SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 21 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 20 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.

What comes next in the series? A, D, G, J, ?

(a)M
(b)N
(c)O
(d)P

Answer

Why

Correct — A.
Rule: +3 each step: A(1), D(4), G(7), J(10).

Each jump skips two letters: B C, then E F, then H I.
After J, skip K and L: J(10) + 3 = 13 = M → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
N — N is 14, J + 4. Every earlier step is +3 (A→D, D→G, G→J), so the next letter is 13, M.
(c)
O — O is 15, J + 5, which skips four letters. The series skips exactly two each time, so it lands on M (13).
(d)
P — P is 16, J + 6, double the step. The gaps stay constant at 3, they do not grow, so the term after J is M.

Concept

A single-letter series is a number series in disguise. Convert each letter to its alphabet position (A = 1 to Z = 26), find the pattern in the numbers, and convert back.

Here 1, 4, 7, 10 rise by a constant 3, so the next is 13. The EJOTY anchors (E5, J10, O15, T20, Y25) make the conversion quick: J is 10, and three past it is M.

Key facts

A = 1, D = 4, G = 7, J = 10, M = 13.
EJOTY anchors: E5 J10 O15 T20 Y25.
A constant +3 step skips two letters each time.

Study next

Letter series with a growing step, such as −2, −3, −4, −5Letter series with alternating stepsLetter series that wrap from Z back to A

Common traps

Taking the number of skipped letters (2) as the step, instead of the jump (3).
Misplacing J, which is 10th, as the EJOTY anchors fix.

21 Sep 2025, 16:00, Reasoning Q.21 uses a larger constant step: D, I, N, S → X, each +5. 22 Sep 2025, 09:00, Reasoning Q.9 grows the step instead: Z, X, U, Q → L (−2, −3, −4, −5).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Number Series — all 178 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.