Which of the following terms will replace the question mark (?) in the given series? RLYV, PJWT, NHUR, ? , JDQN

Correct — C. Convert each term to alphabet positions and read down the columns, not across.

Rule: every letter falls by 2 in all four positions.

R 18 → P 16 → N 14 → L 12 → J 10
L 12 → J 10 → H 8 → F 6 → D 4
Y 25 → W 23 → U 21 → S 19 → Q 17
V 22 → T 20 → R 18 → P 16 → N 14

The missing term is 12, 6, 19, 16 = LFSP, option (c).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  LFTP — LFTP puts T (20) in the third slot. That column runs Y 25, W 23, U 21, so the next value is 19, which is S.
• (b)
  LGTP — LGTP breaks two columns at once. The second letter must be F (6), since L 12, J 10, H 8 falls by 2, and the third must be S (19), not T.
• (d)
  LGSP — LGSP takes G (7) as the second letter. The second column runs L 12 → J 10 → H 8, so the next value is 6, which is F.

Letter series in SSC Tier-I are positional arithmetic in disguise. Write each letter's place in the alphabet, then read the columns down the terms rather than reading each term across.

Here the four columns move independently but at the same rate: every position drops 2. Once one column shows a constant step, test the rest before inventing a more complicated rule.

The last term JDQN is printed, which gives you a free check from the other end.

Key facts

• The five terms RLYV, PJWT, NHUR, LFSP, JDQN each fall 2 alphabet places from the term before, in every position.
• Alphabet anchors worth knowing cold: E 5, J 10, O 15, T 20, Y 25.
• With a constant step, the missing middle term is the average of its neighbours — here 12, 6, 19, 16.

Common traps

• Reading the step off two options instead of two terms of the series.
• Settling on the second letter when two options share it, and never checking the third.
• Miscounting U 21 → S 19 as U → T, and T is exactly the wrong answer on offer.

No directly related past PYQ was found.