SSC CGL Preparation – Day 1

Reasoning: Alphabet Test

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🔹 What is Alphabet Test?

The Alphabet Test involves questions based on the position of letters in the English alphabet.
Candidates are tested on their ability to:

• Understand alphabetical positions (A=1, Z=26)
• Identify forward and backward sequences
• Analyze patterns
• Find number of letters between two letters
• Apply logic with alphabets like coding, forming new words, etc.

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🔹 Important Concepts:

1. Position of Letters:

• Forward order: A=1, B=2, …, Z=26
• Backward order: A=26, B=25, …, Z=1

Example:

• Position of ‘D’ = 4
• Position of ‘Y’ (from reverse) = 2 (because Y is second from Z)

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2. Finding the Letter at a Given Position:

• Example: 5th letter → E
• 20th letter from end → G (Because 26 – 20 + 1 = 7, 7th letter is G)

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3. Finding the Number of Letters Between Two Letters:

Formula: No. of letters between two letters=∣Position of first letter−Position of second letter∣−1\text{No. of letters between two letters} = \left| \text{Position of first letter} – \text{Position of second letter} \right| – 1No. of letters between two letters=∣Position of first letter−Position of second letter∣−1

Example:

• Between C and G:
  Position of C = 3, G = 7
  Letters between = |3-7| -1 = 3

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4. Questions on Word Formation:

• Check how many meaningful words can be formed using selected letters.

Example:

• From “HOUSE”, using H, O, U → can form “HOU” (no meaningful word), so answer may be 0.

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5. Questions on Alphabetical Arrangement:

• Rearranging letters alphabetically.

Example:

• Arrange “B, D, A, C” alphabetically → A, B, C, D

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6. Questions Based on Letter Series:

• Complete the series logically.

Example:

• A, C, E, G, ? → I (Gap of 2 letters between each)

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7. Coding-Decoding Based on Alphabet Positions:

• Assign numbers to letters and code them accordingly.

Example:

• A=1, C=3, E=5 → Odd numbers sequence

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🔹 Types of Questions:

Type	Example	Solution
Finding position	What is the 15th letter of the alphabet?	O
Backward position	Which letter is 5th from the end?	V
Letter Gap	How many letters are there between M and R?	4
Forming words	How many words can you form from ‘MASTER’ using ‘M’, ‘A’, ‘S’?	Possible words: MAS, SAM (2 words)
Alphabet sequence	Complete: B, E, H, K, __	N (pattern: +3)

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🔹 SSC CGL Important Tips:

• Memorize forward (A–Z) and backward (Z–A) positions.
• Practice series completion questions regularly.
• Revise alphabetical values daily till you get full speed.
• Focus on patterns: jumps of 2, 3, 5 letters are very common.
• Time yourself — SSC questions are easy but time-bound.

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🔹 Practice Questions:

1. What will be the 7th letter to the right of the 15th letter from the left in the English alphabet?
2. How many letters are there between the 8th letter from the left and the 8th letter from the right?
3. In the word ‘PLANET’, if the first and last letters are interchanged, then the second and second last letters are interchanged, and so on, which will be the third letter from the right?
4. Which letter is 5th to the left of the 20th letter from the left in the alphabet?