Reasoning Shortcuts for SSC Flashcards

Memory tricks for alphabet, clock and calendar reasoning questions.

EJOTY

E = 5, J = 10, O = 15, T = 20, Y = 25.

Reverse position of a letter

Reverse position = 27 − forward position.

Opposite letter rule

Opposite letters add up to 27 (A–Z, B–Y, C–X …).

Opposite of G

T (7 + 20 = 27).

Opposite of I

R (9 + 18 = 27) – hook: 'IR = Indian Railways'.

Letters at multiples of 3

C F I L O R U X (3, 6, 9 … 24).

Positions of vowels

A = 1, E = 5, I = 9, O = 15, U = 21.

Middle letters of the alphabet

M (13) and N (14).

Position of letter P

16 (and 11th from the end).

Angle between clock hands

θ = |30H − 5.5M| degrees (H = hour, M = minutes).

How often do the hands coincide?

11 times in 12 hours; 22 times in a day.

Hands at right angles in a day

44 times.

Hands opposite (180°) in a day

22 times.

Odd days in an ordinary year

1 odd day.

Odd days in a leap year

2 odd days.

Odd days in 100 years

5 odd days.

Odd days in 400 years

0 odd days.

Leap year rule for century years

A century year is a leap year only if divisible by 400 (e.g. 2000 yes, 1900 no).