SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 23 September 2025, Shift 1 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 18 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 @ = +, # = −, $ = ×, & = ÷; 8 $ 2 @ 6 # 3 = ?

(a)19
(b)17
(c)13
(d)14

Answer

Why

Correct — A.
Rule: replace each symbol, then apply BODMAS.

8 $ 2 @ 6 # 3
= 8 × 2 + 6 − 3

Multiply first: 8 × 2 = 16
16 + 6 = 22
22 − 3 = 19 → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
17 — 17 is 8 + 2 × 6 − 3, reading $ as + and @ as ×. The stem fixes $ = × and @ = +, so the expression is 8 × 2 + 6 − 3.
(c)
13 — 13 is 8 × 2 − 6 + 3, with @ and # swapped. The stem makes @ addition and # subtraction: 16 + 6 − 3 = 19.
(d)
14 — 14 does not come from 8 × 2 + 6 − 3 whether you work left to right or by BODMAS: both give 19.

Concept

Symbol-substitution items are a translation job first and arithmetic second. Rewrite the whole expression with the real operators, then apply the normal order of operations: division and multiplication before addition and subtraction.

The stem defines four symbols but the expression uses three. & (÷) does not appear in it.

Here BODMAS and plain left-to-right working agree, because the multiplication already sits first. They part company when × or ÷ comes after + or −, so write the translated expression out before you calculate.

Key facts

In this item @ = +, # = −, $ = × and & = ÷.
8 × 2 + 6 − 3 = 19.
Multiplication and division are done before addition and subtraction.

Study next

Interchanging two signs, such as + and ×, then evaluatingChoosing which pair of signs to swap to make an equation trueBODMAS with division inside a longer expression

Common traps

Swapping the meanings of @ and #, which gives 13.
Carrying the meaning of @ from another item: at 12 Sep 2025, 09:00, Reasoning Q.25 the same @ stands for −.

The same substitution task is set at 12 Sep 2025, 09:00, Reasoning Q.25 (# = ×, @ = −, $ = +: 9 × 2 − 3 + 1 = 16) and 23 Sep 2025, 16:00, Reasoning Q.20 (10 × 2 − 4 + 3 = 19).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

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