SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 17 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 25 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 + = ÷, − = ×, ÷ = +, × = −; then 36 + 6 − 2 × 3 = ?

(a)6
(b)15
(c)13
(d)9

Answer

Why

Correct — D.
Rule: swap each sign as told (+ → ÷, − → ×, ÷ → +, × → −), then apply BODMAS.

36 + 6 − 2 × 3 becomes
36 ÷ 6 × 2 − 3

36 ÷ 6 = 6, then 6 × 2 = 12
12 − 3 = 9 → option (d)

Why the others are wrong

(a)
6 — 6 is just 36 ÷ 6, the first step. The substituted expression still has × 2 and − 3 to apply: 6 × 2 − 3 = 9.
(b)
15 — 15 is 12 + 3: it keeps the last sign as plus. The stem defines × = −, so the last step is 12 − 3 = 9.
(c)
13 — 13 does not appear at any step of the substituted expression: 36 ÷ 6 = 6, 6 × 2 = 12, 12 − 3 = 9.

Concept

Symbol substitution is rewrite, then evaluate. Change every sign using the key before doing any arithmetic, because the printed signs do not mean what they usually mean.

After the swap, BODMAS applies: ÷ and × first, left to right, then + and −.

36 ÷ 6 × 2 is (36 ÷ 6) × 2 = 12, not 36 ÷ 12 = 3.

Key facts

Here + means ÷, − means ×, ÷ means + and × means −.
36 ÷ 6 × 2 − 3 = 12 − 3 = 9.
Equal-rank signs (÷ and ×) are worked left to right.

Study next

BODMAS with equal-rank operationsSign-interchange questions that ask which swap makes an equation trueLetter-for-sign substitution, where letters stand for +, −, × and ÷

Common traps

Grouping 6 × 2 first: 36 ÷ 12 − 3 = 0, which no option offers.
Substituting some signs and forgetting others, such as leaving × as multiply.

Reasoning Q.23 of this paper uses the same four swaps on 8 ÷ 2 × 3 + 18 − 6, also keyed 9, and 15 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.23 uses them on 48 × 8 ÷ 12 + 4 − 7, keyed 61.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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