Correct Chains, Wrong Answers: Dissociating Reasoning from Output in LLM Logic
LLMs can execute every step of chain-of-thought reasoning correctly and still produce wrong final answers. We introduce the Novel Operator Test, a benchmark that separates operator logic from operator name, enabling rigorous distinction between genuine reasoning and pattern retrieval. By evaluating Boolean operators under unfamiliar names across depths 1-10 on five models (up to 8,100 problems each), we demonstrate a reasoning-output dissociation that existing benchmarks cannot detect. At Claude Sonnet 4's depth 7, all 31 errors have verifiably correct reasoning yet wrong declared answers; 17/19 errors in mixed-operator chains exhibit the same pattern. The benchmark reveals two failure ty...
| Authors | Abinav Rao, Sujan Rachuri, Nikhil Vemuri |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.CL |
| Published | 19 March 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 19 March 2026 |
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