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LOGICAL REASONING

ALPHABET SERIES:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

In this type of questions, a series of

single letters ( A, F, L, G etc.)

pairs of letters ( MN, QS, FT etc.)

sequence of combination (PRT, HJK, GBO etc.)

will be given. The series will in a certain pattern according to their positions of the letters
in the alphabetical series. We have to decipher this pattern and accordingly find the
missing term or the wrong term in the given series.

Things to remember to solve alphabet series problems:

Remember EJOTY, it determines the position of the alphabet counting from the left

in the alphabet series
E J O T Y
5 10 15 20 25
Each letter in the term EJOTY represents the position which is multiple of 5.

Similarly VQLGB represents the same arrangement in the reverse order of English

alphabets.
V Q L G B
5 10 15 20 25

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If we know the position of the alphabet from left to right, then we can find out its
position in the reverse order of alphabets by subtracting that position from 27.

For example,
If the position of J is 10 in alphabet series from left to right, then the position of J

in the reverse order of the series will be [27-10]=17

In a question, from your left and to the right denotes normal order of the alphabet

series.

Similarly in a question, from your right and to the left denotes the reverse order of

the alphabet series.

TYPE I:
Example:

Which letter will be the 11th to the right of the 5th letter from your left in the alphabet
series?
Solution:

If the question has both right and left directions mentioned, then the position of the letter
can be found by adding the respective positions.
11+5=16

Therefore, the answer is the 16th letter from the left in the alphabet series i.e., P.
[The answer is taken from the left because the second mentioned direction in the
question is left]
If the question was

Which letter will be the 11th to the left of the 5th letter from your right in the alphabet
series?

Then the answer will be 16th letter from the right in the alphabet series i.e., K.
TYPE II:

Example:

Which letter in the alphabet series will be 9th to the left of 15th letter from your
left? Solution:

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Here, left is the only direction given in the question so the position of the letter can be
found by subtracting the given positions.
15-9=6

Therefore, the answer letter is 6th letter from the left of the alphabet series i.e.,
F. If the question was,

Which letter in the alphabet series will be 9th to the right of 15th letter from your right?
Then the answer letter is the 6th letter from the right of the alphabet series (reverse
order) i.e., U

TYPE III:
Example:
Find the next term in the series:
BMO, EOQ, HQS, ?
Solution:
Observe the first letters of the series,
+3 +3 +3
B E K

Second letters of the series,

+2 +2 +2
M O S
Third letters of the series,
+2 +2 +2
O Q S U
Therefore, the next term in the sequence is KSU.

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