Coding-Decoding Reasoning Tricks for Bank and SSC Exams

Coding-decoding gives 3–5 questions in SSC and railway exams and appears as a 5-question set in bank prelims. Every type follows a pattern you can spot in seconds.

Memorise letter positions (EJOTY)

E = 5, J = 10, O = 15, T = 20, Y = 25. Any letter’s position is near one of these. Also opposite letters add to 27: A–Z, B–Y, C–X, D–W, E–V, F–U, G–T, H–S, I–R, J–Q, K–P, L–O, M–N.

Types with examples

Type	Example	Method
Letter shift	CAT → DBU	+1 each letter
Reverse + shift	MOTHER → SFIUPN	Reverse, then +1
Opposite letters	BAT → YZG	A↔Z pairs
Number coding	APPLE → 1-16-16-12-5 = 50	Sum of positions
Substitution	‘sky’ is ‘blue’, ‘blue’ is ‘water’ → colour of sky? ‘water’	Follow the chain
Sentence coding	‘good boy sit’ = ka la pa; ‘boy run’ = pa ta → boy = pa	Find common word/code
Symbol coding	P @ Q means P is father of Q	Build the family tree

New-pattern (bank mains)

A sentence is coded with a rule on each word: e.g. first letter’s previous letter + number of letters. ‘STUDY’ → R5. Check: vowels/consonants count, first-last letters, word length, and whether the code order follows word order or alphabetical order.

Practice

1. If ROAD = URDG, then SWAN = ? (VZDQ)
2. If ‘he is good’ = ‘pa la ta’ and ‘good boy’ = ‘ta ra’, code for ‘good’? (ta)
3. If FLOWER = 7-13-16-24-6-19, then GRASS = ? (8-19-2-20-20)

Common mistakes

• Counting letter positions wrongly under time pressure — use EJOTY
• Assuming the code follows word order in sentence coding
• Forgetting the case where two words share a code

Related: Syllogism tricks.

Stuck on a reasoning question?

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Frequently asked questions

Which exams is this Coding-Decoding Reasoning Tricks guide useful for?

SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS, GD, RRB NTPC and Group D, IBPS and SBI PO/Clerk, state PSC and other exams with a similar syllabus.

How much practice is needed for Coding-Decoding Reasoning Tricks?

Solve 20–30 questions daily for one to two weeks with a timer. Track the time per question and your accuracy; move on once accuracy is above 90 percent.

Can I get coding decoding questions explained in Hindi?

Yes. DoubtPay AI explains any question in Hindi, Hinglish, English and nine other Indian languages, with step-by-step working. Packs start at ₹9 for 15 answers.