SSC CPO Paper I 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 PYQs

Concept: Swap the two signs in each option and apply BODMAS.

1. Interchanging ÷ and +: $31+48\times 7-322÷23$.
2. $=31+336-14$.
3. $=353$ ✓.

Trick: A big number like $322$ next to a small one ($23$) hints at division: $322÷23=14$.

Answer: (D) ÷ and +

Concept: Facing the centre: right = anticlockwise, left = clockwise. Fix C first.

1. D is third to the left of C; A is immediately to the left of D (D is to A’s immediate right).
2. A is second to the right of E → E sits next to C; B sits between E and A.
3. F is the other neighbour of C, and G is to the immediate left of F (between F and D).
4. Order around: C, E, B, A, D, G, F → F sits between C and G.

Trick: Place the person with the most clues (C) first, then fill fixed distances.

Answer: (B) F

Concept: All start with "Sto"; compare the 4th letter, then the 5th.

1. 4th letters: Stoc (c), Stok (k), Stom (m), Stoo (o), Stor (r).
2. Storage vs Storey: 5th letter a < e → Storage first.
3. Order: Stock, Stoke, Stomach, Stoop, Storage, Storey → 4, 2, 6, 1, 3, 5.

Trick: c < k < m < o < r — just sort the 4th letter.

Answer: (D) 4, 2, 6, 1, 3, 5

Concept: Check the steps between letters (backward movement with wrap-around).

1. JEAX: $J\stackrel{-5}{\to }E\stackrel{-4}{\to }A\stackrel{-3}{\to }X$.
2. DYUR: $D\stackrel{-5}{\to }Y\stackrel{-4}{\to }U\stackrel{-3}{\to }R$; QLHE: $Q\stackrel{-5}{\to }L\stackrel{-4}{\to }H\stackrel{-3}{\to }E$.
3. WDXC: W to D is $+7$, not $-5$ → odd one.

Trick: Count backward with wrap-around (A → Z).

Answer: (C) WDXC

Concept: Count the symbols in each column of every figure.

1. Left column: always $4$ crosses.
2. Middle column of 0s: $1,2,3,4$ → next $5$.
3. Right column of crosses: $4,3,2,1$ → next $0$.
4. So: $4$ crosses and $5$ zeros, no right column.

Trick: One count rises by $1$ while another falls by $1$.

Answer: (A) Option (A) figure

Concept: Find the exact outline, same size and orientation, inside an option.

1. The given figure: a hook-shaped outline (a top bar, a slanted edge and a vertical side) with its lower part shaded.
2. In option (A) the left-lower part of the figure contains this outline exactly, shaded part matching, without rotation.
3. In the other options the outline is either rotated, broken by extra lines, or of a different shape.

Trick: Match the slant direction first — it rules out rotated copies quickly.

Answer: (A) Option (A) figure

Concept: Middle number $=(\text{1st}+\text{3rd}{)}^2$.

1. $(1+3{)}^2=16$ ✓; $(21+2{)}^2=529$ ✓.
2. $(8+2{)}^2=100$ ✓.
3. Others: $(5+8{)}^2=169\ne 189$; $(7+12{)}^2=361\ne 364$; $(11+2{)}^2=169\ne 429$.

Trick: $16$ and $529$ are perfect squares — look for a square rule.

Answer: (D) $(8,100,2)$

Concept: Find the opposite pairs; a valid cube never shows both faces of a pair.

1. Row 15–16–19–17: $15\leftrightarrow 19$ and $16\leftrightarrow 17$.
2. Column 20–19–18: $20\leftrightarrow 18$.
3. (A) shows 20 and 18, (B) 15 and 19, (C) 16 and 17 → impossible. (D) 15, 16, 20 has no opposite pair → possible.

Trick: Alternate faces in a straight row of the net are opposite.

Answer: (D) Option (D) figure

Concept: Find the repeating block.

1. The block "PLBON" repeats four times ($20$ letters).
2. PLBON | PLBON | PLBON | PLBON.
3. Blanks: L, B, P, O, B, N, B, O.

Trick: Use the given letters at equal gaps (P at 1, 6, 11, 16) to guess the block length.

Answer: (A) L B P O B N B O

Concept: Decode step by step and draw the family tree.

1. L @ M: L is the husband of M.
2. M & K: M is the mother of K → K is the son of L and M.
3. K @ J: K is the husband of J; J # P: J is the daughter of P.
4. J is the wife of L’s son → son’s wife.

Trick: "Husband" fixes K as male, so J is L’s daughter-in-law.

Answer: (A) Son’s wife

Concept: The given figure (a flat-topped shape with a V-notch in its base) must appear exactly as drawn, same size and same orientation, inside one option figure.

1. Trace the outline: two vertical sides, a horizontal top and a base that dips into a V in the middle.
2. In figure (B) the lower body below the black top band has exactly this outline: straight sides, top edge and the V-shaped notch at the bottom.
3. In (A), (C) and (D) the lines around the V are at different places or extra lines cut the outline, so the shape cannot be traced without rotation.

Trick: Look first for the most special part of the figure (here the V-notch) and check only those options that contain it in the same direction.

Answer: (B) the second figure

Concept: In a cube net, two faces separated by exactly one face in a straight line are opposite; opposite faces can never be seen together.

1. Row 7-8-9: 7 and 9 are opposite.
2. Column 8-X-Y-Z: 8 is opposite Y and X is opposite Z.
3. (A) shows 7 and 9 together, (C) shows 7 and 9 together and (D) shows X and Z together, so all are impossible.
4. (B) shows Z, 9 and Y, no two of which are opposite, so it is possible.

Trick: Mark the three opposite pairs first; then reject every option showing a pair together.

Answer: (B) the cube with Z, 9 and Y

Concept: Check each position of the clusters separately; each position follows its own fixed jump.

1. 1st letters: A, G, M, S, Y (each $+6$).
2. 2nd letters: X, C, H, M, R (each $+5$).
3. 3rd letters: F, J, N, R, V (each $+4$).
4. 4th letters: N, Q, T, W, Z (each $+3$). So the missing cluster is SMRW.

Trick: Jumps $+6,+5,+4,+3$ for the four positions; finding the first two letters (S, M) already leaves only option (D).

Answer: (D) SMRW

Concept: Decode each symbol one by one and draw the family tree.

1. J @ C: J is the husband of C.
2. C $ B: C is the mother of B, so J is the father of B.
3. B # R: B is the father of R.
4. Hence J is the father of R's father, i.e. R's father's father (grandfather).

Trick: Chain the generations: J → B → R is two steps down through males, so J = father's father.

Answer: (D) Father's father

Concept: Code = sum of alphabet positions of the letters + 3 for every letter of the word.

1. SUGAR: $19+21+7+1+18=66$, and $66+5\times 3=81$ ✓.
2. FILL: $6+9+12+12=39$, and $39+4\times 3=51$ ✓.
3. CREAM: $3+18+5+1+13=40$.
4. Code $=40+5\times 3=55$.

Trick: Find (code − letter sum) for both words: 15 for 5 letters, 12 for 4 letters, i.e. 3 per letter.

Answer: (D) 55

Concept: Third number = product of the first two numbers $\times 5$.

1. $(7,2,70)$: $7\times 2\times 5=70$ ✓.
2. $(6,4,120)$: $6\times 4\times 5=120$ ✓.
3. $(3,8,120)$: $3\times 8\times 5=120$ ✓.
4. Others: $13\times 4\times 5=260$, $5\times 9\times 5=225$, $11\times 6\times 5=330$, so they fail.

Trick: Divide the third number by the product of the first two: both give 5; check which option also gives 5.

Answer: (A) $(3,8,120)$

Concept: Second term $=(\text{first term}-6{)}^2+6$.

1. $16$: $(16-6{)}^2+6=100+6=106$ ✓.
2. $10$: $(10-6{)}^2+6=16+6=22$ ✓.
3. $11$: $(11-6{)}^2+6=25+6=31$.

Trick: 106 and 22 are both 6 more than a perfect square ($100$ and $16$), which are the squares of $16-6$ and $10-6$.

Answer: (D) 31

Concept: The four corner symbols follow two alternating steps: (i) every symbol turns ${90}^{\circ }$ clockwise in its own corner, (ii) every symbol moves one corner clockwise without turning.

1. Figure 1 → 2: each symbol turns ${90}^{\circ }$ clockwise in place (U becomes ⊂, T becomes ⊣, ↓ becomes ←).
2. Figure 2 → 3: each symbol shifts one corner clockwise.
3. Figure 3 → 4: turning again (← becomes ↑, ⊂ becomes ∩, ⊣ becomes ⊥).
4. Figure 4 → 5: shifting: ↑ goes top-right, ∩ goes bottom-right, ⊥ goes bottom-left, the D-shape goes top-left. This is figure (D).

Trick: In alternating series, the fifth figure repeats the 'shift' step of figure 2 → 3.

Answer: (D) the fourth option figure

Concept: Check each position of the clusters separately.

1. 1st letters: P, V, B, H, N (each $+6$).
2. 2nd letters: J, B, T, L, D (each $-8$).
3. 3rd letters: V, Z, D, H, L (each $+4$).
4. 4th letters: G, B, W, R, M (each $-5$). Missing cluster: NDLM.

Trick: Find the 4th letter last: options NDLN and NDLM differ only there, and $R-5=M$.

Answer: (D) NDLM

Concept: The series alternates between two figures: figure 1 = figure 3 and figure 2 = figure 4.

1. Figures 1 and 3: two bent arrows (one up, one down) followed by ↑ ↓.
2. Figures 2 and 4: the first two arrows change shape, the last two ↑ ↓ stay the same.
3. So the 5th figure must be the same as figure 1 (and 3), which is option (A).

Trick: Pattern A, B, A, B, ? → the next one is A.

Answer: (A) the first option figure