SSC CHSL-How to Solve Alphanumeric Series?

SSC CHSL’s notification has already been released. Have you already started its preparation? You better do because vacancies are limited and there would be a lot of competitors pitting against you. Getting a headstart is good as you will have sufficient time for your preparation & revision. In this article, we have come up with an explanation of a topic which is frequently asked in the General Intelligence section of the SSC CHSL exam. The topic is Alphanumeric Series. Let’s understand its concept with the help of examples.

Concept of Alphanumeric Series

Understand the concept of alphanumeric series. Alphanumeric series are a type of reasoning question that involve a sequence of letters, numbers and symbols. The numbers & letters in the sequence will be arranged in a random pattern. You might be asked questions on several aspects related to the arrangement of this series.

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You have to be careful & accurate with counting the elements in the given series. Let’s have a look at some examples:

Example 1

OE43@S&VO9N3EA&SVN@OAINO

Q. 1 How many such consonants are there which are both immediately preceded by and immediately followed by a number?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 0
4. 3
5. None of these

Here, only the consonant N is there which is immediately preceded by and immediately followed by a number. So option a is correct.

Q. 2 If the first half of the series is written in reverse order, then which Element will be twenty-first from the right end? 

1. A
2. O
3. @
4. &
5. None of these

Here you just need to count the total number of elements which is 24. Half of 24 is 12 (since have to reverse the first half). Now picture in your mind, if the first half is reversed, and you start counting from right, the first 12 elements will not matter (since you are counting from right and the left part is reversed). 21-12 = 9. Now you just need to count the 9th element from the left which is O. Hence option b is correct.

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Q. 3 Which element will be 3rd to the left of 19th letter from your left in the given series?

1. A
2. E
3. &
4. S
5. None of these

These kinds of questions are pretty easy. Remember, your left and a letter’s left will be opposite. So, 19-3 = 16. 16th letter from left is S and d is the answer.

Q. 4 How many such consonants are there in the above arrangement, each of which is immediately preceded by a number and not immediately followed by a symbol?

1. 2
2. 1
3. 0
4. 4
5. None of these

Here you just need to keep the pattern NAS [(N)umber (A)lphabet (S)ymbol] in mind while looking at the above series. There is no such combination and therefore the answer is zero. Hence c option.

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Alphanumeric Series Tips

Here are some tips to improve your ability to solve alphanumeric series questions:

• Read the question carefully. Sometimes, the question is posed in a tricky way.
• Memorize the placements of standard English alphabets. A trick is to remember the word EJOTY. Here, E is at 5th place, J is at 10th place, O is at 15th place, T is at 20th place and Y is at 25th place. This will help you answer questions related to the standard English alphabets.
• In the same vein, memorize the word VQLGB. This is same as EJOTY but here the placement of English alphabets is in the reverse order. That means, V is at 5th place backwards, Q is at 10th place backwards, L is at 15th place backwards, G is at 20th place backwards, B is at 25th place backwards.
• The question can be asked in the following ways: to the right/ left of, in the middle of, immediately preceding, immediately succeeding Be familiar with all these aspects and also ensure if the question is asking your left side or the element’s left side.
• Please make a note that only A, E, I, O and U are vowels and rest are consonants.
• Practice solving alphanumeric series questions. The more you practice, the better you will become at counting and the rules/ steps behind counting from left or counting from right.
• Use free resources to practice solving alphanumeric series questions. A lot of mini mocks and topic tests at PracticeMock platform have questions on alphanumeric series and all of this is absolutely free.
• Get help from a tutor or study group. If you are struggling to solve alphanumeric series questions, you can get help from a tutor or study group.

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More Questions (with Detailed Explanation) for Practice

1. Study the following arrangement of numbers, symbols and letters carefully and answer the question.

(Left) H J K # 5 ^ 6 & A 8 N M W S 3 9 S Q @ D S % O 7 T (Right)

Which among the following element is eleventh to the right of fifth element from the left end?

(1) 3

(2) S

(3) 9

(4) Q

Ans: 3

Solution:

Given Series: H J K # 5 ^ 6 & A 8 N M W S 3 9 S Q @ D S % O 7 T

The fifth element from the left end is ‘5’.  

The eleventh element to the right of fifth element from the left end is ‘9’.

Hence, option c.

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2. Study the following arrangement of letters and numbers carefully and answer the question.

(Left) Y Z D 7 F A Y 9 U M W 8 K 4 3 L B X 5 Z U 6 I E 3 M A 4 1 L P S T (Right)

In the above series, how many numbers are immediately preceded as well as immediately followed by a consonant?

(1) Six

(2) Four

(3) Three

(4) Five

Ans: 3

Solution:

Given Series: Y Z D 7 F A Y 9 U M W 8 K 4 3 L B X 5 Z U 6 I E 3 M A 4 1 L P S T

There are only three numbers (‘7’, ‘8’ and ‘5’), which are immediately preceded as well as immediately followed by a consonant.

Hence, option c.

3. Study the following arrangement of symbols and letters carefully and answer the question.

(Left) & E A M K L F % G H # N M @ β ≥ S ¥ Y E A U µ € R ≠ (Right)

If all the symbols are dropped, then which among the following element is sixth to the right of tenth element from the left end?

(1) M

(2) Y

(3) R

(4) U

Ans: 3

Solution:

Given Series: & E A M K L F % G H # N M @ β ≥ S ¥ Y E A U µ € R ≠

After dropping the symbols, we get:

E A M K L F G H N M S Y E A U R 

The tenth element from the left end is ‘M’.

The sixth element to the right of the tenth element from the left end is ‘R’.

Hence, option c.

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4. How many numbers are there in the following series which are preceded by an odd number and followed by a letter?

(Left) 7 E 3 8 R 2 K L 3 9 X C 2 3 3 6 M J V B 5 7 2 L P D E 8 1 R 9 4 (Right)

(1) Three

(2) Four

(3) Six

(4) Five

Ans: 2

Solution:

Given Series: 7 E 3 8 R 2 K L 3 9 X C 2 3 3 6 M J V B 5 7 2 L P D E 8 1 R 9 4

Therefore, there are four numbers (‘8’, ‘9’, ‘6’ and ‘2’), which are preceded by an odd number and followed by a letter.

Hence, option b.

5. How many 4s are there in the following series which are preceded by a prime number and followed by a prime number?

(Left) 7 4 # 3 6 6 @ 2 4 3 5 6 % 2 6 4 & 7 4 3 4 $ 2 6 5 8 % 1 4 3 8 2 (Right)

(1) Three

(2) Four

(3) Two

(4) One

Ans: 3

Solution:

Given Series: 7 4 # 3 6 6 @ 2 4 3 5 6 % 2 6 4 & 7 4 3 4 $ 2 6 5 8 % 1 4 3 8 2

Therefore, there are two 4s in the above series, which are preceded by a prime number and followed by a prime number.

Hence, option c.

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We hope these tips help you to improve your ability to solve alphanumeric series questions for SSC CHSL Exam. Follow us on Insta for all the latest updates.