SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 17 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 23 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 the given symbols mean: '+' means 'divided by' '-' means 'multiplied by' 'x' means 'minus' '÷' means 'plus' Then, find the value of the following expressions: 8 ÷ 2 x 3 + 18 - 6=?

(a)9
(b)11
(c)13
(d)15

Answer

Why

Correct — A.
Rule: swap every sign for its meaning first, then apply BODMAS.

8 ÷ 2 × 3 + 18 − 6 becomes
8 + 2 − 3 ÷ 18 × 6

3 ÷ 18 = 1⁄6, then 1⁄6 × 6 = 1
8 + 2 − 1 = 9 → option (a)

Why the others are wrong

(b)
11 — 11 is 8 + 2 + 1: it adds the last term. The stem says '×' means minus, so after substitution the 1 is subtracted: 10 − 1 = 9.
(c)
13 — 13 would need 3 added to 8 + 2. But the 3 is first divided by 18 and multiplied by 6, leaving 1, and that 1 is subtracted.
(d)
15 — 15 would need the part after 8 + 2 to add 5. That part, 3 ÷ 18 × 6, equals 1 and is subtracted, giving 9.

Concept

A sign-substitution question has two stages: rewrite the expression with the new signs, then evaluate it by BODMAS.

Division and multiplication rank equally and are done left to right: 3 ÷ 18 × 6 is (3 ÷ 18) × 6 = 1, not 3 ÷ 108.

The + and − act last: 8 + 2 − 1 = 9.

Key facts

Here + means ÷, − means ×, × means − and ÷ means +.
÷ and × rank equally and are worked left to right.
The substituted expression 8 + 2 − 3 ÷ 18 × 6 equals 9.

Study next

BODMAS order with equal-rank operationsSign-interchange equations: choosing which two signs to swapSymbol substitution where the middle step is a fraction

Common traps

Grouping 18 × 6 first (3 ÷ 108), which gives a value just under 10 that matches no option.
Evaluating before substituting, which mixes the old signs with the new ones.

The same four swaps are set at 15 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.23 on 48 × 8 ÷ 12 + 4 − 7, keyed 61, and at Reasoning Q.25 of this paper on 36 + 6 − 2 × 3, keyed 9.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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