How to assess · For hiring teams
How to Assess Logical Reasoning Skills When Hiring
The test formats that actually work for Logical Reasoning, what a strong answer looks like, sample questions and a scoring rubric you can use as-is.
The short answer
Assess Logical Reasoning with a task, not a conversation: role-relevant reasoning problems, rule-application task, ai-scored assessment (e.g. cohesyve) or contradiction-finding exercise. Score it against written criteria you fix before you see any submissions, and weight the criteria that the role actually depends on.
- Identifies the structure of a problem: what is given, what is asked, what rules apply
- Applies rules consistently and completely
- Reaches valid conclusions and can show the steps
- Spots contradictions and impossibilities
Paste a job description; Cohesyve generates a role-specific assessment and rubric. Ten candidates free, no card.
Logical reasoning is the ability to work out what follows from what — to see the structure of a problem, apply rules consistently, spot contradictions and reach conclusions that hold. It underlies debugging, analysis, planning and policy work, and it is often tested with abstract puzzles that reward practice more than skill. This page covers how to assess logical reasoning across roles: rule application, deduction, pattern and structure recognition, and the discipline to distinguish valid conclusions from plausible ones.
Why Logical Reasoning is worth testing
Weak logical reasoning produces plans with contradictions, analyses that skip a step, and conclusions that feel right and are wrong. A role-relevant reasoning exercise shows whether a candidate applies rules consistently and reaches valid conclusions, and it predicts the quality of thinking in every task that requires it.
What strong Logical Reasoning looks like
- Identifies the structure of a problem: what is given, what is asked, what rules apply
- Applies rules consistently and completely
- Reaches valid conclusions and can show the steps
- Spots contradictions and impossibilities
- Distinguishes what must be true from what might be true
- Handles conditional reasoning correctly
- Recognises when a problem has insufficient information
Ways to assess Logical Reasoning
Role-relevant reasoning problems
Provide four to six problems drawn from the role's domain — scheduling with constraints, eligibility rules applied to cases, a process with conditions, a debugging scenario — and ask for answers with reasoning. Twenty-five minutes.
Pros
Cons
Best for Any role.
Rule-application task
Provide a policy with several conditions and five cases. Ask which cases qualify and why.
Pros
Cons
Best for Operational and compliance roles.
AI-scored assessment (e.g. Cohesyve)
Generate a logical reasoning task from the job description — a constraint problem, a rule-application set, a contradiction-finding task — with a rubric. Each candidate receives a different variant, so items cannot be shared or practised; the reasoning is scored alongside the answer.
Pros
Cons
Best for Screening an applicant pool fairly before interview time is spent.
Contradiction-finding exercise
Provide a plan or specification with an internal contradiction and ask them to find it.
Pros
Cons
Best for Analytical and engineering roles.
Cohesyve
Run a Logical Reasoning assessment on your next opening
Cohesyve generates a unique Logical Reasoning task per candidate from your job description, with the scoring rubric attached. Questions are different for every applicant, so they cannot be shared or looked up.
What to test
Structure
Whether they see the problem.
Deduction
Whether conclusions are valid.
Consistency
Whether contradictions are caught.
Judgement
Whether they know the limits.
Sample Logical Reasoning questions
If all managers attend the meeting and Sam attends the meeting, is Sam a manager?
EntryLook for Not necessarily; recognises the invalid inference.
Apply these three eligibility rules to these five cases. Which qualify?
EntryLook for Correct, consistent application; shows reasoning for each.
Schedule four meetings given these constraints. Is there a valid order?
MidLook for Systematic approach; finds a valid order or shows why none exists.
This specification says X must always happen and also that X never happens when Y. Y sometimes happens. What is wrong?
MidLook for Identifies the contradiction and states it precisely.
From these statements, what must be true, what might be true, and what cannot be determined?
SeniorLook for Sorts correctly with reasoning; comfortable with "cannot be determined".
Red flags
- Invalid inferences
- Inconsistent rule application
- Misses contradictions
- Cannot show working
- Treats plausible as proven
Scoring rubric
| Criterion | Weight | What strong looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 20% | Sees givens, rules and question. |
| Deduction | 35% | Valid conclusions with steps. |
| Consistency | 25% | Contradictions caught. |
| Judgement | 20% | Knows must from might. |
Mistakes hiring teams make
- Using abstract puzzles that reward practice
- Not scoring the working
- Too much time pressure
- Skipping contradiction-finding
- Assuming technical roles have this covered
Roles that need Logical Reasoning
Common questions
Should I use a standardised logical reasoning test?
They are normed, and also abstract and practised. Role-relevant problems test applied reasoning; combine if the role warrants it.
What is the best single logical reasoning question?
The "all managers attend; Sam attends; is Sam a manager" item. Recognising the invalid inference is the foundation.
How long should a logical reasoning assessment take?
Twenty-five minutes for four to six problems with working.
How do I make problems role-relevant?
Use the real rules, constraints and specifications of the job. Scheduling, eligibility and process conditions are logic problems in disguise.
Cohesyve · Skill assessments for hiring
Test Logical Reasoning before the first interview
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