Convert letters into positions

The alphabet is a circular ordered set: A is 1, Z is 26, and a step forward after Z returns to A. For letter series, annotate positions or use a small A–Z strip. A pattern may use constant jumps, increasing jumps, reversals or two interleaved streams. A letter-number term contains at least two streams; solve the letter part and the numeric part independently before combining them. Symbols may mark a repeating block rather than an arithmetic value.

Worked method

Consider B, E, I, N, ?. The forward jumps are 3, 4 and 5 positions; the next is 6, so N(14) becomes T(20). Now consider C3, E6, G9, I12, ?. Letters advance by two, numbers by three, giving K15. If a cluster repeats as AB#AB#AB#, do not search for a numerical meaning in #; find the block length and the missing position within that block. If the term has three letters, compare first, second and third positions separately.

Blank-filling questions

When several blanks occur in one long string, copy the candidate option into *all* blanks before judging it. An option may repair the first segment and break the next. Identify the shortest repeated unit that explains the entire string. For example, a repeated ABC unit has period three; the fourth and seventh positions must match. If the rule has period four, checking only neighbouring letters misses the repetition. Index the positions from 1 when necessary.

Common traps

Do not confuse alphabet positions with ASCII codes or count the starting letter as a jump. From X forward by three moves is A: X→Y is one, Y→Z is two, Z→A is three. In a backward sequence, A−1 is Z. In mixed symbol strings, punctuation can be a token to be counted rather than ignored. After selecting an option, reread the whole completed series aloud or in grouped blocks; this simple verification catches many local-only fits.

Practice — 50 questions

Attempt every item before reading the answers below. Figure questions require the printed or on-screen diagram.

1. Arrange the following words in the order in which they appear in an English dictionary and choose the correct sequence.
1. Travel 2. Trace 3. Trade 4. Track

A. 2, 3, 4, 1 B. 2, 4, 1, 3 C. 2, 4, 3, 1 D. 4, 2, 1, 3

2. If all the digits are arranged in ascending order from left to right in the number 2985020, what will be the sum of the 2nd digit from the left and the 3rd digit from the right of the new number?

A. 4 B. 6 C. 5 D. 9

3. Which letter-cluster will replace the question mark (?) in the following series?
FYY, IBB, LEE, OHH, ?

A. QKK B. RKK C. LEE D. RKJ

4. If the letters of the word "PERSONALITY" are arranged in alphabetical order, which letter will be 2nd from the right?

A. R B. T C. L D. A

5. Arrange the following words in the order in which they appear in an English dictionary and choose the correct sequence.
1. Bring 2. Bride 3. Bridge 4. Brief

A. 2, 3, 4, 1 B. 3, 2, 1, 4 C. 2, 4, 3, 1 D. 3, 2, 4, 1

6. If the letters of the word 'WITNESS' are arranged in alphabetical order from left to right, how many letters will remain at the same position as in the original word?

A. None B. One C. Two D. Three

7. Which letter-cluster will replace the question mark (?) in the following series?
XBE, UXA, RTW, ?, LLO

A. OPR B. UXA C. OPS D. OOS

8. Refer to the following number series and answer the question that follows (all numbers are single-digit numbers only).
(Left) 2 6 6 2 8 3 3 5 2 6 3 6 2 1 8 2 1 5 3 2 (Right)
How many unique numbers in the series are odd numbers (each number counted only once)?

A. Three B. None C. Four D. Two

9. If the letters of the word 'UMBRELLA' are arranged in alphabetical order from left to right, how many letters will change their position?

A. 11 B. 10 C. 8 D. 6

10. How many such digits are there in the following string, each of which is a perfect-square digit and is immediately preceded by a digit greater than 5 and also immediately followed by an odd digit?
1 4 6 6 7 9 8 2 5 8 6 6 2 1 6 3 4 5 6 1 3 7 3 4 2

A. 2 B. 0 C. 1 D. 3

11. If the letters of the word "INFORMATION" are arranged in alphabetical order, which letter will be 6th from the left?

A. N B. I C. O D. M

12. How many consonants are there in the following letter series, each of which is immediately preceded by a vowel and also immediately followed by a vowel?
O S E V I I I U A I E P V G V I A E K V S Z L

A. 3 B. 4 C. 0 D. 2

13. Arrange the following words in the order in which they appear in an English dictionary and choose the correct sequence.
1. Temporary 2. Temper 3. Tempest 4. Tempt 5. Tempo

A. 2, 3, 1, 5, 4 B. 2, 3, 5, 1, 4 C. 3, 2, 5, 1, 4 D. 2, 3, 5, 4, 1

14. Which letter-cluster will replace the question mark (?) in the following series?
BHF, EJG, HLH, KNI, ?

A. NOJ B. NPJ C. HLH D. NPI

15. Which letter-cluster will replace the question mark (?) in the following series?
KLQ, LJS, MHU, NFW, ?

A. OEY B. PDY C. MHU D. ODY

16. If the letters of the word 'VERSION' are arranged in alphabetical order from left to right, how many letters of the English alphabet will lie between the 2nd letter from the left and the 3rd letter from the right of the new arrangement?

A. 9 B. 7 C. 2 D. 8

17. Find the next term in the series: FG, JK, NO, ?

A. QR B. RS C. RT D. SS

18. How many consonants are there in the following letter series, each of which is immediately preceded by a vowel and also immediately followed by a vowel?
G A F J O J L S D K X A N W O G U W R U K I P

A. 0 B. 2 C. 5 D. 1

19. If the letters of the word 'MACHINE' are arranged in alphabetical order from left to right, how many letters of the English alphabet will lie between the 2nd letter from the left and the 2nd letter from the right of the new arrangement?

A. 9 B. 3 C. 8 D. 10

20. Study the following set of numbers:
684 637 491 425 984
If the second digit of the lowest number is added to the first digit of the second lowest number, what will be the result?

A. 11 B. 9 C. 8 D. 6

21. Refer to the following letter series and answer the question.
(Left) A H K L B W V F Y N P X U M Q I S C G E (Right)
How many vowels are there in the English alphabetical series between the letter which is 8th from the left end and the letter which is 3rd from the right end?

A. None B. One C. Three D. Two

22. Arrange the following words in the order in which they appear in an English dictionary and choose the correct sequence.
1. Charity 2. Chance 3. Chain 4. Chart 5. Challenge

A. 5, 3, 2, 4, 1 B. 3, 5, 1, 2, 4 C. 3, 5, 2, 1, 4 D. 5, 3, 2, 1, 4

23. How many vowels are there in the following letter series, each of which is immediately preceded by a consonant and also immediately followed by a consonant?
Q I O K U I I U I Z X C E B I B U U E A A E O U U I

A. 4 B. 2 C. 0 D. 3

24. Which letter-cluster will replace the question mark (?) in the following series?
EVLY, HYMW, LCOT, ?, WNVK

A. QHQP B. GXLX C. QHRP D. PHRP

25. If the letters of the word 'FESTIVAL' are arranged in alphabetical order from left to right, how many letters will change their position?

A. 10 B. 7 C. 11 D. 8

26. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: % & * $ % ? * $ % & * $

A. = B. ~ C. # D. &

27. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: S T U V S ? U V S T U V

A. T B. K C. X D. L

28. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: R S T U R S T U R S ? U

A. Q B. B C. T D. H

29. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: $ + = ! $ + = ! $ ? = !

A. # B. + C. % D. &

30. Select the option that represents the letters that, when sequentially placed from left to right in the blanks below, will complete the letter series.
G U _ X G _ K X _ U K _ G U K

A. UUGX B. KUGK C. KUXG D. KUGX

31. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: P Q R S P Q R S P Q R ?

A. U B. W C. S D. Y

32. Select the option that represents the letters that, when sequentially placed from left to right in the blanks below, will complete the letter series.
U S L A U S _ A U _ L A _ S _

A. SSAS B. LSLU C. LSUL D. USLL

33. Study the series and find the next term: F, G, G, H, H, H, I, I, I, I, J, ?

A. J B. E C. L D. K

34. Select the option that represents the letters that, when sequentially placed from left to right in the blanks below, will complete the letter series.
X N H _ X N H L X N H L _ _ H _ X _

A. LXNXN B. LXNLN C. LLNLN D. LXHLN

35. Study the series and find the next term: %, %, &, &, &, *, *, *, *, $, $, $, $, $, +, +, +, +, +, ?

A. $ B. + C. @ D. %

36. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: # % & * $ # % & * $ ? % & * $

A. = B. ! C. # D. ~

37. Study the series and find the next term: K, K, L, L, L, L, M, M, M, M, M, M, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, O, O, O, O, O, ?

A. Q B. O C. M D. P

38. Select the option that represents the letters that, when sequentially placed from left to right in the blanks below, will complete the letter series.
K T _ Q Q C T K _ T _ _ Q C _ K K T

A. CKCKT B. CKCQK C. CKCQT D. TKCQT

39. Select the option that represents the letters that, when sequentially placed from left to right in the blanks below, will complete the letter series.
K I C _ K I _ _ K I C E K I C E _ _

A. ECEKI B. EIKKI C. EEEKI D. ECEKE

40. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: # % & * $ # % & * $ # % & * ?

A. ! B. + C. $ D. ~

41. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: E F G H I J E F G H I J ? F G H I J

A. L B. E C. K D. X

42. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: @ # % & * @ # % & * @ # % ? *

A. = B. ! C. $ D. &

43. Select the option that represents the letters that, when sequentially placed from left to right in the blanks below, will complete the letter series.
_ _ T F W _ T _ W _ T F W C T

A. WCTWC B. WCCFC C. WCTFC D. WTCFC

44. Select the option that represents the letters that, when sequentially placed from left to right in the blanks below, will complete the letter series.
L _ M A _ U M A _ U _ A L U _ A

A. ULMML B. LLUMM C. ULLMM D. UUMLU

45. Study the series and find the next term: J, J, J, K, K, K, K, K, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, M, M, M, M, M, M, M, M, M, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, N, ?

A. H B. L C. M D. N

46. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: % & * $ + % & * $ + % & ? $ +

A. * B. # C. @ D. ~

47. Select the option that represents the letters that, when sequentially placed from left to right in the blanks below, will complete the letter series.
B _ F S _ J G T _ K H U E L _ V F _ J

A. IFDIM B. FCDIM C. ICDIM D. CIDIM

48. Study the series and find the next term: N, N, N, O, O, O, O, O, O, P, P, P, P, P, P, P, P, P, Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, Q, R, R, R, R, R, R, ?

A. O B. R C. S D. T

49. The following sequence repeats a fixed pattern. Find the missing term: % & * $ + = % & ? $ + = % & * $ + =

A. @ B. ~ C. ! D. *

50. Select the option that represents the letters that, when sequentially placed from left to right in the blanks below, will complete the letter series.
_ I _ R I _ _ Z J R Z I R Z I J Z I _

A. ZIJRJ B. ZJJKN C. ZJJRJ D. ZJIRJ

Answers and explanations

After checking the key, explain the rule or diagram transformation to yourself before moving on.

1. C. Compare letter by letter from the first position where the words differ. Dictionary order: Trace < Track < Trade < Travel, i.e. 2, 4, 3, 1.

APRS26-04-01 | Dictionary order | Easy

2. C. Original: 2 9 8 5 0 2 0. After the change: 0 0 2 2 5 8 9. The 2nd digit from the left is 0 and the 3rd from the right is 5. 0 + 5 = 5.

APRS26-04-02 | Digit operation | Easy

3. B. Treat each letter position as its own series. 1st letters: F, I, L, O, R (+3 each time); 2nd letters: Y, B, E, H, K (+3 each time); 3rd letters: Y, B, E, H, K (+3 each time). Counting wraps around: after Z comes A (and before A comes Z). So the missing cluster is RKK.

APRS26-04-03 | Letter-cluster series | Easy

4. B. Alphabetical order of "PERSONALITY" is AEILNOPRSTY. Counting from the right, the 2nd letter is "T".

APRS26-04-04 | Position in word | Easy

5. A. Compare letter by letter from the first position where the words differ. Dictionary order: Bride < Bridge < Brief < Bring, i.e. 2, 3, 4, 1.

APRS26-04-05 | Dictionary order | Easy

6. B. WITNESS → EINSSTW. Compare position by position: I (position 2) stays put. So 1 letter remains in place.

APRS26-04-06 | Word rearrangement | Easy

7. C. Treat each letter position as its own series. 1st letters: X, U, R, O, L (-3 each time); 2nd letters: B, X, T, P, L (-4 each time); 3rd letters: E, A, W, S, O (-4 each time). Counting wraps around: after Z comes A (and before A comes Z). So the missing cluster is OPS.

APRS26-04-07 | Letter-cluster series | Easy

8. A. List each different digit once: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8. Of these, odd numbers: 1, 3, 5 → 3 (Three). Counting every occurrence instead would give 8, which is the trap.

APRS26-04-08 | Unique digits count | Easy

9. C. UMBRELLA → ABELLMRU. Compare position by position: no letter stays put. 8 − 0 = 8 letters change position.

APRS26-04-09 | Word rearrangement | Medium

10. C. Check every digit with its neighbours (previous–digit–next). The qualifying positions are: 6 1 3. Count = 1.

APRS26-04-10 | Digit string count | Medium

11. A. Alphabetical order of "INFORMATION" is AFIIMNNOORT. Counting from the left, the 6th letter is "N".

APRS26-04-11 | Position in word | Medium

12. D. Vowels are A, E, I, O, U; every other letter is a consonant. Scan each letter with its neighbours. Qualifying positions: O S E ; E V I. Count = 2.

APRS26-04-12 | Letter string count | Medium

13. B. Compare letter by letter from the first position where the words differ. Dictionary order: Temper < Tempest < Tempo < Temporary < Tempt, i.e. 2, 3, 5, 1, 4.

APRS26-04-13 | Dictionary order | Medium

14. B. Treat each letter position as its own series. 1st letters: B, E, H, K, N (+3 each time); 2nd letters: H, J, L, N, P (+2 each time); 3rd letters: F, G, H, I, J (+1 each time). So the missing cluster is NPJ.

APRS26-04-14 | Letter-cluster series | Medium

15. D. Treat each letter position as its own series. 1st letters: K, L, M, N, O (+1 each time); 2nd letters: L, J, H, F, D (-2 each time); 3rd letters: Q, S, U, W, Y (+2 each time). So the missing cluster is ODY.

APRS26-04-15 | Letter-cluster series | Medium

16. D. VERSION → EINORSV. The 2nd letter from the left is I (alphabet position 9) and the 3rd from the right is R (position 18). Between I and R lie JKLMNOPQ, i.e. 8 letters.

APRS26-04-16 | Word rearrangement | Medium

17. B. Each pair's letters are 1 apart, and each pair starts 4 places after the previous pair's start. The complete series is FG, JK, NO, RS, so the next term is RS.

APRS26-04-17 | Letter-pair series | Medium

18. B. Vowels are A, E, I, O, U; every other letter is a consonant. Scan each letter with its neighbours. Qualifying positions: O G U ; U K I. Count = 2.

APRS26-04-18 | Letter string count | Medium

19. A. MACHINE → ACEHIMN. The 2nd letter from the left is C (alphabet position 3) and the 2nd from the right is M (position 13). Between C and M lie DEFGHIJKL, i.e. 9 letters.

APRS26-04-19 | Word rearrangement | Medium

20. D. Ascending order: 425 < 491 < 637 < 684 < 984. the lowest number is 425 (its second digit 2); the second lowest number is 491 (its first digit 4). 2 + 4 = 6.

APRS26-04-20 | Five-number set | Medium

21. B. 8th from the left = F (alphabet position 6); 3rd from the right = C (position 3). Letters strictly between C and F in the alphabet: D, E; vowels among them: E. Count = 1 (One).

APRS26-04-21 | Letter string alphabet gap | Medium

22. C. Compare letter by letter from the first position where the words differ. Dictionary order: Chain < Challenge < Chance < Charity < Chart, i.e. 3, 5, 2, 1, 4.

APRS26-04-22 | Dictionary order | Difficult

23. B. Vowels are A, E, I, O, U; every other letter is a consonant. Scan each letter with its neighbours. Qualifying positions: C E B ; B I B. Count = 2.

APRS26-04-23 | Letter string count | Difficult

24. C. Treat each letter position as its own series. 1st letters: E, H, L, Q, W (+3, +4, +5, +6); 2nd letters: V, Y, C, H, N (+3, +4, +5, +6); 3rd letters: L, M, O, R, V (+1, +2, +3, +4); 4th letters: Y, W, T, P, K (-2, -3, -4, -5). The step grows by 1 at every term. Counting wraps around: after Z comes A (and before A comes Z). So the missing cluster is QHRP.

APRS26-04-24 | Letter-cluster series | Difficult

25. B. FESTIVAL → AEFILSTV. Compare position by position: E (position 2) stays put. 8 − 1 = 7 letters change position.

APRS26-04-25 | Word rearrangement | Difficult

26. D. The sequence repeats the 4-term cycle "% & * $" over and over. Position 6 falls at cycle-position 2, which is "&".

APRS26-04-26 | Cyclic pattern | Easy

27. A. The sequence repeats the 4-term cycle "S T U V" over and over. Position 6 falls at cycle-position 2, which is "T".

APRS26-04-27 | Cyclic pattern | Easy

28. C. The sequence repeats the 4-term cycle "R S T U" over and over. Position 11 falls at cycle-position 3, which is "T".

APRS26-04-28 | Cyclic pattern | Easy

29. B. The sequence repeats the 4-term cycle "$ + = !" over and over. Position 10 falls at cycle-position 2, which is "+".

APRS26-04-29 | Cyclic pattern | Easy

30. D. Split the series into groups of 4: GUKX / GUKX / GUKX / GUK. Here the block "GUKX" is repeated as it is. Reading the blanks from left to right gives K, U, G, X → KUGX. No other option keeps the pattern.

APRS26-04-30 | Fill the blanks | Easy

31. C. The sequence repeats the 4-term cycle "P Q R S" over and over. Position 12 falls at cycle-position 4, which is "S".

APRS26-04-31 | Cyclic pattern | Easy

32. C. Split the series into groups of 4: USLA / USLA / USLA / USL. Here the block "USLA" is repeated as it is. Reading the blanks from left to right gives L, S, U, L → LSUL. No other option keeps the pattern.

APRS26-04-32 | Fill the blanks | Easy

33. A. Each symbol repeats 1 more time(s) than the one before it (F×1, G×2, H×3, …). Continuing the current block, the next term is "J".

APRS26-04-33 | Repetition pattern | Easy

34. B. Split the series into groups of 4: XNHL / XNHL / XNHL / XNHL / XN. Here the block "XNHL" is repeated as it is. Reading the blanks from left to right gives L, X, N, L, N → LXNLN. No other option keeps the pattern.

APRS26-04-34 | Fill the blanks | Medium

35. B. Each symbol repeats 1 more time(s) than the one before it (%×2, &×3, *×4, …). Continuing the current block, the next term is "+".

APRS26-04-35 | Repetition pattern | Medium

36. C. The sequence repeats the 5-term cycle "# % & * $" over and over. Position 11 falls at cycle-position 1, which is "#".

APRS26-04-36 | Cyclic pattern | Medium

37. B. Each symbol repeats 2 more time(s) than the one before it (K×2, L×4, M×6, …). Continuing the current block, the next term is "O".

APRS26-04-37 | Repetition pattern | Medium

38. C. Split the series into groups of 4: KTCQ / QCTK / KTCQ / QCTK / KT. Here the block "KTCQ" alternates with its reverse "QCTK". Reading the blanks from left to right gives C, K, C, Q, T → CKCQT. No other option keeps the pattern.

APRS26-04-38 | Fill the blanks | Medium

39. A. Split the series into groups of 4: KICE / KICE / KICE / KICE / KI. Here the block "KICE" is repeated as it is. Reading the blanks from left to right gives E, C, E, K, I → ECEKI. No other option keeps the pattern.

APRS26-04-39 | Fill the blanks | Medium

40. C. The sequence repeats the 5-term cycle "# % & * $" over and over. Position 15 falls at cycle-position 5, which is "$".

APRS26-04-40 | Cyclic pattern | Medium

41. B. The sequence repeats the 6-term cycle "E F G H I J" over and over. Position 13 falls at cycle-position 1, which is "E".

APRS26-04-41 | Cyclic pattern | Medium

42. D. The sequence repeats the 5-term cycle "@ # % & *" over and over. Position 14 falls at cycle-position 4, which is "&".

APRS26-04-42 | Cyclic pattern | Medium

43. B. Split the series into groups of 4: WCTF / WCTF / WCTF / WCT. Here the block "WCTF" is repeated as it is. Reading the blanks from left to right gives W, C, C, F, C → WCCFC. No other option keeps the pattern.

APRS26-04-43 | Fill the blanks | Medium

44. C. Split the series into groups of 4: LUMA / LUMA / LUMA / LUMA. Here the block "LUMA" is repeated as it is. Reading the blanks from left to right gives U, L, L, M, M → ULLMM. No other option keeps the pattern.

APRS26-04-44 | Fill the blanks | Medium

45. D. Each symbol repeats 2 more time(s) than the one before it (J×3, K×5, L×7, …). Continuing the current block, the next term is "N".

APRS26-04-45 | Repetition pattern | Medium

46. A. The sequence repeats the 5-term cycle "% & * $ +" over and over. Position 13 falls at cycle-position 3, which is "*".

APRS26-04-46 | Cyclic pattern | Medium

47. C. Split the series into groups of 4: BIFS / CJGT / DKHU / ELIV / FMJ. Here every letter of the block moves one step forward in the alphabet at each repetition (BIFS → CJGT → …). Reading the blanks from left to right gives I, C, D, I, M → ICDIM. No other option keeps the pattern.

APRS26-04-47 | Fill the blanks | Difficult

48. B. Each symbol repeats 3 more time(s) than the one before it (N×3, O×6, P×9, …). Continuing the current block, the next term is "R".

APRS26-04-48 | Repetition pattern | Difficult

49. D. The sequence repeats the 6-term cycle "% & * $ + =" over and over. Position 9 falls at cycle-position 3, which is "*".

APRS26-04-49 | Cyclic pattern | Difficult

50. C. Split the series into groups of 4: ZIJR / IJRZ / JRZI / RZIJ / ZIJ. Here each repetition moves the first letter of the previous block to the end (ZIJR → IJRZ → …). Reading the blanks from left to right gives Z, J, J, R, J → ZJJRJ. No other option keeps the pattern.

APRS26-04-50 | Fill the blanks | Difficult