SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 15 September 2025, Shift 2 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 24 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.

If ‘×’ means ‘−’, ‘−’ means ‘+’, ‘/’ means ‘×’, and ‘+’ means ‘÷’, which equation is correct?

(a)18 − 6 + 3 × 2 = 27
(b)36 / 6 − 3 + 2 × 1 = 20
(c)16 / 2 + 4 − 1 × 3 = 6
(d)12 × 4 − 2 + 1 = 19

Answer

Why

Correct — C.
Rule: rewrite each left side with the real operators, then apply BODMAS.
Key: / is ×, + is ÷, − is +, × is −.

16 / 2 + 4 − 1 × 3
becomes 16 × 2 ÷ 4 + 1 − 3

× and ÷ left to right: 16 × 2 = 32, 32 ÷ 4 = 8
Then 8 + 1 − 3 = 6, the printed result → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
18 − 6 + 3 × 2 = 27 — Converted, it reads 18 + 6 ÷ 3 − 2. 6 ÷ 3 = 2, so 18 + 2 − 2 = 18, not the printed 27.
(b)
36 / 6 − 3 + 2 × 1 = 20 — Converted, it reads 36 × 6 + 3 ÷ 2 − 1. 216 + 1.5 − 1 = 216.5, nowhere near the printed 20.
(d)
12 × 4 − 2 + 1 = 19 — Converted, it reads 12 − 4 + 2 ÷ 1. 2 ÷ 1 = 2, so 12 − 4 + 2 = 10, not the printed 19.

Concept

In a which-equation-is-correct item, rewrite the left side of every option with the real operators and evaluate it. The answer is the option whose value equals its printed right side.

The = sign and the number after it are not converted. Watch the slash: here / means ×, not division.

The key changes from question to question. In Reasoning Q.23 of the same paper, − means 'multiplied by'; here it means +.

Key facts

Here × means −, − means +, / means × and + means ÷.
Multiplication and division share a rank and run left to right: 16 × 2 ÷ 4 = 32 ÷ 4 = 8.
Under this key the four left sides give 18, 216.5, 6 and 10.

Study next

Interchanging two signs to make an equation correctSymbol keys that produce a decimal resultBODMAS with × and ÷ in one run

Common traps

Reading / as division because of its shape: in (c) that gives 16 ÷ 2 ÷ 4 + 1 − 3 = 0, and the right answer is missed
Carrying over the key from Reasoning Q.23, where − means ×

14 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.3 asks which equation is correct under a symbol key too; there 42 × 28 − 30 ÷ 48 + 45 becomes 42 ÷ 28 × 30 + 48 − 45 = 48, which is keyed.

15 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.23 swaps the symbols with a different key and asks for the value, keyed 61.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Numerical Operations — all 92 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.