SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 14 September 2025, Shift 2 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 2 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.

Select the letter-cluster from among the given options that can replace the question mark (?) in the following series. RXD RUJ RRP ROV ?

(a)RLC
(b)RDA
(c)RDF
(d)RLB

Answer

Why

Correct — D.
Rule: R stays, the middle letter steps −3, the last letter steps +6.

Middle: X, U, R, O → O(15) − 3 = L(12).
Last: D, J, P, V → V(22) + 6 = 28, and 28 − 26 = B(2).

That gives RLB → option (d).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
RLC — RLC gets R and L right but ends on C. V + 6 = 28 wraps round to B; C would need a step of +7.
(b)
RDA — RDA breaks the middle column: X, U, R, O falls by 3 to L, not D. Its last letter A is also one short of B.
(c)
RDF — RDF has D where the middle column needs L, and F is not V + 6, which wraps round to B.

Concept

Read a letter-cluster series column by column, turning letters into positions (A = 1 … Z = 26).

This one runs three separate rules: a fixed first letter, a middle column falling by 3, and a last column rising by 6. When a step carries a letter past Z, subtract 26 to wrap round to the start: 28 becomes 2, which is B.

Options (a) and (d) share R and L, so the question comes down to the wrap: 28 − 26 = 2, which is B, not C.

Key facts

X = 24, U = 21, R = 18, O = 15, L = 12: steps of −3.
D = 4, J = 10, P = 16, V = 22: steps of +6.
A position above 26 wraps round by subtracting 26, so 28 → 2 → B.

Study next

Four-letter cluster series with a fixed first letter and columns stepping +3, +6, +9Wrapping past Z, and back past A, in letter seriesAnchor positions for fast conversion: E = 5, J = 10, O = 15, T = 20

Common traps

Subtracting 25 instead of 26 on the wrap and landing on C
Reading the middle column as rising because the first letter never changes

14 Sep 2025, 09:00, Reasoning Q.6 uses the same frame on four letters: TDGJ, TGMS, TJSB, TMYK, ? is keyed TPET, with T fixed and Y + 6 wrapping to E.

15 Sep 2025, 16:00, Reasoning Q.6 fixes P and steps +4, +8, +12 (keyed PSNF).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Semantic Series — all 87 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.