Syllogism basics

The Decision Making section starts with the first question type, Syllogisms.

You must apply the logical statements in each question to filter valid conclusions from any invalid or flawed claims.

You will do this by answering each of five statements Yes or No.

The key task in Syllogisms is deductive reasoning.

You must take the stimulus as the logical premises and then see if it applies to new statements in each of the five parts.

If the new statement fits the logic of the premises, the answer is Yes.

If the new statement contradicts the logic of the premises, the answer is No.

If you can’t tell if the new statement fits or contradicts the premises, the answer is No.

In Syllogisms, you will not simply see if the text matches, but you will have to analyse the logical terms to see if they are the same groups in the same relationships.

Notice that deductive reasoning is a step beyond the text comparison you will do throughout VR and also in DM Inference questions.

You must consider the logical groups and relationships in the stimulus, then see if you can make deductions in each statement that:

• follow the logic, in which case you will answer Yes.
• contradict the logic, in which case you will answer No.
• do not line up with the logic, in which case the answer is also No.

Here and there, you may find a statement that looks like it simply repeats information from the stimulus. In such cases, the answer is Yes if it maintains the same logical groups and relationship.

But in most cases, you must apply the logic in a new way for each statement.

On Test Day, push yourself to answer each Syllogism in 1 minute or less. This pacing will be challenging at first, but it will become possible with practice.

You will see the same logical structures again and again in Syllogisms, so there is a good opportunity to pick up the pace – so long as you are confident in your logical analysis. It’s a skill you will want to develop as you revise.

The vast majority of individual statements in Syllogisms are fairly straightforward to compare to the stimulus.

Since the stimuli are relatively short, you will likely find that Syllogisms are much faster than Inference questions, despite having the same five-part drag-and-drop format.

Keep an eye on this as you revise, as it may help you to make critical pacing decisions in timed practice and ultimately on Test Day. Remember that the task in Syllogisms and Inference questions is fundamentally different – so you may need to vary your pacing and triage as well.

Use the Medify Top Tips for every Syllogism in your UCAT revision and on Test Day:

1. Read the first statement first, before you look at the stimulus. You can then read the premises in the stimulus with the first statement in mind and answer it quickly.

2. Untangle the logic in the stimulus, with an eye on matching or overlapping groups along with any necessary relationships. You may find that the same logical group is repeated in more than one sentence, allowing you to link the logic as you make deductions.

3. Apply the Decision Making definitions carefully and accurately. These can be the key to whether a statement is Yes or No, particularly when there are quantitative or comparative groups or claims.

4. Watch out for categorical statements and conditionals, as these allow you to use the contrapositive to deduce an equivalent relationship that must also be true. This technique is challenging at first, but with practice it can pay off in the hardest statements.

5. Look for shifts and twists in meaning. The language in a statement might seem similar to the stimulus, but the slightest shift in wording could result in quite different logical groups or relationships.

You must consider each of the five parts in a Syllogism on its own logic in relation to the premises in the stimulus.

Do not assume that a statement that seems similar to another in the same question will have the same answer.

Compare each statement’s logic to the premises in the stimulus to see if it fits the logic, or if it contradicts or does not clearly align or misalign.

You will work quickly in Syllogisms to decide: Yes or No?

Select Yes if the statement logically matches the stimulus:

• The statement directly repeats something from the premises.
• The statement follows the logic of the premises, with the same groups and relationships.
• The statement applies the logic of the groups and relationships in the premises to new information in a way that must be true in all cases.

Select No if:

• The statement violates the logic of the premises.
• The statement imitates the logic of the premises but with an error in one or more groups or relationships.
• The statement does not line up with the logic of the premises.
• You would need more information to determine if the statement aligns or misaligns with the premises’ logic.