Analogy
An analogy gives one pair and asks for a second pair related in the same way. The whole skill is naming that relationship in a short sentence before you read the options. If you cannot say the relation, you have nothing to test the options against.
Updated 11 October 2026 · Turns up in reasoning and verbal sections, usually as single standalone questions.
How to think about analogy
Make a bridge sentence first
Turn the first pair into one short sentence that is true of it: for Painter : Brush, "a painter paints with a brush". Then put each option into the same sentence. Exactly one should make it true. If two do, make the sentence more specific and test again; if none do, your sentence was too narrow.
Know the common relationship types
Most word analogies use a handful of relations: part to whole (Petal : Flower), worker to tool (Tailor : Needle), cause to effect (Virus : Disease), degree (Warm : Hot), function (Scissors : Cut), and synonym or antonym (Brave : Courageous, Expand : Contract). Naming the type tells you what kind of word to look for.
Keep the direction of the pair
Petal : Flower is part to whole; Flower : Petal is whole to part. Question setters often put the reversed pair among the options, so it matches the type but not the order. Read both pairs left to right in the same sentence.
Number and letter analogies are rules
For numbers, test the standard values in order: squares and cubes, then one more or less than them (n² ± 1, n³ ± 1), then n(n + 1), multiples and digit sums. For letters, convert to positions (A=1 … Z=26) and look for a shift, a reversal or the opposite letter (27 − n). A single pair often fits more than one rule, so confirm that your rule gives one of the options.
Formulas and shortcuts
- Bridge sentence
A sentence true of A and B must stay true of C and DA : B :: C : D reads "A is to B as C is to D".
- Part to whole, worker to tool
Petal : Flower, Wheel : Car; Tailor : Needle, Farmer : PloughReversing the order reverses the relation: Flower : Petal is whole to part.
- Cause to effect, function
Virus : Disease, Flood : Damage; Scissors : Cut, Broom : Sweep - Degree
Warm : Hot, Like : LoveThe second word is a stronger form of the first.
- Synonym and antonym
Brave : Courageous (same meaning), Expand : Contract (opposite) - Number rules to try first
n², n³, n² ± 1, n³ ± 1, n(n + 1), × k, digit sum - Letter rules
Positions A=1 … Z=26; shift by k; opposite letter = 27 − n
Solved examples
Q1. Carpenter : Saw :: Surgeon : ? Options: Hospital, Patient, Scalpel, Operation.
- Put the first pair in a sentence: "A carpenter cuts with a saw." The relation is worker to tool.
- Put each option in the same sentence. "A surgeon cuts with a hospital" and "a surgeon cuts with a patient" are false.
- "A surgeon cuts with a scalpel" is true.
- Operation is the work a surgeon does, not a tool, so it fails the sentence even though it is closely linked to surgeons.
Answer: Scalpel
If two options had passed, you would tighten the sentence — the hand tool used to cut — and test again.
Q2. 5 : 124 :: 7 : ?
- 124 sits just below 125, which is 5³. Try the rule n³ − 1.
- Check it on the given pair: 5³ − 1 = 125 − 1 = 124. It fits.
- Apply it to 7: 7³ − 1 = 343 − 1.
Answer: 342
A single pair fits other rules too (5 + 119 = 124 would give 7 + 119 = 126). Prefer the rule built from standard values such as squares and cubes, and make sure it produces one of the options.
Q3. ACE : FHJ :: KMO : ?
- Convert to positions: A=1, C=3, E=5 and F=6, H=8, J=10.
- Each letter moves forward by 5. Confirm it on all three letters, not just the first.
- Apply the same shift to K=11, M=13, O=15: 16, 18, 20.
- Convert back: P, R, T.
Answer: PRT
Practice questions with answers
1. Choose the pair related in the same way as Finger : Hand.
Answer: B. Page : Book — A finger is part of a hand — part first, whole second. Page : Book keeps that order. Book : Page is the same type reversed, Pen : Paper is a tool and the surface it is used on, and Tree : Wood is a source and its material.
2. Exercise : Fitness :: Study : ?
Answer: C. Knowledge — Exercise leads to fitness: an action and its result. Study leads to knowledge. A book is what you study, a school is where you study and a teacher guides the study — none of them is the result.
3. Tired : Exhausted :: Hungry : ?
Answer: A. Starving — Exhausted is an extreme degree of tired, so the answer is an extreme degree of hungry: starving. Food relieves hunger, thirsty is a different need, and full is the opposite.
4. Pen : Write :: Knife : ?
Answer: D. Cut — A pen is used to write: an object and its function. A knife is used to cut. Sharp is a quality of the knife, steel is its material and a chef is a person who uses it.
5. Ancient : Modern :: Scarce : ?
Answer: B. Abundant — Ancient and modern are opposites, so look for the opposite of scarce: abundant. Rare and few mean nearly the same as scarce, and costly is only a likely consequence of scarcity.
6. 9 : 80 :: 11 : ?
Answer: A. 120 — 80 = 9² − 1, so the rule is n² − 1. For 11: 121 − 1 = 120. The traps are 121 (11²), 122 (11² + 1) and 132 (11 × 12).
7. 23 : 5 :: 47 : ?
Answer: C. 11 — 5 is the sum of the digits of 23 (2 + 3). For 47: 4 + 7 = 11. 28 is the product of the digits and 3 is their difference.
8. CX : DW :: GT : ?
Answer: D. HS — C → D is +1 and X → W is −1. Apply the same moves to GT: G → H and T → S, giving HS. Each pair is also an opposite-letter pair (C + X = 3 + 24 = 27, H + S = 8 + 19 = 27), which confirms the rule.
Where marks get lost
- Reading the options before naming the relation in the first pair.
- Matching the relationship type but not its direction — Book : Page is not Page : Book.
- Choosing a word that is merely associated (Knife and Chef) instead of one related in the same way.
- Taking the first number rule that fits one pair without checking that it gives one of the options.
Reading is not practising.
Run a timed set on analogy and see which step you actually lose time on. Free, no card needed.
Start a timed set