Last reviewed 22 Sept 2026 · 5 min read
The alphabet, numbered
- EJOTY: E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25. Any letter is now two steps away — P is one after O, so 16.
- Opposite letters add to 27: A↔Z, B↔Y, C↔X, M↔N. So the opposite of G(7) is T(20).
Counting backwards from Z is the same as counting forwards with .
Letter series
The usual rules, in the order worth testing:
- Fixed shift: A, C, E, G … (+2 each time).
- Growing shift: A, B, D, G, K … (+1, +2, +3, +4).
- Two alternating shifts: A, D, C, F, E, H … (+3, −1, +3, −1).
- From both ends: A, Z, B, Y, C, X … (one from the front, one from the back).
- Groups with an internal rule: ABD, EFH, IJL … (+1, +2 inside each group; each group starts 4 after the last).
- Repeated letters: a letter that reappears at fixed intervals, common in "complete the series" questions with a blank pattern such as ab _ aa _ bab _.
Alphanumeric series
A row mixing letters, digits and symbols, such as
5 P J 9 @ K 3 % T 7 R # 2 D
The questions are nearly always one of these:
| Question | How to answer |
|---|---|
| Which is 5th from the left? | count from the left including everything |
| Which is 4th from the right? | count from the right, or use position |
| Which is 3rd to the left of the 9th from the left? | th from the left |
| How many letters are immediately preceded by a digit? | scan left-to-right, checking each letter's left neighbour |
| How many symbols are immediately followed by a letter? | check each symbol's right neighbour |
"Preceded by" means the item before it in the row; "followed by" means after it. Half the marks lost in this topic come from swapping the two — underline the word before you start scanning.
For "th from the right" in a row of items: it is the th from the left.
Worked examples
A, D, G, J, ?
Solution. Each letter moves 3 forward → M.
A, B, D, G, K, ?
Solution. Shifts are +1, +2, +3, +4 → next is +5 from K(11) → P(16) → P.
A, Z, C, X, E, V, ?
Solution. Odd places A, C, E rise by 2 → G; even places Z, X, V fall by 2 → T. The next term is at an odd place → G.
ABD, EFH, IJL, ?
Solution. Inside a group: +1, +2. Each group starts 4 letters after the previous start (A, E, I) → next starts at M → MNP.
Which letter is midway between the 8th letter from the left and the 14th from the left?
Solution. → the 11th letter, K.
What is the opposite of the letter that is 7th from the left?
Solution. 7th is G; opposite is → T.
In the English alphabet, which letter is 5th to the right of the 12th letter from the right?
Solution. 12th from the right is th from the left, O. Five to the right → the 20th → T.
For the row 5 P J 9 @ K 3 % T 7 R # 2 D (14 items), which item is 6th from the left, and which is 4th from the right?
Solution. 6th from the left is K. 4th from the right is the th from the left → R.
In the same row, how many letters are immediately preceded by a digit?
Solution. Check each letter's left neighbour: P (after 5 ✓), J (after P ✗), K (after @ ✗), T (after % ✗), R (after 7 ✓), D (after 2 ✓) → 3.
In the same row, how many symbols are immediately preceded by a digit and immediately followed by a letter?
Solution. @ sits between 9 and K ✓; % sits between 3 and T ✓; # sits between R and 2 ✗ → 2.
Fill the blanks: a _ a a b _ a a a _ b b
Solution. Written out, the visible letters are one a, then two a's and two b's, then three a's — so the pattern is , , :
a b | a a b b | a a a b b b
The blanks are b, b, b.