Reading Flowcharts
Read the shapes, trace forward from START, work backward from an outcome to its direct reason, and judge statements as always, possibly or never true, using only what the chart shows.
What it is
A flowchart is a picture of a process. Boxes show what happens, arrows show the order, and yes/no questions split the path. Each route from START to an END is one possible case.
The exam gives you a flowchart, usually of an office process (an application, an order, a payment), and asks three kinds of questions:
- Forward: "What happens if ...?" or "What is the next step?"
- Backward: "What is the direct reason for ...?"
- Judging statements: "Which must be true?", "Which could be true?", "Which can never happen?"
Why it matters on the exam
Flowchart sets appear in the Analytical part of the Professional exam, usually four questions per chart. Every answer is in the chart. The wrong choices are built from steps that make sense in real life but are not shown, or from steps that come later than the one asked.
At work, offices describe procedures with flowcharts. Reading them correctly tells you what to do next and why a request ended where it did.
- He fills out a card application.
- The due date is stamped and the book is lent.
- He is added to the waiting list.
- He is asked to come back the next day.
The rest of this lesson, and every other lesson, is part of ReviewTayo.
Read moreIn the full lesson
- How to recognize it on the test
- What to look for (5 checks)
- All 4 rules and tools
- 4 worked examples, every step explained
- 6 common mistakes and how to fix them
- 3 exam techniques
- Remember: 5 key points
- Practice questions with explanations, and your progress saved
More Analytical Ability lessons
ReviewTayo has 47 lessons that follow the official scope of the exam, each with rules, worked examples, common mistakes and practice. Open one and read the first part.