SSC CGL · General Intelligence & Reasoning

Combined Graduate Level Examination

One section of SSC CGL doesn't ask what you've learnt. It asks how fast you can see a pattern.

General Intelligence & Reasoning is a quarter of Tier 1 — and it comes back in Tier 2, where the merit list is actually made. It's the one section that is pure skill, and skill can be trained.

For graduates preparing for SSC CGL — and for the SSC exams built on the same reasoning section.

Reasoning is scored twice. 50 marks in the Tier 1 gate, another 90 marks in Tier 2 — and selection is decided on Tier 2 alone. Source: SSC Notice of Examination, paras 13.8, 13.9 and 16.10. Confirm the current cycle at ssc.gov.in ↗

The reasoning section, in numbers

25
reasoning questions in Tier 1
15 min
on the clock — then the section closes
50 + 90
marks, Tier 1 and Tier 2
~36 sec
per question, if you use every second
A tree growing inside a mind Why start now

36 seconds a question. That's recognition, not calculation.

Fifteen minutes for twenty-five questions, and the section shuts itself at the end. There is no time to work a pattern out from first principles. You either see it or you don't — and seeing it is a trained reflex, not a fact you can revise the night before.

Reflexes are built the way muscle is: a little each day, over months. The mind is no different. That is the whole reason the reasoning section rewards method over hours — more time at a desk doesn't make recognition faster, but the right questions in the right order does.

Whatever stage of the cycle you're at, the day you start is the day it starts compounding.

What · the exam

Two tiers. Reasoning is in both.

Tier 1 is the gate. Tier 2 is the merit list — selection is decided on Tier 2 alone.

Clears the gate

Tier 1 · General Intelligence & Reasoning

25 questions · 15-minute sectional clock · 0.50 negative
  • Analogies, series and classification
  • Coding-decoding, operators, word building
  • Venn diagrams, syllogisms, drawing inferences
  • Figures — folding, embedded, pattern completion
One of four sections, and the only one that's pure skill.
Builds the rank

Tier 2 · Reasoning and General Intelligence

30 questions · 90 marks · 1 mark negative
  • Same skill, harder questions
  • Shares a 1-hour clock with Mathematical Abilities
  • Counts towards the merit list
  • Section closes automatically at the hour
Selection is decided on Tier 2 alone.
How · train the section

Two tiers, one skill to train.

The reasoning section isn't in a syllabus you can read. It's a thinking skill, built by practising the right questions, the right amount, over time. That's exactly what Master Mental Ability does — and SSC's own syllabus calls it "questions of both verbal and non-verbal type", which is precisely what the app trains.

◎

Adapts to you

Harder as you improve, easier when you slip. No time wasted on what you've already got.

↻

Back before you forget

Spaced repetition returns a question right as it's about to fade — so it's still there on exam day.

✎

Solve first, then see

You reason it out before the answer shows. That effort is where recognition gets built.

☁

Calm before the clock

A moment to settle before each session. The same calm a sectional timer takes away.

What this doesn't cover: SSC CGL is four sections. We train one — General Intelligence & Reasoning. Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and English need their own preparation, and we don't pretend otherwise. Even inside reasoning, the clerical-speed items — indexing, address matching, date and city matching, centre-code classification — aren't what this app is for. It trains the reasoning core: analogies, series, classification, coding, figures and inference.
Works offline on Android

Practice anywhere. On Android, practice itself needs no internet.

On Android, all the questions live on your phone, so after install, daily practice costs zero data. The app needs the internet once to start, then at least once a week. In the web app, on a phone or computer, you practise in the browser while you are online.

Android works offline Full-screen web practice Progress saved online Zero data during practice
Try without an account

No account, no card, no install. Solve one full session, then decide.

Start free

On Android? The app is in beta. Join in two steps:

  1. Join the tester group
  2. Become a tester on Google Play, then install

Use the Google account that is on your phone for both steps. Can't join? Use the web app in your phone's browser.

Built by

In 2007, in his second year at IIT Delhi, Vineesh wrote a book — Master Mental Ability in 30 Days. It has sold year after year ever since, without the publisher ever marketing it.

In the years since, he built other learning products and spent a decade working with children of every background in a holistic learning centre.

This app goes far beyond that book — everything he's learned about how people actually learn, built into something you practise, not just read.

More about us →

No risk to you

Don't trust us. See it work.

1

Try free

Solve a full session, no registration. Decide nothing yet.

2

Register

Like it? Sign up and get 15 days free. No payment, no auto-debit.

3

Practise daily

A little each day. The app decides what to practise and when to bring it back.

4

Share to keep learning free

Invite a friend preparing for SSC — you both earn more free days.

Your questions

Common questions

Is it really free? Will money get taken from my account?

Free to try — no signup to start, no card, no auto-debit, nothing taken silently. When you want the full library there are three plans, by length: ₹499 for three months, ₹699 for six, ₹999 for a year. Each is a single payment for that period, not a subscription — when it ends we ask you, and nothing is ever taken automatically. You can also keep learning free by sharing the app, and you can always try before paying anything.

Is this app enough to clear SSC CGL?

No — and no single app is. SSC CGL has four sections; this one trains General Intelligence & Reasoning. Quantitative Aptitude, General Awareness and English need their own work. What we do, we do properly.

Does reasoning matter after Tier 1?

Yes, and more than most people expect. The merit list is built on Tier 2 alone, and Tier 2 Paper-I carries 30 reasoning questions worth 90 marks, with 1 mark negative for a wrong answer. The section that lets you in also helps decide your rank.

I have very little time before my exam. Is this any use?

Some. Practice always beats no practice. But be honest with yourself about what 36 seconds a question means: recognition is built over months, not in a week. Start anyway — the next attempt is closer than it feels.

Is the app in Hindi?

Yes — fully. Choose Hindi and the whole app is Hindi: the questions themselves, the options, and the explanation after each one — not an English app with Hindi labels around it. Worth knowing either way: SSC sets Tier 1 and Tier 2 in both English and Hindi, except the English Comprehension paper.

How much internet does it need?

On the Android app, very little. The questions are on your phone, so you can practise on a train, in a village with no signal, on a phone with no data pack. It needs the internet once to start, then at least once a week to keep your access active; that is also when your progress is saved online. If it goes longer than a week without connecting, practice pauses until it does, and nothing is lost. The web app needs a connection while you practise.

When is the next SSC CGL, and where do I apply?

Only on the Staff Selection Commission's own website, ssc.gov.in — never through an agent and never through us. SSC publishes a Notice of Examination each cycle with the application window and the exam schedule. For the 2026 cycle, Tier-I is scheduled from 30 September to 30 October 2026. Check ssc.gov.in for the current cycle.

Still have a question about SSC CGL or the app? Message us on WhatsApp →

Start now

One section that's pure skill. 140 marks across two tiers.

Start training General Intelligence & Reasoning today — free.

Start today!

Free to try.

www.mastermentalability.in/ssc-cgl