Introduction to Letter Series | SSC CGL Tier 2 - Study Material, Online Tests, Previous Year PDF Download

Letter Series

The concept of letter series is related to 26 letters of the alphabet series.

A letter series is a sequence of letters arranged in a particular order based on a certain pattern or rule. The challenge is to identify the pattern and apply it to predict the next letter or letters in the series.

The questions asked would vary based on the position of an English letter to the left or right of another English letter in the alphabetical order. Sometimes the questions are asked on finding the number of English letter(s) between two different English letters, and sometimes on the arrangement of alphabetical order. It can be forward, first half forward, second half forward, backward, first half backward, second half backward, multiple letter segments in changed order, word formation, and letter position in word or series etc

Types of Patterns

1. Alphabetic Order: Letters are arranged in sequential order of the alphabet (A, B, C, ...).

   Example: A, C, E, G, ...

2. Repetitive Patterns: Letters repeat at regular intervals.

   Example: A, B, A, B, A, ...

3. Alternating Patterns: Letters alternate in a specific manner.

   Example: A, C, E, G, I, ...

4. Pattern Based on Position: The position of the letter in the alphabet or its place in the series may determine the next letter.

   Example: A, C, F, J, ...

5. Mathematical Patterns: Patterns based on mathematical operations (like addition or subtraction of positions) applied to letters.

   Example: A, D, G, J, ...

Points to keep in Mind

(i) Position number of letters in English

(ii) Position number of letters in English alphabets in reverse
(iii) A, E , I, O and U are Vowels of English Alphabets and the remaining letters are Consonants of English Alphabets.
(iv) A → M (A to M) letters are called first half of English Alphabets.
(v) N → Z (N to Z) letters are called second half of English Alphabets.
(vi) From A → Z (A to Z) letters are called 'left to right' or 'to right' in English Alphabets.
(vii) From Z → A (Z to A) letters are called 'right to left' or 'to right' in English Alphabets.
It is important to note that while solving the questions of letter series, if you keep in mind the forward and backward position of all the alphabets along with its number, you can save a lot of time.

2 Important Concepts

1. Concept of EJOTY

Concept of EJOTY represents the position of the alphabets counting from the left at an interval of 5 letters:

Each letter in the term EJOTY represents the position which is multiple of 5.

2. Concept of VQLGB

Just like the concept EJOTY, the concept of VQLGB represents the position of the alphabets counting from the right at an interval of 5 letters:

Practice Questions