SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 17 September 2025, Shift 2 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 22 of 99

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 'M' means '+', 'N' means '−', 'O' means '×', and 'P' means ‘÷' what is the value of the following expression? 18 P 3 M 5 O 2=?

(a)16
(b)22
(c)28
(d)8

Answer

Why

Correct — A.
Rule: substitute the letters, then apply BODMAS (÷ and × before +).

18 P 3 M 5 O 2 = 18 ÷ 3 + 5 × 2
Divide first: 18 ÷ 3 = 6
Multiply next: 5 × 2 = 10

Add last: 6 + 10 = 16 → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
22 — 22 comes from working left to right: 18 ÷ 3 = 6, 6 + 5 = 11, 11 × 2 = 22. BODMAS does 5 × 2 before the addition.
(c)
28 — 28 is 18 + 10: it drops the ÷ 3. Division comes first, so the 18 becomes 6 before anything is added.
(d)
8 — 8 matches no bracketing of 18 ÷ 3 + 5 × 2. Worked in the right order, the value is 16.

Concept

A symbol-substitution item tests two steps in order: replacing each letter correctly, then evaluating with the standard order of operations. Here M, N, O and P stand for +, −, × and ÷, and N does not appear in the expression.

After substitution, 18 ÷ 3 + 5 × 2 is ordinary arithmetic. Division and multiplication are done before addition, wherever they sit.

Write the substituted expression in full before you calculate, so the substitution and the arithmetic are two separate checks.

Key facts

In this item M = +, N = −, O = × and P = ÷.
BODMAS: brackets, orders, then ÷ and × left to right, then + and − left to right.
18 ÷ 3 + 5 × 2 = 6 + 10 = 16.

Study next

Symbol items that ask which of four equations is correctItems that swap the operation signs themselves, such as + meaning −Symbol items where a division leaves a fraction

Common traps

Working strictly left to right and getting 22
Dropping the ÷ 3 and adding 18 directly, which gives 28

13 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.21 uses the same frame with X, Y, Z, W: 15 W 3 X 2 Y 4 = 15 ÷ 3 + 2 − 4, keyed 3.

16 Sep 2025, 16:00, Reasoning Q.23 does it with A, B, C, D: 25 B 5 C 3 D 2 A 4 = 5 + 6 − 4, keyed 7.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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