Verbal Reasoning: Analogies, Odd-One-Out & Coding-Decoding

Why verbal reasoning is free marks

In the MECEE-BL Mental Agility Test (20 questions total), verbal reasoning items — analogies, odd-one-out and coding-decoding — are the fastest to solve if you have a fixed method. Unlike Physics or Chemistry, there is nothing to recall; you only need a disciplined way of naming the relationship between words or letters. Aim for under 30 seconds per question here so you can bank time for numerical items.

Analogies: name the bridge first

The single most important habit: state the relationship as a sentence before looking at the options. If you look at options first, two of them will always "feel" right.

Common relationship types

Worked example

Question: Stethoscope : Heartbeat :: Sphygmomanometer : ? (A) Pulse (B) Blood pressure (C) Temperature (D) Breathing

Step 1 — Bridge sentence: "A stethoscope is the instrument used to listen to/measure the heartbeat." Step 2 — Apply the same sentence: "A sphygmomanometer is the instrument used to measure ___." It measures blood pressure. Step 3 — Check distractors: Pulse is tempting because it is also cardiovascular, but pulse is felt by hand or measured by a pulse oximeter, not a sphygmomanometer.

Answer: (B) Blood pressure.

Odd-one-out: filter in layers

Test the options against filters in this order, stopping at the first filter that isolates exactly one item:

1. Category — three are animals, one is a plant.
2. Function — three are used for cutting, one for joining.
3. Property — three are even numbers/vowels/metals, one is not.
4. Letter pattern — three start with consonants, contain double letters, etc.

Worked example

Question: Which is the odd one out? (A) Liver (B) Kidney (C) Heart (D) Femur

Step 1 — Category filter: All are body structures, so go deeper. Step 2 — Tissue type: Liver, kidney and heart are soft organs; the femur is a bone.

Answer: (D) Femur.

Coding-decoding: count the shift

Most MECEE-BL coding questions use a fixed letter shift or letter reversal. Write positions quickly: A=1 ... Z=26. A time-saving anchor: E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25.

Worked example

Question: In a certain code, DOCTOR is written as FQEVQT. How is NURSE written?

Step 1 — Compare letter by letter: D→F (+2), O→Q (+2), C→E (+2)... every letter moves +2. Step 2 — Apply +2 to NURSE: N→P, U→W, R→T, S→U, E→G.

Answer: PWTUG.

For number-coding (e.g., APPLE = 50 style questions), test the two standard rules: sum of letter positions, or sum multiplied/adjusted by the number of letters. One of these fits in almost every exam question.

Time-saver: In shift-coding questions, decode only the first and last letters of each option before decoding the whole word — this usually eliminates three options in ten seconds.

Direction of the code

Watch the question stem carefully:

• "DOCTOR is written as FQEVQT; how is NURSE written?" → apply the same shift forward.
• "FQEVQT means DOCTOR; what does PWTUG mean?" → apply the shift in reverse.

Reading this wrong is the #1 avoidable error in coding questions.

Quick revision

• Always write a bridge sentence for analogies before reading options.
• Keep the analogy relationship in the same order (A is to B, not B is to A).
• For odd-one-out, apply filters in order: category → function → property → letters.
• Memorise anchors E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25 for fast letter positions.
• In coding, check whether the shift is constant, alternating (+1, −1), or a reversal.
• Confirm whether you must encode or decode before computing.
• If two options seem right in an analogy, your bridge sentence is too loose — tighten it.