Logical Reasoning Books for All Competitive Exams

If you are an IAS aspirant, preparing for bank exams or aiming to enter a top university abroad, logical reasoning is a staple portion of the syllabus of many competitive tests. Logical reasoning along with verbal ability, data interpretation, general awareness, analytical reasoning, verbal and non-verbal reasoning is generally a part of the preliminary stages of the prevalent examination structure practices in India. Further, for those who are preparing for exams like GMAT/GRE/SAT in order to study abroad, practising a few questions every now and then on logical reasoning aids in developing a sound base for preparation. To make your job easier, in this blog we will list down some of the top logical reasoning books that you must have on your table along with some suggestions.

Also Read: How to Prepare for Competitive Exams?

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Why is Logical Reasoning Important?

Indian competitive exams ranging from UPSC exams, Civil services to university entrance examinations and everything in between usually dedicate a full-fledged section on logical reasoning or rather add it into a broader section. To iterate, exams like IBPS, SSC, RRB Exams, Bank Exams, MBA Entrance Exams like MAT, CMAT, CAT, SCRA exam along with a host of other technical and non-technical examinations. Further, logical reasoning acts as a screening test judging candidates on basic problem solving, calculation, deduction and time management skills, amongst others depending on the objective of the conducting authority. 

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Logical Reasoning Books: Topics Covered

Logical reasoning tests aim to examine the candidate’s skills of logic and deduction, conclusion estimation from passages, cause and effect reasoning, arguments, arrangements, deriving conclusions from passages, theme detection and much more. The pattern varies with questions asked in the shape of syllogism, puzzles, constraint-based questions, proposition testing, course of action, assertion and reason, input-output relations, etc. Owing to the inherent trickery and the plethora of question types, it is important that during the preparation phase, students practice from trusted and popular logical reasoning books which have been recommended by experts and successful candidates. Before providing you with a comprehensive list of Logical Reasoning books, let’s first take a look at the key topics covered under this section in MBA entrance exams as well as government, banking as well as varied recruitment exams:

Picture Series and Sequences	Decision Making	Mirror and Water Images	Paper Folding
Statement and Conclusions	Figure Matrix	Cause and Effect	Pattern Series and Sequences
Blood Relations	Embedded Images	Calendars	Seating Arrangements
Cubes and Cuboids	Directions	Artificial Language	Deductive Reasoning/ Statement Analysis
Odd One Out	Critical Paths	Clocks	Analogies
Coding-Decoding	Alphanumeric series	Data Sufficiency	Input-Output
Dices	Ranking	Shape Construction	Simple Equation and Age Problems
Statement and Assumptions	Syllogism	Puzzles	Simple Interest & Compound Interest

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List of Logical Reasoning Books

Publications like S.Chand, Arihant and McGraw-Hill have been trusted by candidates and coaching centres alike for their adherence to the exam syllabi of a number of competitive exams. Furthermore, with frequent updates and revisions as per changes made in the exam pattern make them nothing short of exam essentials. The following table curates a list of the well-received logical reasoning books that you must consider while preparing for this section.

Logical Reasoning Books	Author	Link
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning (2019-20 Session)	R.S. Aggarwal [S.Chand]	Buy Here
How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT	Arun Sharma [McGrawHill]	Buy Here
Multidimensional Reasoning	Mishra and Kumar Dr. Lal [Upkar’s]	Buy Here
A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning (2019-20 Session)	R.S. Aggarwal [S.Chand]	Buy Here
A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal & Non-Verbal	B.S. Sijwali and Indu Sijwali [Arihant]	Buy Here
Analytical Reasoning (2018-2019) Session	MK Panday	Buy Here
How to Crack Test Of Reasoning	Jaikishan and Premkishan [Arihant]	Buy Here
Analytical & Logical Reasoning For CAT & Other Management Entrance Tests	Peeyush Bhardwaj [Arihant]	Buy Here
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT & other MBA exams	K. Sinha Nishit [Pearson]	Buy Here
Reasoning for Competitive Exams	K. Sinha Nishit [Pearson]	Buy Here
How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT	Arun Sharma [McGrawHill]	Buy Here
Shortcuts in Reasoning (Verbal, Non-Verbal, Analytical & Critical) for Competitive Exams	Disha Experts	Buy Here
Visual Intelligence for Beginners	Matthew Alcot	Buy Here

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Review of Top Books for Logical Reasoning

Here are the reviews of some of the top 3 books for logical reasoning:

Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal

This book is a great option for students applying for competitive examinations like SSC-CGL Tier I, CSAT, SBI (PO), RBI Grade B, etc. It is regularly updated and has questions based on latest trends and examination patterns. The book also has solutions for the questions. It covers: 

• Logic
• Statement – Arguments
• Statement – Assumptions
• Statement – Courses of Action
• Statement – Conclusions
• Deriving Conclusions from Passages
• Theme Detection
• Cause and Effect Reasoning

How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma

This book is specifically created for the CAT exam and covers the latest pattern for the exam. The book is currently in its 5th edition and offers clear guidelines for the logical reasoning section. It also includes the previous year question papers for CAT Exam. 

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations

Released in 1989, the Quantitative Aptitude book has a special place of respect in the field. This book covers more than 5500 questions with the support of answers. It has frequently been altered as per the updated questions. The book also has easy-to-understand formulas and solved examples. It is useful for multiple exams like GMAT, CAT, MAT, SBI-PO, IBPS, RBI Exams, etc.

Logical Reasoning Books for CAT

• A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by R.S.Agarwal
• Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT by K Sinha 
• How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma (2011)
• Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation by Nishit Sinha

Logical Reasoning Books for UPSC

• CSAT Decision Making Problem Solving & Interpersonal Skills
• UPSC Portal: General Mental Ability Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability
• Logical and Analytical Reasoning
• UPSC PORTAL General Mental Ability Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability MCQs 1000+Q: Useful for IAS | PCS | NDA | SSC & all other examinations
• A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by Dr. R.S. Aggarwal
• Analytical Reasoning by M.K. Pandey

Logical Reasoning Books for CLAT

• Bare Acts of Indian Constitution by LexisNexis Butterworths
• Legal Awareness and Legal Aptitude by AP Bhardwaj by Universal’s CLAT Guide
• Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal by 
• Analytical and Logical Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal
• Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey

Logical Reasoning Books for Campus Placement 

• A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning – Includes Latest Questions and their Solutions  (English, Paperback, Aggarwal R. S.)
• How to Crack Test of Reasoning By Arihant 
• Campus Recruitment Complete Reference by Praxis Groups 
• Shortcuts in Reasoning (Verbal, Non-Verbal, Analytical & Critical) for Competitive Exams by Disha Experts 

Preparation Tips

An important success mantra for fairing well in competitive exams is to combine different personalised methods into your preparation based on your interests and strong points. This helps you in coming up with your own tricks and shortcuts which you would like to implement during your exam day. It lets you know if you are comfortable with starting from a particular section, which sections are consuming the most of your time or if a specific section requires more effort. Moreover, you must get yourself acclimated with using techniques like elimination, estimation and in reading between the lines all of which will ultimately help you in saving precious preparation time as well as improving the accuracy of your answers in the exam.

Also Read: Number System Aptitude Tricks

We hope the list of logical reasoning books elucidated above proves to be helpful in your exam preparation. Needless to say, aspirants struggle to have a well-planned approach and strategies which is an important prerequisite. At Leverage Edu, the expert counsellors can help you with the same by equipping you with the right preparation material as well as the tips and tricks that can help you ace the exam. Book a free online demo session with us today!