Directions: In the following questions, you are given some letters which follow
a set pattern. Under each series, there are four answer choices, marked (a) to (d).
Find the answer choice that can replace the question mark in the letter series.
1. J L N P R T ?
(a) S (b) U (c) V (d) W
2. A D I P ?
(a) R (b) T (c) U (d) Y
3. F I M P ?
(a) V (b) Q (c) T (d) R
4. A C F J ?
(a) K (b) M (c) N (d) O
5. M P K R I T ?
(a) U (b) V (c) C (d) G
ANSWERS:
1. (c) V 2. (d) Y 3. (c) T 4. (d) O 5. (d) G
EXPLANATIONS
1. (c) V: The series is formed by skipping one letter each time J (K) L (M) N
(O) P (Q) E (S) T (U) V. Letters in brackets are the ones skipped.
2. (d) Y: It is an alphabetical sequence where each letter is separated from
the preceding one by 2, 4, 6 and 8 letters. A (BC) D (EFGH) I
(JKLMNO) P (QRSTUVWX) Y.
3. (c) T: Each letter is separated by two and three letters alternately F (GH) I
(JKL) M (NO) P (QRS) T.
4. (d) O: It is an alphabetical progression where C is the second letter after
A, F is the third letter after C, J is the fourth letter after F, and O is
the fifth letter after J.
5. (d) G: It is an alphabetical progression where each letter is separated from
the following one by 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 letters, alternately
forwards and backwards M (NO) P (ONML) K (LMNOPQ) R
(QPONMLKJ) I (JKLMNOPQRS) T (SRQPONMK LJIH) G.
Practice Questions
Directions: The following questions are based on letter series, each having a
different pattern. Study the series carefully to determine the order (pattern).
Select the answer from the choices given below to continue the series.
1. D I L Q T Y B G?
(a) H (b) I (c) O (d) P (e) J
2. X U S P N K I ?
(a) J (b) K (c) (d) F (e)
3. D F I M R ? M O
(a) S (b) U (c) (d) X (e)
U Z
4. B D G I L N ?
(a) O (b) Q (c) S (d) U (e) Q
5. D I L Q T Y B G ?
(a) H (b) J (c) R (d) J (e) Q
6. J E Z U P J ?
(a) K (b) M (c) O (d) P (e) K
7. HV GT FR EP DN ?
(a) KL (b) LM (c) MN (d) NO (e) CL
8. U B I P W ?
(a) V (b) F (c) X (d) M (e) D
9. T S Q N J ?
(a) S (b) E (c) K (d) L (e) N
10. S P L G ?
(a) H (b) I (c) K (d) A (e) H
11. B E I NT ?
(a) R (b) S (c) U (d) A (e) V
12. B F K Q ?
(a) R (b) S (c) W (d) X (e) C
13. R T P R N P ?
(a) Q (b) L (c) S (d) F (e) K
14. W T P M I F B ?
(a) W (b) P (c) F (d) Y (e) V
15. X W V U T S ?
(a) R (b) T (c) E (d) X (e) P
Answers and Explanations
1. (e) After D, 4 letters are skipped and I follows. After which 2 letters are
skipped. The trend follows alternately.
D(EFGH) I (JK) L (MNOP) Q (RS) T (UVWX)Y(ZA)B(CDEF)G (HI) J
2. (d) After X, 2 letters are skipped and U follows, after which I letter is skipped
and S follows. In this manner after every letter, letters are skipped in the
order of 2 and 1 alternately.
3. (d) Letters are skipped in the order as 1, 2, 3, 4,
5 D (E) F (GH) I (JKL) M (NOPQ) R (STUVW)
1 2 3 4 5
4. (b) Letters are skipped I and 2 alternately.
B (C) D (EF) G (H) I (JK) L (M) N (OP) Q
5. (b) Four and 2 letters are skipped alternately
D (EFGH) I (JK) L (MNOP) Q (RS) T (UVWX) Y (ZA) B (CDEF) G (HI) J
6. (a) Every fifth letter backward from J.
7. (e) 2 alternating series, one going backwards from H and one going forwards
with every 2nd letter from V.
8. (e) Every seventh letter alphabetically.
9. (b) The interval increases by one each time as we move
backwards. TS(R) Q (PO) N (MLK) J (IHGF) E
10. (d) The letters go back by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in that order.
S(RQ) P(OMN) L (KLJI) G(FEDCB)
2 3 4 5
11. (d) Letters to up by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 - in that order
B (CD) E (FGH) I (JKLM) N (OPQRS) T (UVWXYZ) A
2 3 4 5 6
Circular continuation follows, i.e. after Z, we again begin with A.
12. (d) Skipped letters go up by 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
B (CDE) F (GHIJ) K (LMNOP) Q (RSTUVW)X
13. (b) Move 2 letters forward and 4 letters backwards alternately.
14. (d) Skip 2 and 3 steps back in the alphabetical order
alternately W (VU) T (SRQ) P(ON) M (LKJ)I (HG) F (EDC) B
B (AZ) Y
15. (a) Two letters are skipped alternately.
X (YZ) W (XY) V (WX) U (VW) T (UV) S (TU) R (ST)
Hints to Solve the Letter Series
There are no set rules. In each ease you have to discover the pattern adopted.
There can be omission of letters in an order, for example, one each time. Letters
may also be omitted in an increasing/decreasing order, which may be direct
increase or decrease, for example, one each time, two each time, three each lime,
and so on. There can also be alternate order, such as first one letter is skipped,
then two letters, then three letters, and so on. There may also be alternate
sequences, for example, first one letter and then two letters are skipped
alternately. These are some of the typical patterns that you will encounter.
Besides these, there may be several other patterns in the letter series.
The easiest way to tackle letter series questions is to be wary of the
position of the alphabet and its position number in both forward and backward
sequences.
For instance,
A B C D E F G H I J K L M … and so on
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 (forward)
26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 (backward)
Also remember that to continue the series after Z, we again begin with A. In
other words, the sequence is kept in a circular order.
Some skipping patterns are described below:
(i) Regular order: The number of letters skipped remains the same. As in
illustration I above, in which each time only one letter-is skipped.
(ii) Increasing order: Each time the number of letters skipped increases in
a given pattern. For example,
ACFJQ?
ANSWER: U
Here, each time the number of letters skipped increases by one.
(iii) Decreasing order: Each time the number of letters skipped decreases
in a given pattern. For example,
AGLPS?
ANSWER: U
Here the number of letters skipped decreases by one each time, that is, first 5,
then 4, then 3, and so on.
(iv) Interlinked series: For example,
ADFJMR?
ANSWER: V
Here, there are two interlinked series. Recall the numbered, alphabet table and
write down the number of letters skipped.
You will realize that there are two interlinked series:
2 1 3 2 4 ?
Here, the first series follows the pattern 2, 3, 4 and the second series
2 1 3 2 4 ?
1, 2, ?.
Therefore, to replace the question mark, three letters should be skipped.
To get the answer, skip three letters after R; that is R (s t u) V. The letter V
will replace the question mark.
There may be several other such patterns for forming a letter series. With a little
practice, you will be able to determine the pattern involved. Some more
illustrations are given here to familiarize you with these types of questions.
1. M T W T F S?
2. J F M A M J?
ANSWERS: 1) S 2) J
In question 1, the first letter of the day of the week forms the series, that is
M(onday) T(uesday) W(ednesday) T(hursday) F(riday) S(aturday). The next
letter to replace the question mark (?) will be again S, representing Sunday.
In question 2, the first letter of the name of the month is given, namely
J(anuary) F(ebruary), M(arch), A(pril), M(ay) J(une). After June, therefore, we
will have J again, representing July. Therefore, the next letter in this series will be
J.
Practice Questions
Directions: Supply the right letters in place of the question marks in the
following questions
1. A C F J O?
(a) P (b) Q (c) U (d) V (e) L
2. A D E H I L ? ?
(a) MP (b) MN (c) MO (d) MQ (e) NM
3. A Z B Y C X D ?
(a) E (b) W (c) R (d) L (e) P
4. CD HI MN ??
(a) OS (b) RS (c) OP (d) PQ (e) ST
5. AU BY CZ ??
(a) BC (b) KL (c) MN (d) PN (e) DX
6. A G L P S ?
(a) X (b) Y (c) W (d) U (e) Z
7. R U X A D ?
(a) E (b) F (c) G (d) I (e) H
8. C F I L O ?
(a) P (b) Q (c) R (d) S (e) T
9. E G J K O Q ?
(a) S (b) R (c) U (d) V (e) T
10. B J Q W B F ?
(a) F (b) G (c) H (d) I (e)E
11. I M Q U X B ?
(A) C (b) D (c) F (d) G (e) E
12. C E I K O Q ?
(a) R (b) S (c) T (d) U (e) V
13. Z X V T R P ?
(a) Q (b) R (c) S (d) M (e) N
14. X U S P N K ?
(a) I (b) L (c) M (d) Q (e) Y
15. T Q N K H ?
(a) F (b) L (c) S (d) E (e) R
Answers and Explanations
1. (c) Letters follow alphabetical order and the letters skipped in between
increase in number in an ascending order, each time.
A(B) C (DE) F (GHI) J (KLMN) O (PQRST) U
1 2 3 4 5
2. (a) Alphabets are grouped in rows of four (ABCD, EFGH...) and the initial
and the final letter of each row are taken to form the series.
3. (b) Letter sets are formed by taking a letter from forward order (A-Z) and
one letter from backward order (Z-A).
4. (b) After a set of two consecutive letters, three letters are skipped, that
is CD (EFG) HI (JKL) MN (OPQ) RS
3 3 3
5. (e) Alphabet blocked into a 4 letter row (4 horizontally in the row) and 6
(vertically in the row, except rows 2 and 3 which have 7 letters).
Vertically, row A ends in U, row B ends in Y, row C ends in Z and
obviously the last row starting from D will end in X.
6. (d) Letters follow alphabetical order. Skipping is done in decreasing
order. A (BCDEF) G (HIJK) L (MNO) P (QR) S (T) U
5 4 3 2 1
7. (c) Two intervening letters are skipped in the alphabetical
order: R (ST) U (VW) X (YZ) A (BC) D (EF) G
As explained earlier, circular continuity is maintained, that is, after Z, we come
back to the A B C D order.
8. (c) Two consecutive letters are skipped after each letter.
9. (e) One letter and two letters are skipped alternately.
10. (d) Letters maintain alphabetical order and the number of letters skipped
increases by one each lime. First 7 letters are skipped, then 6, 5, 4, 3 and so
on.
11. (e) Three and two letters are skipped alternately.
12. (d) Letters are skipped in the order of 1 and 3
alternately. C (D) E (FGH) I (J) K (LMN) O (P) Q (RST)
U
13. (e) Backward order of letter is taken, skipping one letter alternately, that is Z
(Y)X (W) V (U) T (S) R (Q) P (O) N
14. (a) Backward order is taken (Z-A). Letters are skipped in the order of 2 and 1
alternately.
X(WV) U (T) S (RQ) P (O) N (ML) K (J) I (HG) F and so on.
15. (d) Backward order is followed skipping 2 letters
alternately. T (SR) Q (PO) N (ML) K (JI) H (GF) E
Formats
Letter series questions may be in various formats, for example:
Illustrations
1. Which letter will come in the blank square?
H M C
J N F
L O
(a) P (b) N (c) H (d) I
2. Which two letters will come in place of the question marks?
A G ? K I
E C ? G M
G H E J
H D I E
(a) (b) (c) (d)
ANSWER: 1. (d) 2. (c)
Explanations
1. Working downwards in vertical columns, the first column has breaks of one
letter. In the second column, there are no breaks. In the third column, two
letters are skipped.
(a) H (I) J (K) L
(b) M N O
(c) C (DE) F (GH) I
2. Here the letters zigzag alphabetically from top left to bottom right with a
gap of one letter each tune:
A (B) C (D) E (F) G (H) I and
E (F) G (H) I (J) K (L) M
Practice Questions
Directions: In each of the following questions, there is a series of letters/group of
letters in accordance with a pattern. Discover the pattern involved in each
question and select the correct answer from the choices given,
1. AD EH IL -- QT UX
(a) AY (b) VB (c) CW (d) DX (e) MP
2. AY BZ CW --
(a) KF (b) OH (c) MN (d) IK (e) DX
3. BC FG JK -- RS VW
(a) LM (b) OP (c) QR (d) NO (e) ST
4. CD GH KL OP ST --
(a) RS (b) QR (c) GH (d) WX (e) RN
5. XD WC -- YA
(a) XY (b) CD (c) OP (d) WV (e) ZB
6. AI BJ CK --
(a) LM (b) GH (c) QR (d) SE (e) DL
7. AM BN EI FJ CO GK DP --
(a) PQ (b) QR (c) QT (d) HL (e) HG
8. A C B E C G D ??
(a) MN (b) LM (c) IE (d) GH (e) XY
9. Z W S P L I E ?
(a) D (b) F (c) G (d) B (e) K
10. A E J
PT?
(a) U (b) V (c) R (d) W (e) X
11. AC EG BD FH IK -
(a) LM (b) OP (c) IJ (d) JL (e) JK
12. C G K O
S A E I
MQE I
MQ?
(a) W (b) X (c) V (d) U (e) M
13. A D N M
C F J O
B E I N
GI M?
(a) P (b) Q (c) R (d) S (e) T
14. A D C
F C F
E H E
HGK
OR??
(a) LK (b) MN (c) ST (d) QT (e) XY
15. F J N R V
E H K N
QILOR
U K N Q
?W
(a) S (b) T (c) X (d) Y (e) M
Answers and Explanations
1. (e) The alphabets are arranged in a block to 4 letter rows A-D, E-H, I-L, M-P,
Q-T, U-X and YZ. The series comprises of the initial and the final letter of
the rows arranged as above.
2. (e) Initial and final letters of vertical rows are taken from 4 letter rows of
alphabet as made for Question 1.
3. (d) The middle pair of letters is taken from the 4 letter block.
4. (d) Last pair of letters is taken from the 4 letter block,
5. (e) Initial and last letter taken from downwards to upwards in the 4 letter
block.
6. (e) Vertically 1st and 3rd letter of the row is taken skipping one in between.
7. (d) Vertically 1st and 4th letter of the row is taken skipping two letters in
between.
To fully understand the basis of these questions, make the 4 letter block of the
alphabet and the above answers will be explained clearly by a careful scrutiny of
the block
A B C D
E F G H
I J K L
M N O
PQ R S T
U V W X
Y Z - -
8. (c) There are 2 alternate series each from A and from alternate letter C.
9. (d) Skip 2 and 3 steps backwards in the alphabetic alternately.
10. (d) From A to J. there are 10 letters (both inclusive) 3 of which are written in
the question and between A to J. seven letters are skipped. Based on this,
between P to ? there should be 10 letters, out of which 2 are written (P and
T), skipping only 8 letters. Hence counting from P to ?, based on A-J
pattern, 8 letters are missing and therefore, after P, W should come to
form the series.
11. (d) This question is based on the 4 letter row as in questions 1 to 7. In this
series, first AC is taken (omitting B) and BD. In the same, manner, AG and
FH and so on.
12. (d) In the first row between C and S three letters each are skipped, i.e.
C(DEF) G (HIJ) K (LMN) O (PQR) and S. Same pattern is followed in
rows A-Q and E- ?
13. (c) A careful analysis of rows A to M reveals that 2, 3, 4, letters are
consecutively skipped. For instance, A (BC) D (EFG), H(IJKL). Same order
is followed in other rows C-O, B-N and F-?
14. (d) Study row A-F. Letters are skipped and repeated as follows:
A (BC) D C (DE) F
C (DE) F E (FG) H
E (FG) H G (IJ) K
O (PQ) R Q (RS) T Hence the answer = QT.
15. (b) The series is made by the following scheme:
F (3) J (3) N (3) R (3) V
E (a) H (2) K (2) N (2) Q
I (2) L (2) O (2) R (2) U
K (2) N (2) Q (2) T(2) W
Based on the above scheme, T replaces the ? mark in the question.
ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Which letter will come in the bottom portion of the last figure?
A H L E
E N T -
(a) U (b) V (c) W (d) O
2. Which letter will replace the question mark in the following design?
A C
? E
M G
K I
(a) B (b) W (c) O (d) V
3. L O
K P
D I
E ?
(a) G (b) U (c) V (d) H
4.
X
? V
N S
(a) Y (b) W (c) L (d) M
5. Which letter will replace the question mark?
A Z
D W
H ?
K P
(a) V (b) O (c) S (d) R
Answers and Explanations
1. (d) O: The interval between the top and the bottom letters in each
domino increases by 4, then 6, 8 and finally by 10 steps.
A (BCD) E, H (IJKLM) N, L (MNOPQRS) E (FGHIJKLMN) O
2. (c) O: (alternate letters in sequence)
A (B) C (D) E (F) G (H) I (J) K (L) M (N) O
3. (d) H: The pattern is KL (MN) OP (top) DE (FG) HI (bottom)
4. (d) L: (skip one letter, then two to form the series)
5. (c) S: (an interval of two letters exists between each quadrant,
going clockwise)
