Logical Reasoning · Series & Analogies
Letter and Symbol Series — Questions & Answers
Letter and symbol series questions continue a pattern of letters, letter groups or symbols. Most rely on alphabet positions, fixed jumps forward or backward, or a repeating block.
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How to approach
Read the groups column by column: the 1st letters of every group form one sequence, the 2nd letters another, and so on. Find the step for each column (forward, backward or fixed), then build the missing group one letter at a time. Use alphabet positions (A = 1 ... Z = 26) to count steps.
Some groups are blocks of consecutive letters (CDE) or the same block reversed (XWV). Find how far each block starts from the previous one. Other groups are mirrors (ACA, ABBA) or come in pairs where the second group is the first one reversed (KEM, MEK).
Treat the letters and the numbers as separate sequences. Numbers can count up or down, change position inside the group, or be small subscripts attached to one letter. Work out where the number sits in each group as well as its value.
When a column does not move by a fixed step, write out the steps: they may grow (+1, +2, +3, ...) or alternate (+2, +3, +2, +3). After Z the alphabet starts again at A, so Z + 1 = A.
5 solved Letter and Symbol Series questions
Which group fills the blank? DKL, EMN, FOP, ___, HST
Solution — answer C
1st letters: D, E, F, G, H (+1). 2nd and 3rd letters: KL, MN, OP, QR, ST (a consecutive pair moving on by 2). The blank is GQR.
4 steps · reveal one at a timeStep 1: Examine first letters
Look at the first letter of each group: D, E, F, ___, H. We can see a clear alphabetical progression. The missing first letter must follow F and precede H, which is G.
Step 2: Examine letter pairs
Now, let's look at the second and third letters: KL, MN, OP, ___, ST. Each pair consists of two consecutive letters. The pairs themselves are also consecutive in the alphabet, moving forward by two letters (e.g., K to M, L to N).
Step 3: Find the missing pair
Following the pattern, after OP, the next consecutive pair starting two letters after O (which is Q) would be QR. So, the missing second and third letters are QR. This fits the sequence, as QR is followed by ST.
Step 4: The answer
So the answer is (C) GQR. Combining the first letter G and the pair QR gives us GQR, which perfectly fits the established pattern in the sequence.
In the series FAH, HDJ, JGL, LKN, NMP, PPR, one group does not follow the pattern. Which group is it?
Solution — answer B
1st letters go F, H, J, L, N, P (+2), 2nd letters A, D, G, J, M, P (+3), 3rd letters H, J, L, N, P, R (+2). The fourth group should be LJN, not LKN.
5 steps · reveal one at a timeStep 1: Examine First Letters
Let's look at the first letter of each group in the series: F, H, J, L, N, P. We can see a consistent pattern here. Each letter is two steps ahead of the previous one in the alphabet, or ′+2′.
Step 2: Examine Second Letters
Next, let's check the second letter of each group: A, D, G, J, M, P. This sequence also follows a pattern. Each letter is three steps ahead of the previous one in the alphabet, or ′+3′.
Step 3: Examine Third Letters
Finally, consider the third letter of each group: H, J, L, N, P, R. Similar to the first letters, this sequence shows a pattern where each letter is two steps ahead of the previous one, or ′+2′.
Step 4: Find the Mismatch
Now, let's apply these patterns. The fourth group is LKN. Its first letter 'L' and third letter 'N' follow the ′+2′ pattern. However, its second letter 'K' should be 'J' to follow the ′+3′ pattern (G ′+3′ = J). So, LKN is the group that doesn't fit.
Step 5: The answer
So the answer is (B) LKN. The second letter 'K' in LKN breaks the established pattern for the second letters in the series, which should be 'J'.
Which set of letters, placed in the blanks in order, completes the series? a _ c a b _ _ b c a _ c
Solution — answer B
The repeating block is abc (abc abc abc abc). The blanks are at positions 2, 6, 7 and 11, which hold b, c, a, b, so the answer is bcab.
4 steps · reveal one at a timeStep 1: Examine the series
Look closely at the given series: "a _ c a b _ _ b c a _ c". We need to find a consistent pattern or block of letters that repeats throughout the series to fill the blanks.
Step 2: Identify the pattern
Observe the existing letters. You can see segments like "abc" appearing. Let's hypothesize that the repeating block is abc. This is a common pattern in letter series questions.
Step 3: Fill the blanks
Apply the 'abc' pattern to fill in the missing letters. The series becomes: a b c | a b c | a b c | a b c. The letters filling the blanks in order are b, c, a, b.
Step 4: The answer
So the answer is (B) bcab. The letters b, c, a, b, when placed in the blanks, complete the series with a consistent repeating block of 'abc'.
Which rule produces the series BCD, EFG, HIJ, KLM?
Solution — answer C
Each group is three consecutive letters (BCD), and the starting letters go B, E, H, K, which is +3 each time.
4 steps · reveal one at a timeStep 1: Examine each group
First, let's look at the letters within each group. In BCD, EFG, HIJ, and KLM, you can see that the letters in each group are consecutive in the alphabet. For example, B is followed by C, then D.
Step 2: Track starting letters
Next, let's observe how the series progresses by looking at the first letter of each group. The series starts with B, then E, then H, then K. We need to find the pattern here.
Step 3: Find the starting pattern
To go from B to E, you skip C and D (2 letters), so it's +3 letters. From E to H, you skip F and G (2 letters), so it's also +3. From H to K, you skip I and J (2 letters), which is another +3. Each group starts 3 letters later.
Step 4: The answer
So the answer is (C) Consecutive letters; each group starts 3 letters later. This option perfectly describes both the consecutive nature of letters within each group and the +3 progression of their starting letters.
Which letter comes next in the series B, E, H, K, N, ...?
Solution — answer B
Positions 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 go up by 3, so the next is 17 = Q.
5 steps · reveal one at a timeStep 1: Understand the Series
We need to find the next letter in the given series: B, E, H, K, N, ... This is a common type of aptitude question where we look for a consistent pattern or rule.
Step 2: Convert to Numbers
To make it easier to spot a pattern, let's convert each letter to its corresponding position in the alphabet. B is the 2nd letter, E is the 5th, H is the 8th, K is the 11th, and N is the 14th. The number series is 2,5,8,11,14,...
Step 3: Find the Pattern
Now, let's look at the differences between consecutive numbers in our series: 5−2=3, 8−5=3, 11−8=3, and 14−11=3. The pattern is that each number increases by 3.
Step 4: Determine the Next Number
Following this pattern, the next number in the series should be 14+3=17. We now need to convert this number back to its corresponding letter in the alphabet.
Step 5: The answer
So the answer is (B) Q. The 17th letter of the alphabet is Q, which continues the pattern of increasing by 3 positions.
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