SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 16 September 2025, Shift 1 · 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 13 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 '+', then 4 − 2 × 3 + 6 = ?

(a)12
(b)6
(c)5
(d)20

Answer

Why

Correct — D.
Rule: '+' → ×, '−' → ÷, '×' → +, then BODMAS.

4 − 2 × 3 + 6
→ 4 ÷ 2 + 3 × 6

Division: 4 ÷ 2 = 2
Multiplication: 3 × 6 = 18
Addition: 2 + 18 = 20 → option (d).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
12 — 12 comes from converting only the '−': 4 ÷ 2 × 3 + 6 = 6 + 6. The '×' and '+' must change too, giving 4 ÷ 2 + 3 × 6 = 20.
(b)
6 — 6 is smaller than the product 3 × 6 = 18 inside the rewritten expression. Adding 4 ÷ 2 = 2 to 18 cannot give less than 18.
(c)
5 — 5 is 4 ÷ 2 + 3, adding the 3 before it is multiplied. BODMAS multiplies first: 3 × 6 = 18, then 2 + 18 = 20.

Concept

This is a three-sign substitution: no meaning is given for '÷' and none is needed, since '÷' does not appear. Rewrite every sign before calculating.

The printed 4 − 2 × 3 + 6 becomes 4 ÷ 2 + 3 × 6. BODMAS then works the division and the multiplication before the addition.

Working left to right instead gives (4 ÷ 2 + 3) × 6 = 30, which no option prints.

Key facts

Here '+' means ×, '−' means ÷ and '×' means +.
4 − 2 × 3 + 6 rewrites to 4 ÷ 2 + 3 × 6 = 20.
Worked left to right without BODMAS, the same rewrite gives 30.

Study next

Four-sign substitution keys with BODMASInterchanging two pairs of signs in an equationChecking which equation becomes true after a sign swap

Common traps

Converting the '−' but leaving '×' and '+' as printed, which gives 12
Evaluating left to right after substituting

13 Sep 2024, 16:00, Reasoning Q.17 sets a similar substitution by interchanging '+' with '×' and '−' with '÷': 27 − 6 + 4 × 8 ÷ 6 becomes 27 ÷ 6 × 4 + 8 − 6, keyed 20.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Numerical Operations — all 148 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.