SSC CGL 2023- Alphabet Test Tips with Examples

It is for the first time that the General Intelligence & Reasoning section has been included in Tier II of the SSC CGL 2023 exam. There is a probability that questions on alphabets can be asked. These questions are easy to answer and you can easily secure their marks in the exam. If you are well-versed in the alphabet test concept, you will have good accuracy while answering the questions on this concept as well. In this article, we will be familiarizing you with the concept of alphabet tests with the help of examples. Also, have a look at the tips & tricks related to the alphabet test which will help you in answering these questions quickly (and sometimes without picking up the pen).

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Alphabet Test- Basic Concept

These alphabet test questions are somehow related to the position of alphabets in alphabetical order. At times, you will be asked to find the place of an alphabet to the left/right of another alphabet and sometimes you will be given a word and the question will be about the arrangement of alphabets in that word. To increase the complexity of the question, the order of alphabets can be backward, the first half backwards, the second half backwards, and so on and so forth. The question can also ask about the middle alphabet between 2 specified alphabets and it may also be asked in the given arrangement which alphabets don’t change their place after a specified rearrangement.

Whatsoever are the conditions of the arrangement, if you have practised at least 150-200 questions on the alphabet test, you will get acquainted with the different types of questions asked in this topic. Ensure that you analyze the question carefully which you have answered incorrectly, especially to check if the shortcuts you have applied are correct.

Normal Placement of Alphabets

These are the simplest form of alphabet test questions. Here, questions are asked based on the normal alphabetical arrangement. A quick way to memorize the placements of alphabet is given below:

So, if you remember the word EJOTY, you can quickly find out the placement of all the alphabets and answer the questions quickly.

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Example 1

What is the 7th letter to the left of the 15th letter from the left in the English alphabet?

A. T

B. J

C. H

D. V

E. None of the above

As per the above shortcut, the 15th letter from left is O. And 7th letter from the left of O is H.

If you want to solve it quickly, deduct 7 from 15 which gives you 8. Now 8th alphabet from the right is H.

Example 2

What is the 7th letter to the right of the 15th letter from the left in the English alphabet?

A. T

B. J

C. H

D. V

E. None of the above

To solve this question quickly, simply add 7 to 15 which gives you 22. Now you need to find the 22nd alphabet from the left. As per EJOTY, the 20th alphabet is T and the 22nd alphabet from the left is V.

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Placement of Alphabets Backwards

These questions are similar to the normal placement of alphabets but here the alphabets are placed backwards. Similar to EJOTY, you can use the shortcut VQLGB. Have a look at the chart below:

As you might have noticed already, the placement of alphabets here is for the reverse alphabetical order. So, if you want to find the 17th alphabet from the left in the reverse alphabetical order, you know that the 15th such alphabet is L and therefore the 17th alphabet in the reverse alphabetical order is J.

Example 3

What is the 7th letter to the left of 15th letter from the left if the English alphabet is written backwards?

A. S

B. J

C. H

D. V

E. None of the above

Since all the lefts are mentioned in the question, you need to subtract 7 from 15 which gives you 8. So, all you need to find out is the 8th alphabet from the left in the reverse alphabetical order which is S. So S is the correct answer.

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Example 4

What is the 5th letter to the left of 18th letter from the right if the English alphabet is written backwards?

A. S

B. J

C. D

D. V

E. None of the above

Since both ‘left’ and ‘right’ are mentioned in the question, you need to add both the values and find the 23rd alphabet from the right in the reverse alphabetical order. We know that the 20th alphabet is G and therefore the 23rd alphabet is D.

Placement when the first half of alphabets is backwards

There is nothing special in these types of questions. While doing the calculations, you need to visualize the arrangement in your mind and then solve the question. Try to do all these visualizations in your mind and then calculate the positioning of the alphabets.

Example 5

If the 1st half of the English alphabet is written in the reverse order, what will be the 10th letter to the right of the 14th letter from the right.

A. S

B. J

C. D

D. W

E. None of the above

Since both ‘right’ directions are mentioned, you need to subtract 8 from 12. So you need to find the 4th letter from the right which is W. Please note that the first half of the alphabet don’t come into the picture if we are using this shortcut. 

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Placement when the second half of alphabets is backwards

Example 6

If the 2nd half of the English alphabet is written in the reverse order, what will be the 9th letter to the left of the 14th letter from the right.

A. E

B. J

C. D

D. W

E. None of the above

Please note that the directions mentioned in the question are different, so you need to add the numbers and do the calculation from the right. 9 + 14 = 23. The second half is reversed and you need to find the 23rd alphabet from the right, reversing the second half wouldn’t matter as you anyway have to find out the (14 + 9)th alphabet. Only 14 alphabets (second half) are reversed, the remaining alphabets are not reversed. And therefore the answer is E.

Number of alphabets in the middle of 2 alphabets

Example 7

How many alphabets are in between the 6th letter from the left and 8th letter from the right?

A. 12

B. 14

C. 18

D. 10

E. None of the above

This is an easy question. We know that there are 26 alphabets in total. Excluding 14 alphabets, there will be 12 alphabets left.

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Same position of alphabets in a given word

This is a question often asked in SSC CGL exam. Here in a given word, you need to ascertain how many instances are there in which there are as many alphabets between 2 alphabets as they are in the alphabetical arrangement. The below example will bring clarity to these types of questions.

Example 8

How many such pairs of letters are there in PRELIMINARY each of which has as many letters between them in the word as in the English alphabet?

A. 0

B. 3

C. 2

D. 1

E. None of the above

Here you need to focus on each alphabet and try to narrate the alphabets in your mind so as to find the pairs of alphabets which have as many alphabets as are there in the English alphabet. Please note that you need to check this in the normal arrangement as well as the reverse arrangement.

ELIMI- Word

EFGHI- Normal Alphabetical Arrangement

LIMINAR- Word

LMNOPQR- Normal Alphabetical Arrangement

LIMI- Word

LKJI- Reverse Alphabetical Arrangement

ARY- Word

AZY- Reverse Alphabetical Arrangement

So 4 is the answer. Hence option E.

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Example 9

How many such pairs of letters are there in COMPREHENSION each of which has as many letters between them in the word as in the English alphabet?

A. 0

B. 3

C. 2

D. 1

E. None of the above

Have a look at the arrangements:

OMPR- Word

OPQR- Normal Alphabetical Arrangement

HENSION- Word

HIJKLMN- Normal Alphabetical Arrangement

ON- Word

ON- Reverse Alphabetical Arrangement

PREHENSI- Word

PONMLKJI- Reverse Alphabetical Arrangement

REHEN- Word

RQPON- Reverse Alphabetical Arrangement

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