SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 14 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 21 of 100

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 11 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

In each of the following questions, a group of three numbers/symbols is given in each option. Identify the group that does NOT follow the same pattern as the others.

(a)A1@ : D4# : G7$
(b)B2% : E5^ : H8&
(c)C3* : F6( : I9)
(d)D4_ : G8@ : K13$

Answer

Why

Correct — D. Each term is a letter, a number and a symbol. Test the letter-number part first.

Rule: letters step +3, and each number is its letter's position.

(a) A1, D4, G7 · (b) B2, E5, H8 · (c) C3, F6, I9 all fit: A = 1, D = 4, G = 7, and so on.

D4 : G8 : K13 breaks both parts: G is 7, not 8, K is 11, not 13, and G to K is a step of 4. Option (d) is the odd one.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
A1@ : D4# : G7$ — A1, D4, G7 step by 3 from A to D to G, and 1, 4, 7 are those letters' positions. The group fits the rule.
(b)
B2% : E5^ : H8& — B2, E5, H8 step by 3 from B to E to H, with 2, 5, 8 as their positions, so this group follows the rule.
(c)
C3* : F6( : I9) — C3, F6, I9 step by 3 and match their positions. The asterisk and brackets are this group's symbols, not a break in the pattern.

Concept

A multi-strand cluster is solved one strand at a time. Keep the strand that splits the options three to one.

Here the letters and numbers already do it. In (a), (b) and (c) the letters step by 3 and each number equals its letter's alphabet position. In (d), G8 and K13 break that link, and the letters step by 3 and then 4.

The symbols never need decoding.

The symbols happen to agree. Read in order, (a), (b) and (c) carry @ # $ % ^ & and then an asterisk and two brackets: the shifted characters of keys 2 to 0 on a US-layout keyboard.

Option (d) carries an underscore instead, then repeats @ and $ from (a).

Key facts

Alphabet positions: D = 4, G = 7, K = 11.
In (a), (b) and (c) the letters step by 3 and the numbers equal the letters' positions.
In (d), G carries 8 and K carries 13, and G to K is a step of 4.

Study next

Letter-number clusters where the letter step changes sizeOdd-one-out clusters decided by the symbols aloneClusters where the number is the letter's position plus a fixed amount

Common traps

Trying to decode the symbols first, when the letters and numbers already isolate (d).
Checking only the first term of (d): D4 matches D's position, and the break starts at G8.

The strand D4 : G8 : K13 is also option (d) at 14 Sep 2025, 09:00, Reasoning Q.20, which sets the same instruction without symbols.

At 12 Sep 2025, 09:00, Reasoning Q.21 every letter and number fits, and a repeated @ in (d) decides instead.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Symbolic/Number Classification — all 45 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.