SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 19 September 2025, Shift 3 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 20 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.

"If the given symbols mean: '+' means 'divided by' '−' means 'multiplied by' '×' means 'minus' '÷' means 'plus' Then, find the value of the following expressions: 12 + 3 − 8 × 2 ÷ 1=?

(a)17
(b)31
(c)46
(d)67

Answer

Why

Correct — B.
Rule: replace every symbol first, then apply BODMAS.

Map: + → ÷, − → ×, × → −, ÷ → +
12 + 3 − 8 × 2 ÷ 1 becomes 12 ÷ 3 × 8 − 2 + 1

Divide: 12 ÷ 3 = 4
Multiply: 4 × 8 = 32
Subtract: 32 − 2 = 30
Add: 30 + 1 = 31 → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
17 — 17 would need 12 ÷ 3 × 8 to equal 18. It equals 4 × 8 = 32, and 32 − 2 + 1 = 31.
(c)
46 — 46 would need 12 ÷ 3 × 8 to equal 47. It equals 4 × 8 = 32, and 32 − 2 + 1 = 31.
(d)
67 — 67 would need 12 ÷ 3 × 8 to equal 68. It equals 4 × 8 = 32, and 32 − 2 + 1 = 31.

Concept

Symbol-substitution items redefine the operators. Rewrite the whole expression with the new meanings before any arithmetic, then follow BODMAS: division and multiplication left to right, then addition and subtraction.

Write the mapping out once: + → ÷, − → ×, × → −, ÷ → +. Converting from a written map stops a symbol being converted twice or left as printed.

Calculating with the printed symbols gives 12 + 3 − 16 = −1, which is not an option: a sign the swap has not been made.

Key facts

BODMAS: division and multiplication left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.
Under this legend × means minus and ÷ means plus.
Convert every symbol in one pass before calculating.

Study next

Sign-interchange items (swap + and −, × and ÷)Which-equation-is-correct items after a symbol swapBODMAS with ÷ and × side by side

Common traps

Converting × to − and then converting that − again to ×
Doing 3 × 8 before 12 ÷ 3, which turns 12 ÷ 3 × 8 into 12 ÷ 24

15 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.23 uses the same four-symbol legend: 48 × 8 ÷ 12 + 4 − 7 becomes 48 − 8 + 12 ÷ 4 × 7 = 61 (keyed d).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.