⚡ Quick quiz

Test yourself in under a minute: SSC CGL Reasoning Practice Test

Six quick questions to check whether you can name the underlying pattern in an analogy, series or puzzle fast enough to beat the clock, not just eventually work it out.

1. 1. Doctor : Hospital :: Judge : ?

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2. 2. Find the missing number in the series: 5, 11, 23, 47, ?

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3. 3. Statements: All pens are pencils. All pencils are erasers. Conclusions: I. All pens are erasers. II. Some erasers are pens. Which conclusion(s) follow?

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4. 4. Pointing to a photograph, Rina said, 'She is the daughter of my grandfather's only son.' How is the woman in the photograph related to Rina?

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5. 5. If '+' means '÷', '−' means '×', '×' means '−', and '÷' means '+', find the value of: 12 × 4 ÷ 2 + 6 − 3

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6. 6. If a plane mirror is placed vertically to the right of the word 'STAMP', in what order will the letters appear in the mirror image (left to right)?

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Analogy & Classification

Questions 1-5 build core pattern-recognition skills through number and letter analogies, plus odd-one-out classification across shapes, numbers, and categories.

1. 1. If 8 : 65 :: 6 : ?, find the missing number.

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   37🔊

   The rule linking the pair is n squared plus 1: 8² + 1 = 65. Applying the same rule to 6 gives 6² + 1 = 37, which keeps the pattern consistent.

2. 2. BDF : CEG :: MOQ : ?

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   NPR🔊

   In BDF → CEG, each letter is shifted forward by one position (B→C, D→E, F→G). Applying the same +1 shift to M, O, Q gives N, P, R.

3. 3. Select the odd one out: Triangle, Square, Pentagon, Circle

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   Circle🔊

   Triangle, Square, and Pentagon are all polygons made of straight sides and vertices, while a Circle has no straight sides or corners at all. This structural difference makes Circle the odd one out.

4. 4. Select the odd one out: 121, 144, 169, 200

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   200🔊

   121, 144, and 169 are perfect squares of 11, 12, and 13 respectively. 200 lies between 14² (196) and 15² (225) and is not a perfect square, making it the odd one out.

5. 5. Select the odd one out: Sitar, Violin, Santoor, Flute

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   Flute🔊

   Sitar, Violin, and Santoor are all string instruments played by plucking or bowing strings. Flute is a wind instrument played by blowing air, so it does not belong to the group.

Series & Coding-Decoding

Questions 6-11 cover letter and mixed series completion, alphabet-shift and statement-based coding, and a matrix-coordinate coding problem.

1. 1. Find the missing letter in the series: Z, W, T, Q, ?

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   N🔊

   The letters move backward through the alphabet in steps of 3: Z(26), W(23), T(20), Q(17). Subtracting 3 from Q(17) gives N(14), continuing the same fixed gap.

2. 2. Find the missing term in the series: A1, C4, E9, G16, ?

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   I25🔊

   The letters skip one position each time (A, C, E, G, I, a jump of 2 in the alphabet), while the numbers are consecutive perfect squares (1², 2², 3², 4²). The next letter is I and the next number is 5² = 25, giving I25.

3. 3. If in a certain code, FLOWER is written as EKNVDQ, how is GARDEN written in the same code?

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   FZQCDM🔊

   Comparing FLOWER and EKNVDQ shows each letter is shifted one step backward in the alphabet (F→E, L→K, and so on). Applying the same backward shift to GARDEN gives F, Z (A wraps to Z), Q, C, D, M, that is, FZQCDM.

4. 4. In a certain code language, 'TABLE' is written as 'UZCKF'. How is 'CHAIR' written in that code?

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   DGBHS🔊

   In TABLE→UZCKF, letters in odd positions (1st, 3rd, 5th) move forward by 1 and letters in even positions (2nd, 4th) move backward by 1. Applying this alternating +1/−1 rule to CHAIR gives D, G, B, H, S.

5. 5. In a code, '7 3 4' means 'roses are red', '8 2 7' means 'lily are white', and '9 3 2' means 'white and red'. What is the code for 'and'?

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   9🔊

   Comparing the sentences pairwise: the number common to sentences 1 and 3 (both containing 'red') is 3, so red=3; the number common to sentences 2 and 3 (both containing 'white') is 2, so white=2. In the third statement (9, 3, 2), since 3=red and 2=white, the remaining number 9 must stand for the remaining word 'and'.

6. 6. In a coding matrix, each letter is coded as (row x 10 + column) using a 5x5 grid: Row 1 = A-E, Row 2 = F-J, Row 3 = K-O, Row 4 = P-T, Row 5 = U-Y (columns numbered 1-5, left to right). What is the code for the word 'MOP'?

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   33, 35, 41🔊

   In the 5x5 grid, M is in Row 3, Column 3 (code 33); O is in Row 3, Column 5 (code 35); P is in Row 4, Column 1 (code 41). Reading the letters in order gives the code 33, 35, 41.

Logical & Verbal Reasoning: Syllogism, Statements & Conclusions

Questions 12-15 test syllogism-style deductive logic across multi-statement chains, and single-statement Conclusion questions that require judging what genuinely follows versus what merely sounds plausible.

1. 1. Statements: Some doctors are teachers. All teachers are scientists. Conclusions: I. Some doctors are scientists. II. Some scientists are teachers. Which conclusion(s) follow?

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   Both I and II follow🔊

   Some doctors are teachers, and all teachers are scientists, so it validly follows that some doctors are scientists (Conclusion I). Also, since all teachers are scientists and teachers exist, some scientists must be teachers (Conclusion II), making both conclusions valid.

2. 2. Statements: No cups are plates. Some plates are spoons. Conclusions: I. No cups are spoons. II. Some spoons are not cups. Which conclusion(s) follow?

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   Only Conclusion II follows🔊

   Since no cups are plates but some plates are spoons, the spoons that overlap with plates cannot be cups, so 'some spoons are not cups' validly follows. However, 'no cups are spoons' cannot be concluded because spoons outside the plate-overlap could still be cups, so only Conclusion II holds.

3. 3. Statement: 'The government has announced a new scholarship scheme for meritorious students from economically weaker sections.' Conclusion I: The government wants to support education among financially weaker sections. Conclusion II: All meritorious students are economically weak. Which conclusion(s) follow?

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   Only Conclusion I follows🔊

   Conclusion I simply restates the evident intent of the statement, supporting education among the financially weaker sections. Conclusion II wrongly assumes every meritorious student is economically weak, which the statement never claims, so it does not follow.

4. 4. Statement: 'Due to heavy rainfall, several low-lying areas of the city were waterlogged, disrupting traffic movement for hours.' Conclusion I: Heavy rainfall can disrupt daily life in urban areas. Conclusion II: The city has no proper drainage system. Which conclusion(s) follow?

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   Only Conclusion I follows🔊

   Conclusion I is a direct generalization of the stated effect, heavy rainfall disrupting city life. Conclusion II introduces an unstated cause (poor drainage) that isn't given in the statement; waterlogging could equally result from the sheer intensity of the rainfall alone.

Analytical Reasoning: Blood Relations, Direction Sense & Ranking

Questions 16-19 cover a blood-relation puzzle built on family-tree wording, direction-sense movement and coordinate problems, and a rank-from-bottom calculation.

1. 1. Introducing a man, a woman said, 'His wife is the only daughter of my father.' How is the woman related to the man?

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   Wife🔊

   The 'only daughter' of the woman's own father can only be the woman herself, since she has no sisters. This means the man's wife is the woman speaking, so the woman is the man's wife.

2. 2. Rahul walks 8 km towards North, then turns right and walks 6 km, then turns right again and walks 8 km. How far is he from his starting point and in which direction?

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   6 km, East🔊

   Starting at the origin facing North, walking 8 km reaches (0,8); turning right (facing East) and walking 6 km reaches (6,8); turning right again (facing South) and walking 8 km reaches (6,0). This final point is exactly 6 km due East of the starting point.

3. 3. Point A is 10 m to the north of Point B. Point C is 6 m to the east of Point A. Point D is 10 m to the south of Point C. In which direction and how far is Point D from Point B?

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   6 m, East of B🔊

   Placing B at the origin, A is 10 m north at (0,10), C is 6 m east of A at (6,10), and D is 10 m south of C at (6,0). Comparing D's position (6,0) to B's (0,0) shows D is 6 m directly East of B.

4. 4. In a class of 40 students, Aman ranks 14th from the top. What is his rank from the bottom?

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   27th🔊

   Rank from the bottom is calculated as total students minus rank from top plus 1. Substituting the values gives 40 − 14 + 1 = 27, so Aman is 27th from the bottom.

Mathematical Reasoning: Symbol Substitution & Set Operations

Questions 20-21 cover a hidden-rule number puzzle and a set-operations (Venn diagram) counting problem.

1. 1. If 3 * 4 = 18, 5 * 6 = 28, and 2 * 3 = 13, then what is 7 * 2 equal to, using the same rule?

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   20🔊

   Testing the three given equations shows they all fit the rule a*b = 2a + 3b: 2(3)+3(4)=18, 2(5)+3(6)=28, and 2(2)+3(3)=13. Applying this same rule to 7*2 gives 2(7)+3(2) = 14+6 = 20.

2. 2. In a survey of 60 students, 35 like Tea, 25 like Coffee, and 10 like both Tea and Coffee. How many students like neither Tea nor Coffee?

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   10🔊

   Using |Tea ∪ Coffee| = |Tea| + |Coffee| − |Both| = 35 + 25 − 10 = 50. Since the survey covers 60 students, those liking neither = 60 − 50 = 10.

3. 3. If 'A' means '+', 'B' means '-', 'C' means '×', and 'D' means '÷', find the value of: 18 D 3 A 6 C 2 B 4

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   14🔊

   Substituting the symbols turns the expression into 18 ÷ 3 + 6 × 2 − 4. Following BODMAS, division and multiplication come first: 18 ÷ 3 = 6 and 6 × 2 = 12. Then 6 + 12 − 4 = 14.

4. 4. In a group of 50 people, 28 like cricket, 22 like football, and 10 like both. How many people like only cricket (and not football)?

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   18🔊

   People who like only cricket = total cricket fans minus those who like both = 28 − 10 = 18.

Non-Verbal Reasoning: Mirror Images, Paper Folding & Cubes

Questions 22-24 cover mirror-image reflection of a clock face, paper-folding hole-punch logic, and a cube-cutting (painted-faces) puzzle.

1. 1. A square sheet of paper is folded in half vertically, then folded in half again horizontally, forming a smaller square. A hole is punched at the corner of the folded square that is diagonally opposite the corner where the two folds meet. When unfolded, how many holes will the paper have?

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   4 holes🔊

   Folding the square vertically then horizontally creates four layers, and the corner diagonally opposite the fold-intersection corresponds to all four original corners of the sheet. Punching a hole there passes through all four layers, so unfolding reveals one hole at each of the four original corners.

2. 2. A clock shows the time as 4:20. What time will its mirror image (reflection in a vertical mirror) show?

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   7:40🔊

   The mirror image of a clock reading is found using the formula 11:60 minus the given time. Subtracting 4:20 from 11:60 gives 7:40, which is the time the mirror reflection would display.

3. 3. A cube is painted red on all six faces and then cut into 27 smaller equal cubes of the same size. How many of the smaller cubes have exactly two faces painted red?

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   12🔊

   Cutting the cube into 27 unit cubes forms a 3×3×3 arrangement: 8 corner cubes get 3 painted faces, 6 face-centre cubes get 1 painted face, 1 fully interior cube gets 0, and the remaining 12 edge-middle cubes each get exactly 2 painted faces.

4. 4. If the word 'CHAIR' is reflected in water (a horizontal mirror placed below the word), which of the following best describes the water image? (A) The letters appear upside down and in the same left-to-right order (B) The letters appear upside down and in reverse left-to-right order (C) The letters appear the same way but reversed left-to-right (D) The letters appear exactly as written

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   (A) The letters appear upside down and in the same left-to-right order🔊

   A water image (a reflection in a horizontal mirror) flips each letter vertically, so it appears upside down, while keeping the same left-to-right sequence. This is distinct from a plane (vertical) mirror image, which reverses the left-right order instead of flipping vertically.

5. 5. A regular five-pointed star (pentagram) is drawn using five straight, continuously connected line segments. Which simple polygon is naturally embedded (hidden) at the centre of this figure?

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   Pentagon🔊

   When a five-pointed star is drawn with five continuous straight strokes, the segments intersect to form a smaller regular pentagon at the exact centre of the figure. This is the classic embedded-figure pattern hidden inside a star outline.

Logical Reasoning: Statement & Assumptions

Questions 29-30 test whether a candidate can tell an implicit assumption, something the statement necessarily takes for granted, apart from a conclusion or a merely plausible-sounding guess.

1. 1. Statement: 'The manager instructed the security guard to allow entry only to employees carrying a valid ID card.' Assumptions: I. All employees always carry their ID cards. II. Some employees might try to enter without their ID cards. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit?

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   Only Assumption II is implicit🔊

   The instruction was given specifically to stop entry without an ID card, so it necessarily assumes some employees might try to enter without one (Assumption II). It does not assume every employee already carries their card (Assumption I); if that were already guaranteed, the instruction would serve no purpose.

2. 2. Statement: 'The school has requested parents to drop off their children only between 7:45 AM and 8:00 AM.' Assumptions: I. Without this request, some parents might drop off children outside this time window. II. Every parent will follow the requested time window strictly. Which assumption(s) is/are implicit?

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   Only Assumption I is implicit🔊

   A request to keep drop-offs within a specific window only makes sense if, without it, some parents might drop off children outside that window (Assumption I). The request does not assume everyone will comply strictly (Assumption II); a request is made precisely because full compliance isn't guaranteed.