Saumya
Saumya Jain
Assistant Manager- Content
Updated on Jan 22, 2025 18:36 IST

The Analytical Reasoning section of ATMA is moderate to tough in terms of the difficulty level. Read key tips to crack the Analytical Reasoning section of the ATMA exam 2025 in the article below.

The Analytical Reasoning section of the ATMA exam aims to assess the candidate's ability to analyze and interpret data, make decisions, and solve complex problems. ATMA exam has six sections based on Verbal Skills, Quantitative Skills and Analytical Reasoning. Analytical Reasoning is one of the most difficult sections among the three but can be aced with practice. Aims Test for Management Admission or ATMA is a national-level MBA entrance exam. The exam is taken by a lot of MBA aspirants every year. According to previous years’ trends, the difficulty level of the ATMA exam is moderate to difficult. In this article, Shiksha brings a guide on how to prepare for the Analytical Reasoning section of the ATMA exam.

ATMA Analytical Reasoning: An Overview

The difficulty level of the Analytical Reasoning section of the ATMA exam is usually moderate to tough. This section of the exam is based on critical and logical reasoning questions. To ace the section, one needs to have a clear understanding of the question. Students need to be clear with which question requires what type of approach. In the ATMA exam, there are two sections based on Analytical Reasoning, i.e. Analytical Reasoning Part I and Analytical Reasoning Part II. Check out some of the key points to remember below:

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  • The Analytical Reasoning section (Part I and II) has 60 questions in total. Candidates will have 30 minutes to solve each section.
  • All the questions will be MCQ-type questions
  • Every question carries one mark each
  • 0.25 marks will be deducted for wrong attempts
  • An attempt of 22-25 questions with accuracy will be considered a good attempt

ATMA Analytical Reasoning Syllabus

The Analytical Reasoning section of the ATMA exam comprises the topics given below. Check the table to know the important topics that can be asked in this section.

Important Topics of Analytical Reasoning Section

Critical Reasoning

Coding and Decoding

Syllogisms

Course of Action

Arguments

Data Sufficiency

Statement and Inference

Statements and Conclusions

Strong and Weak Arguments

Arrangements

Blood Relations

Venn Diagrams

Also Read:

Best Books for ATMA: Analytical Reasoning

The following is the list of best books for Analytical Reasoning. Check the recommended books below:

Q:   Can I prepare for ATMA exam in one month?

A:

Preparing for the ATMA in one month requires a structured plan. In the first two weeks, understand the exam pattern, syllabus, and identify weaknesses through a diagnostic test. In the third week, focus on quantitative, verbal, and analytical reasoning skills. Strengthen basic concepts and practice time management. Week four is crucial for simulated exam conditions; take full-length mock tests, analyze mistakes, and revise key concepts. Prioritize weak areas and enhance vocabulary. In the last days, ensure relaxation, review test-taking strategies, and maintain a positive mindset. While intensive, this condensed plan can be effective with consistent effort and strategic focus on identified weaknesses. Regular mock tests and targeted revision will be essential for building confidence in the limited timeframe.

Q:   Is ATMA exam difficult?

A:
ATMA is a speed-based test which is designed to assess a candidate's analytical aptitude, logical reasoning skills, and English comprehension. It may sound tough, but these are the skills which we are taught in school so there is nothing new to learn. What is required is to learn these subjects at an advanced level. All you will need is to brush up on the basics and practice the concepts on advance level problems. Students should solve previous years question papers, attempt an ample number of mock tests and be consistent to score well in the ATMA exam. Having said that, the preparation for the ATMA exam requires focus, dedication, discipline and diligence. If you can do that, despite being an average student, you can crack the ATMA exam. ATMA is one of the easiest MBA entrance exams and a good preparation strategy can help you crack the ATMA exam with a good score. Generally, the toughest section of the ATMA question paper is Quantitative Aptitude. But with daily practice and focusing on understanding the fundamentals, this section of the ATMA exam can be handled easily.

Q:   What is a good score in ATMA exam?

A:
Candidates appearing for the ATMA exam for admission to MBA programme, must have a good percentile to clear the cutoff of their preferred colleges. The validity of ATMA score is one year and students will be offered admission to colleges accepting ATMA scores through their ATMA result. Each institute releases their individual cutoffs. To gain admission, candidates need to match the cutoff criteria of their preferred institute. The ATMA exam has 180 questions and the total marks are 180. But, the raw scores are then scaled and the final marks are awarded out of 800. Knowing what is a good score in ATMA exam is subjective, however, the current trends suggest that the following will be considered a good score: Very good score- More than 700 Good score- 650-700 Average score- 620- 650 Low score- Below 550 Based on the scores obtained in the ATMA exam, the percentile of the candidates will be calculated.
  • A Modern Approach to Verbal Reasoning by R.S Aggarwal
  • Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey
  • A New Approach to Reasoning by B.S Sijwali and S Sijwali
  • Logical and Analytical Reasoning by K Gupta
  • Analytical & Logical Reasoning for CAT & Other Management Entrance Tests by Piyush Bharadwaj

Students must note that when they are preparing for the ATMA exam, they must refer to other study material apart from the books mentioned above. They must practice an ample number of mock tests and sample papers for this section. As the saying goes, ‘practice makes a man perfect. The more you practice the better you will get on solving the questions.

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Also Read: Best books to read for the ATMA exam

ATMA Preparation: Tips and Tricks to Crack Analytical Reasoning

As mentioned above, to ace this section, one needs to practice as much as one can. Not practicing enough can make the section a tough problem to solve. One needs to attempt a question with a clear understanding and the right approach. There are no formulae in Analytical Reasoning per se but one needs to apply their cognitive ability to solve the puzzles. Check out some of the ATMA preparation tips to crack the Analytical Reasoning section below:

  • The success in solving the question in the Analytical Reasoning section depends on how well you understand the question. The questions may seem confusing at the first glance, but give time and slowly read and understand the question.
  • While practicing mock tests and sample papers, try to solve each question twice or thrice. Again practicing more will help you in solving the question not only quickly but also accurately.
  • While preparing for the Analytical Reasoning section, list down your strengths and weaknesses and decide which topics to take up first. Try to find tips and tricks to solve the questions quickly and jot down small notes which will help you further during the revision.
  • The answer to a question in the Analytical Reasoning section lies in the question and the options themselves. Try to find out a reason as to why one option is correct and others are not.
  • Develop a skill of thinking critically. The questions in this section are based on critical reasoning. Break down the questions into a logical flow and a series of events. And then examine each event and look at them critically and eventually solve them.
  • Try to draw rough diagrams or grids or tables to understand the question with the data given in the question. Experts suggest that visuals help in solving a particular question in a better way.
  • Read as much as you can. Develop a habit of reading and try reading the question twice and fetch the important data or information from the question. This will increase the speed and accuracy.

Read More:

 

Q:   How can I crack ATMA in 6 months?

A:
ATMA is very much similar to any other entrance exam and can be cracked if time is managed wisely. Here are few tips to crack the examination provided limited numbers of days/months: Set your plan agile and keep buffer time for revision and solving mock test papers. Start with your verbal and quantitative practice in parallel. Six months can make or change the game, time management is very important at every single point of time till the final day and even on the day. Keep positive! Maintain a good balance between your accuracy and solving time. Be focused and calm. For the last month keep all the formulas and tricks handy and revise on a daily basis. Remember not to be emotional while solving or appearing for exam. Manage your time wisely. In short: - Make daily/weekly targets and pen down each - Revise the syllabus as per study plan - Solve previous year questions as per time frame guidelines of actual exam. This will give you a look and feel of actual exam - Manage your time well - Keep calm and stay cool

Q:   What is the best way to prepare ATMA at home?

A:
If you have a good study plan, you can study independently at home for the ATMA exam. This exam is conducted around four times a year and is relatively easier than other exams. The following is advice from professionals on how to create an ATMA plan: 1. Using the ATMA syllabus as a guide, make a list of the subjects that the study materials must cover. 2. Plan your study time on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis according to the time available. 3. Analyze previous ATMA tests to note important topics. 4. You can find a mentor to assist you or join any online study group. 5. To enable thorough planning, assign a time limit to each section. 6. Start reading newspaper and magazine editorials to gain a command of the verbal skill section. 7. For the quantitative section, read the basic concepts and formulas from school textbooks. 8. Examine your progress through mock tests on a monthly basis. 9. Keep analyzing and improving your score over time until test day. 10. Set your score to meet the cutoff for the college to which you want to apply.

Q:   Which are the most important topics to focus for ATMA preparation?

A:
AIMS conducts the ATMA exam at least three to four times a year. This year, the exam will be conducted thrice in the computer-based test mode. Here are important topics for the exam according to the sections of ATMA question paper. 1. Analytical Reasoning: Every year, this section is considered to be the toughest among the others. This section contains questions mainly from Analytical Reasoning and Critical Reasoning. Some of the important topics of this section include: 1. Syllogisms 2. Critical Reasoning 3. Course of Action 4. Cause and Effect 5. Statement and Conclusion 6. Strong and Weak Arguments 7. Statement and Inference 8. Coding and Decoding 9. Arrangements 10. Data Sufficiency 2. Verbal Skills: Just like other management entrance tests, this section is divided into Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability/English Usage. There are about four to five comprehension passages while the topics of English usage are as follows: 1. Synonyms (word pair) 2. Fill in the blanks 3. Para Formation Questions (PFQs) 4. Idioms 5. Error identification 6. Word Meaning 7. Antonyms 8. Sentence Completion 9. Para Jumbles 10. Grammar 3. Quantitative Skills: This section of the ATMA question paper is also considered tough. However, the overall difficulty level can be considered to be moderate. Some of the important topics of this section include: 1. Percentage 2. Profit and Loss 3. Partnership 4. Simple Interest and Compound Interest 5. Average, Mixture and Alligation 6. Time and Distance 7. Time and Speed 8. Geometry and Mensuration 9. Time and Work 10. Permutation & Combination 11. Probability 12. Statistics 13. Graphs and Pie Chart.

Q:   What are the last minute tips to prepare for ATMA before the exam?

A:

ATMA is one of the important MBA entrance exams. The first tip to ace the ATMA exam is to stay calm. Here are a few last minute preparation tips for ATMA exam:

  • Confirm the exact location of the ATMA test centre at least one day before the ATMA exam day to ensure that transportation is available on time. If you are new to the city or the location of the centre, it is adivsable to visit the centre once.
  • Arrive early to the ATMA exam centre. Applicants must ensure that they arrive at least an hour before the exam begins.
  • Use the restroom before to the start of the test. Because you will not have time and may not be able to exit the exam hall throughout the examination period, use the restroom before entering the examination hall. 
  • Do not bring cell phones or other electronic devices, such as calculators, smartwatches, to the exam centre because the machines are not always available. Personal property will not be safeguarded outside of the exam centre, and the exam centre authories will not be held liable for any loss of personal property. There are no stationary objects allowed, such as a pen, stylus, or paper. Rough pads and pens will be given to the applicants. Candidates should write their name and application number on their rough pads/sheets.
  • Stay calm and have a healthy breakfast in the morning before the exam. 

Q:   What is the ideal time to prepare for ATMA?

A:
Aspirants should start preparing for the ATMA exam at least six months before the test date. ATMA preparation requires planning thus one must start early. They can also join coaching institutes for focused preparation. Starting early will also help you assess that whether you need to join a coaching institute or not. Divide your preparation into three phases - 1. Covering the syllabus 2. Practicing mock tests, sample questions and 3. Revision. The ATMA syllabus includes the following topics: Verbal Skills: Parajumbles, Sentence Completion, Grammar, Comprehension Passages, Synonyms and Antonyms, etc. , Analytical Reasoning: Tables, Graphs, Pie Charts, Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Strong and Weak Arguments, and Syllogism Quantitative Skills: Geometry, Algebra Number System Arithmetic, Mensuration etc. You can read the following ATMA books for exam preparation: 1. A New Approach to Reasoning by BS Sijawali 2. Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha 3. Multi-Dimensional Reasoning by Mishra Kumar and Dr Lal 4. Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis 5. How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay 6. High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin 7. How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma 9. Class 9 and Class 10 NCERT Mathematics books 10. Quantitative Aptitude by R. S Aggarwal.
About the Author
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Saumya Jain
Assistant Manager- Content

With over 7 years of editorial experience, Saumya has been a writer at Shiksha for over four years. With a bachelor's degree in English literature from Delhi University, she loves to write. A true Delhiite and her l... Read Full Bio

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Answered 20 hours ago

Hi Neha,

The registration for the ATMA 2025 exam is currently open. The last date to register is February 11, 2025.

Steps to Register:

  1. Visit the Official Website: Go to the ATMA registration portal.

  2. Create an Account: Click on "Register Now" and provide your email ID and mobile number.

  3. Payment of Fees:

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Ankit kumar

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 5 days ago

The following list displays colleges together with their expected ATMA cutoff scores. There exists an expected cutoff of 85 at the Institute of Management Studies (IMS) in Ghaziabad and Jaipuria Institute of Management in Noida alongside Delhi School of Business maintaining a cutoff of 75-80. Simila

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Kapil Lalwani

Contributor-Level 10