SSC CPO Reasoning: important topics and practice questions with answers

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police marching contingent in the Republic Day parade
Photo: Ministry of Defence, Government of India (GODL-India), via Wikimedia Commons

General Intelligence and Reasoning is part I of SSC CPO Paper I: 25 questions, 25 marks, 15 minutes, with −0.25 for a wrong answer. It is usually the part where a well-practised candidate scores highest, because almost every question type follows a pattern you can learn. Below are the topics that carry most of the marks, with practice questions and answers.

The important topics

Topic What it looks like Target time
Analogy Word, number or letter pairs 20 seconds
Classification (odd one out) Find the item that does not belong 20 seconds
Series Number and letter series 30 seconds
Coding-decoding Letter shifts, reverse, number codes, word codes 40 seconds
Blood relations Family statements and coded relations 40 seconds
Directions and distance Turns and walks 40 seconds
Syllogism and logic Statements and conclusions, assumptions 40 seconds
Arrangement and ranking Rows, positions, dictionary order, days 45 seconds
Mathematical operations Sign swaps, missing numbers 30 seconds
Non-verbal Mirror and water images, paper folding, figures 30 seconds

Ten practice questions

1. Analogy. Kilogram : Weight :: Litre : ? (a) Length (b) Volume (c) Mass (d) Area

2. Series. 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ? (a) 125 (b) 127 (c) 129 (d) 126

3. Series. B, E, J, Q, ? (a) Y (b) X (c) Z (d) W

4. Coding. If LAMP is written as KZLO, how is DESK written? (a) CDRJ (b) EFTL (c) CDSJ (d) CERJ

5. Coding. If MOTHER is written as OMHTRE, how is SISTER written? (a) ISSTRE (b) ISTSRE (c) SITSER (d) ISTSER

6. Blood relations. Pointing to a woman, Rahul said, "Her mother is the only daughter of my maternal grandmother." How is the woman related to Rahul? (a) Cousin (b) Sister (c) Aunt (d) Niece

7. Directions. Asha walks 6 km north, turns right and walks 8 km. How far is she from the start? (a) 14 km (b) 10 km (c) 2 km (d) 12 km

8. Syllogism. Statements: All roses are flowers. Some flowers are red. Conclusions: I. Some roses are red. II. Some red things are flowers. (a) Only I (b) Only II (c) Both (d) Neither

9. Ranking. In a row of 30 students, Ravi is 12th from the left. What is his position from the right? (a) 18th (b) 19th (c) 20th (d) 17th

10. Operations. If '+' means '×' and '×' means '+', what is 6 + 3 × 4? (a) 22 (b) 36 (c) 30 (d) 13

Answers and methods

  1. (b) A kilogram measures weight; a litre measures volume.
  2. (b) Each term is twice the previous plus 1: 63 × 2 + 1 = 127.
  3. (c) Positions 2, 5, 10, 17 rise by 3, 5, 7; next +9 gives 26 = Z.
  4. (a) Each letter moves one place back: D→C, E→D, S→R, K→J.
  5. (b) Letters swap in pairs: SI→IS, ST→TS, ER→RE.
  6. (b) The only daughter of Rahul's maternal grandmother is Rahul's mother, so the woman is his mother's daughter: his sister.
  7. (b) √(6² + 8²) = 10 km.
  8. (b) "Some flowers are red" turns round to "some red things are flowers". The red flowers need not be roses.
  9. (b) 30 − 12 + 1 = 19th.
  10. (a) 6 × 3 + 4 = 22.

How to attempt the Reasoning part in 15 minutes

  1. First pass (about 9 minutes): analogy, classification, series, operations, ranking and single-step coding. These are 20 to 30 seconds each.
  2. Second pass (about 5 minutes): syllogism, blood relations, directions, multi-clue arrangements.
  3. Skip any puzzle after 60 seconds. A long seating arrangement can eat three easy questions' worth of time.

Draw blood relations and directions every time, even when they look simple. A two-second sketch prevents most wrong answers in these topics.

Practice under the real timer

Every SSC CPO mock test on our site starts with a 25-question Reasoning part on its own 15-minute timer, with explanations, and the practice set has untimed questions on every topic. For a mixed set from all four subjects, see SSC CPO topic-wise practice questions.

Frequently asked questions

Which Reasoning topics are most important for SSC CPO?

Coding-decoding, series, analogy, classification, blood relations, directions, syllogism and arrangement. Between them they make up most of the Reasoning part.

How can I improve speed in SSC CPO Reasoning?

Learn the common patterns (letter positions, squares and cubes, alternating shifts), answer the one-step questions first, and practise the whole part under a 15-minute timer.

Is Reasoning in SSC CPO Paper I in Hindi?

Yes. General Intelligence and Reasoning questions are in Hindi and English.