SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 15 September 2025, Shift 3 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 7 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: BDFH, BFJN, BHNT, BJRZ, ?

(a)BLVF
(b)BGFD
(c)BNJH
(d)BFDS

Answer

Why

Correct — A.
Rule: first letter fixed at B; the others step +2, +4, +6.

2nd: D, F, H, J → J(10) + 2 = L(12).
3rd: F, J, N, R → R(18) + 4 = V(22).
4th: H, N, T, Z → Z(26) + 6 = 32, past Z to F(6).

That gives BLVF → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
BGFD — BGFD fails at the second letter: D, F, H, J climb by 2, so the next is L, not G. Its F and D also miss V and F.
(c)
BNJH — BNJH fails at the second letter: after J comes L, not N. Its third letter J falls back, where the third letters climb F, J, N, R by 4.
(d)
BFDS — BFDS repeats BF, the opening of the second cluster. The second letters have moved on to J, so the next is L.

Concept

Read down each column: the first letter never changes, and the others step by 2, 4 and 6.

Read across each cluster and a second pattern confirms it. BDFH moves in 2s, BFJN in 4s, BHNT in 6s and BJRZ in 8s, so the answer should move in 10s: B(2), L(12), V(22), then 32 − 26 = 6, F.

Every option starts with B, so the first letter settles nothing. The second letter alone rules out (b), (c) and (d).

Key facts

Z + 6 = 32, and 32 − 26 = 6, so the letter is F.
Inside each cluster the gap grows by 2 from term to term: 2, 4, 6, 8, then 10.

Study next

Cluster series with odd steps such as +3, +5, +7Cluster series whose columns step backwardsLetter arithmetic that wraps past Z

Common traps

Treating Z as the end of the line instead of wrapping Z + 6 to F
Relying on the first letter, which all four options share

14 Sep 2025, 09:00, Reasoning Q.7 has the same build, a fixed first letter and then steps of 3, 5 and 7: DAFH, DDKO, DGPV, DJUC, keyed DMZJ.

Reasoning Q.6 of this paper uses the same frame with steps of 4, 8 and 12.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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