SSC CGL Reasoning · Alphabet and Number Tests
Dictionary Order
Five or six words are put in the order an English dictionary lists them, by comparing them letter by letter from the left, and the option with that order is chosen.
Why this matters
Forty-one questions in the bank: 38 from the 2023 shifts, when nearly every shift carried one, and 3 from the 2025 shifts. Thirty-nine are EASY. The words often share their first four or five letters, so the marks go to the student who finds the first letter of difference and uses the options to avoid sorting everything.
Concept 1 of 3: Comparing words letter by letter
Definition
1. Group the words by their first letter, then sort each group by the next letter. 2. Inside a group, move along until the letters differ. Only that one letter decides the order; the rest of the word does not matter. 3. Write the numbers of the words in the order you found.
- Fast route (option elimination): find the word that comes first and strike every option that does not start with its number. Then find the word that comes last and strike again. Usually one option is left; if two are left, compare only the places where they differ. This is safe because every option lists all the words, so a wrong first or last number is enough to reject it.
Worked example
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 1 · Alphabet and Number Tests · Dictionary Order
Looking past the first difference
Picking the order instead of the option
Concept 2 of 3: Long shared beginnings and a word inside a word
Definition
- Underline the beginning that a group of words shares, then compare only the first letter after it.
- A word inside a word comes first: Light comes before Lighter, Call before Called. Nothing comes before any letter.
- Work in groups. Settle the words that differ early, then go back to the group that shares the longest beginning.
- Fast route: in the options, find the two words SSC has paired to look alike (Circular and Circulate, Physical and Physics). Their order is usually the only thing that separates the last two options.
Worked example
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 2 · Alphabet and Number Tests · Dictionary Order
Putting the longer word first
Losing count in a long shared beginning
Concept 3 of 3: Finding one place in the order
Definition
- First: scan for the earliest first letter; break ties with the next letter.
- Last: scan for the latest letter the same way.
- Second or third: find the first word, set it aside, and find the earliest of what is left. Repeat as often as the place asks.
- Fast route: the four options are usually alike up to two or three letters, so look straight at the first letter where they differ.
Worked example
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 3 · Alphabet and Number Tests · Dictionary Order
Answering the first word when the second is asked
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Watch out for (5)
- Looking past the first difference→ Comparing words letter by letter
- Picking the order instead of the option→ Comparing words letter by letter
- Putting the longer word first→ Long shared beginnings and a word inside a word
- Losing count in a long shared beginning→ Long shared beginnings and a word inside a word
- Answering the first word when the second is asked→ Finding one place in the order
Test yourself on Alphabet and Number Tests
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.