CCAT Logic Questions: Syllogisms, Ordering, Series, and Detail

Logic questions test whether you can reason from the facts you are given, and only those facts. They look tricky at first, but each type follows a small set of rules. Once you know the rules, most logic items take a few seconds.

This guide covers the four logic types we practice: syllogisms, ordering statements, number and letter series, and attention to detail. Each comes with a worked example.

Where logic fits on the CCAT

Criteria scores logic together with math in one area called math and logic, which it describes as measuring arithmetic, logic, and numerical reasoning. Prep sources report syllogisms, where you judge a conclusion as true, false, or uncertain, and ordering or seating puzzles as logic formats on the test. Number series appear in prep guides as well.

Criteria also lists attention to detail as part of its verbal ability area. We practice it with logic because it rewards the same careful, step-by-step reading.

Syllogisms: True, False, or Uncertain

A syllogism gives you two or three statements and a conclusion. You must assume the statements are true, even if they sound odd, and decide what the conclusion is:

• True if it must follow from the statements in every possible case.
• False if it contradicts the statements in every possible case.
• Uncertain if it could be true or false, because the statements do not settle it.

Two rules prevent most mistakes. First, use only what is written, not what you know about the real world. Second, "some" means at least one, and it could mean all. When in doubt, sketch two overlapping circles or a quick line and look for a case where the conclusion fails.

Worked example 1

All baristas at the café are students. Some students play chess. Conclusion: Some baristas play chess. The conclusion is:

1. True
2. False
3. Uncertain

Answer: C. Uncertain. The baristas are inside the group of students, but the chess players might be other students. It is possible that some baristas play chess and also possible that none do, so you cannot tell.

Worked example 2

Maya is older than Joe. Joe is older than Kim. Conclusion: Kim is older than Maya. The conclusion is:

1. True
2. False
3. Uncertain

Answer: B. False. Put them on a line: Maya, then Joe, then Kim, from oldest to youngest. Kim is the youngest, so she cannot be older than Maya. The statements rule the conclusion out.

For comparison, a True case: "No managers are interns. Priya is an intern. Conclusion: Priya is not a manager." That one must follow, so it is True.

Ordering statements

Ordering questions describe positions with clues like "left of", "ahead of", or "taller than", then ask who or what is in a given spot. Draw a line of empty slots and place the fixed clues first, such as "far left" or "last". Then fit the relative clues around them.

Worked example

Four books sit in a row on a shelf. The red book is somewhere to the left of the blue book. The green book is somewhere to the right of the blue book. The yellow book is at the far left. Which book is third from the left?

1. Red
2. Blue
3. Green
4. Yellow
5. It cannot be determined

Answer: B. Blue. Yellow takes slot 1. Red, blue, and green fill slots 2 to 4, with red before blue and blue before green. The only order is yellow, red, blue, green, so blue is third. Always check whether the clues fix a single order. When they do not, "cannot be determined" is a real answer.

Number series

Series questions ask for the next number in a pattern. Check these patterns in order, from simplest to hardest:

1. The same difference each time, such as +4.
2. Differences that grow, such as +2, +4, +6.
3. Multiplying or dividing, such as ×2 or ×3.
4. Two series taking turns, one in odd places and one in even places.
5. Squares or other well-known numbers.

Worked example

What number comes next? 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?

1. 36
2. 40
3. 42
4. 44
5. 48

Answer: C. 42. The differences are +4, +6, +8, +10, so the next one is +12, and 30 + 12 = 42. If the differences do not help, try alternating series. In 10, 4, 12, 6, 14, 8, the odd places go 10, 12, 14 and the even places go 4, 6, 8, so the next number is 16.

Letter series

Letter series work the same way once you turn letters into numbers. It helps to remember a few anchor positions. The word EJOTY gives you E = 5, J = 10, O = 15, T = 20, and Y = 25, so you can count from the nearest anchor instead of from A.

Worked example

Which letter comes next? B, E, H, K, ?

1. L
2. M
3. N
4. O
5. P

Answer: C. N. As numbers, the series is 2, 5, 8, 11, adding 3 each time. The next number is 14, which is N. Count from the anchor J = 10: K, L, M, N.

Attention to detail

Attention-to-detail items ask you to compare names, codes, or numbers and find what matches or what differs. Speed comes from comparing in small chunks of two or three characters, not reading the whole string at once. Swapped characters are the easiest difference to miss, so look for them on purpose.

Worked example

How many of these pairs are exactly the same?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5

Answer: B. 2. Only the first and third pairs match. The second has R versus P, the fourth swaps X and R, and the fifth swaps the last two digits.

Logic under time pressure

• Sketch, do not think in circles. A five-second drawing on scratch paper is faster than holding four clues in your head, if your test instructions allow paper.
• Trust "Uncertain". If the statements allow the conclusion but do not require it, the answer is Uncertain, not True.
• Set a limit on ordering puzzles. They can take longer than other items. If you are past a minute, guess and move on, as Criteria itself advises.

For more items across all four families, see our CCAT sample questions.

Practice logic questions at test speed

Logic rules stick when you apply them under the clock. Get unlimited full-length CCAT-style tests and short logic drills, with an explanation for every question and a section breakdown after each test.

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