Logical reasoning, the soft skill that builds an argument no one can dismantle

Chaining coherent propositions in professional situations is a measurable competency, not a QCM score. Discover the Rising Up method.

Employee structuring an argument on a whiteboard

What is logical reasoning at work?

Logical Reasoning

Logical reasoning is the ability to establish links between events, to identify regularities and to extract trends to support a coherent decision.

It differs from the memorisation of logical rules and from the score obtained on a standardised test: knowing how to solve a syllogism does not predict the ability to sustain reasoning against contradictory data and under pressure. Concretely, it is the person who spots that an attractive argument rests on a correlation taken for a cause, and who knows how to say so without antagonising.

Like all Core Skills, it is not a personality trait but a trainable cognitive ability, which rests on identifiable mechanisms and expresses itself in observable professional behaviours.

Where this skill plays out concretely:

What kinds of tasks: data analysis, building a business case, audit, committee arbitration, technical diagnosis.

In which contexts: contradictory data between departments, an argument to evaluate, an incident whose cause is disputed.

At what level of mastery: building a verifiable chain of arguments and spotting the flaws in other people's.

Logical reasoning belongs to the Innovation & Communication family of our framework of 18 soft skills (Rising Up Core Skills).

Why develop logical reasoning?

In a professional environment where decisions must be argued, logical reasoning is a measurable driver of performance:

Pour qui?

Pour qui et dans quels contextes ?

This soft skill is embedded in our development paths and certifying assessments at Rising Up.

Book a demo
Company

In roles where every decision must be argued before demanding stakeholders, technical expertise alone is not enough to hold an argument under pressure. The Rising Up Soft Skills Scan objectively measures logical reasoning in your talents to identify profiles able to structure, defend and adjust arguments. The result: more reliable decisions, more productive meetings and fewer costly analytical errors. This competency is particularly important for strategy consultants, financial analysts, data scientists, product managers and managers.

Recruiter

Classical QCM tests measure the memorisation of logical rules, not the ability to reason in real situations. The Rising Up Soft Skills Scan measures logical reasoning in professional context through several contextualised evaluation methods, and predicts actual on-the-job performance. You gain an objective behavioural signal to limit the risk of a bad hire on analytical positions. This competency is particularly important for strategy consultants, financial analysts, data scientists, product managers and managers.

Higher education institution

Employers in analytical and consulting fields expect graduates to be able to reason logically under pressure, an ability rarely measured objectively in traditional curricula. The Rising Up Soft Skills Scan measures this competency, develops your students through the Soft Skills Enrichment programme, then certifies their level at the end of the curriculum. You strengthen graduate employability. This competency is particularly important for strategy consultants, financial analysts, data scientists, product managers and managers.

Logical Reasoning

Comment la mesurer et la développer ?

Through the Rising Up Soft Skills Scan, logical reasoning is measured scientifically on a 0-100 scale, using different evaluation methods, from situational exercises to contextualized questionnaires, calibrated by our scientific team, led by Dr Nawal Abboub (PhD in cognitive science, lecturer at ENS-PSL, co-founder of Rising Up), in collaboration with researchers from the CNRS, ENS-PSL and Université Paris Cité.

Every report includes:

  • a detailed score and its positioning against the requirements of the role
  • a contextualized behavioural analysis for each professional situation
  • personalized recommendations to progress over time

Rising Up is recognised as Deeptech by the European Innovation Council (EIC) since 2023.

Then, the modules of the Soft Skills Enrichment programme allow you to improve this skill through argumentative challenges, realistic simulations and reflections guided by our proprietary CoreSkills AI.

Develop logical reasoning
Measuring logical reasoning with Rising Up helps us guide our students toward consulting firms and analytical roles where their ability to structure an argument under pressure will be a real differentiator in hiring.
Careers Director, engineering school, 1,100 students (anonymised Rising Up case)
FAQ

Understanding and developing logical reasoning

What is the difference between logical reasoning and intelligence?

Intelligence refers to a broad set of cognitive abilities (memory, learning, problem-solving, language, etc.). Logical reasoning is a subset: the specific ability to chain coherent propositions toward a verifiable conclusion.

A person can have a high IQ and reason poorly under pressure, or have strong logical reasoning in their field without being a global genius. Rising Up measures the ability to reason in professional situations, not general intelligence.

Do classical QCM tests really measure this competency?

Partially. QCM tests (IQ-type or hiring) assess memorisation of logical rules and execution speed. They do not measure the ability to reason with incomplete, contradictory data or under emotional pressure, which are the real conditions of work.

The Rising Up Soft Skills Scan complements classical tests by measuring logical reasoning in contextualized professional situations, with scenarios where the candidate must decide and argue, not just tick a box.

Can logical reasoning be developed as an adult?

Yes. Contrary to the popular belief that logical reasoning is a fixed trait, cognitive science research shows it is trainable at any age through practising argumentative structuring, debate and critical analysis.

Our Soft Skills Enrichment programme offers exercises to develop logical reasoning, with AI-based progress tracking through CoreSkills AI.

Why is this competency crucial in management?

Behavioural skills predict professional success, contribute to it causally, and can be developed (research by James Heckman, Nobel laureate in economics). Logical reasoning is at the heart of modern management: arbitrating between options, arguing a decision, defending a position before a committee.

Without strong logical reasoning, a manager can make costly decisions, be swayed by fragile arguments or lose credibility with their direction. It is a central criterion for promotion and mobility to strategic roles.

Pas Sûr ?
Réserver une demo

99% de nos clients jugent THE LAB comme la meilleure platforme.

Voir tous nos cas clients
SOFT SKILLS SUITE

Make better decisions with soft skills

From recruitment At development skills, Rising Up provides reliable behavioral data to guide your HR and educational choices.

Book a demo