that diagrammatic reasoning tests are used extensively to select software developers.

Download sample diagrammatic reasoning Questions.

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