Analytical reasoning is the hardest section of the HAT for most students. In our bank of 180 analytical questions, we marked 52% as hard, compared to 9% for verbal. HAT-2 (business) has 40 analytical MCQs, so it can make or break your score. The trick is to draw it, not think it.
1. Ranking puzzles
Example: A is taller than B. C is shorter than B. D is taller than A. E is the shortest of all. Who is the second tallest?
Answer: A. Write a line from tallest to shortest: D, A, B, C, E.
Tip: always write the order on paper as a line. Doing it in your head is how mistakes happen.
2. Logic arguments
Example: All engineers can code. Ali can code. Therefore, Ali is an engineer. This argument is:
Answer: invalid. "All engineers can code" does not mean everyone who codes is an engineer. Ali could be a coder who is not an engineer.
Tip: draw 2 circles. Put "engineers" inside "people who code". Then see where Ali could be. He could be in the big circle but outside the small one.
3. Strengthen or weaken questions
Example: People who exercise report higher life satisfaction. So exercise causes happiness. What would most strengthen this?
Answer: a study where inactive people were randomly put on exercise and their satisfaction then went up. That shows cause, not just a link.
4. Clock questions
Example: What is the angle between the hands of a clock at 5:30?
Answer: 15°. Use angle = |30 × hours − 5.5 × minutes| = |150 − 165| = 15°.
Most students say 0° or 30°, because they forget the hour hand also moves halfway towards 6.
5. Number and letter series
Find the gap between each number first. If the gaps do not make a pattern, check the gaps between the gaps, or try multiplying. For letters, write the alphabet position numbers (A = 1, B = 2) above them.
6. Seating puzzles
- Draw the seats first (a line or a circle).
- Put in the facts you are 100% sure about.
- Then try the "if" facts one by one.
- Remember, sometimes the right answer is "cannot be found from the given information".
How much time to give
Puzzles often come in a group of 3 to 5 questions on one set of facts. Spend 2 minutes drawing it well, and then each question takes only 20 to 30 seconds. If you rush the drawing, you get all of them wrong.
See how many analytical questions your category has in our HAT test pattern guide, and follow our 1 month HAT plan.
Common questions
How many analytical questions are in the HAT?
It depends on the category. HAT-1 has 30, HAT-2 has 40, HAT-3 has 35, and HAT-4 and HAT General have 30.
Why is analytical reasoning hard?
Puzzles take many steps, and one wrong step gives a wrong answer. In our question bank, 52% of analytical questions are marked hard.
What types of analytical questions come in HAT?
Seating and ranking puzzles, number and letter series, clock and calendar questions, and logic arguments (valid or invalid, strengthen or weaken).
Is analytical reasoning in USAT too?
No. USAT has verbal and quantitative reasoning, but not a separate analytical section.