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

Concept: Alternate operations: $\times 3+3$ and $\times 4+4$.

1. $3\times 3+3=12$, $12\times 4+4=52$.
2. $52\times 3+3=159$, $159\times 4+4=640$.
3. Next: $640\times 3+3=1923$.

Trick: Fast growth with small extra amounts → try $\times n+n$.

Answer: (D) $1923$

Concept: Faces seen together on one die are adjacent, never opposite.

1. 6 is seen with 3, 4, 1 and 2 → 6 is opposite 5.
2. 1 is seen with 2 and 6, so 1 is opposite 3 or 4.
3. Dice 2 and 3 share faces 6 and 2. Die 2 (going round the corner) shows 1, 2, 6; die 3 shows 4, 6, 2 in the reverse sense – so 1 and 4 occupy the two opposite corners on the 6–2 edge: 1 is opposite 4.
4. Remaining pair: 2 opposite 3.

Trick: Two dice with two common faces: the third faces of the two views are opposite (when the order is reversed).

Answer: (D) $4$

Concept: Column rule: bottom $=2\times \text{top}+\text{middle}$.

1. Column 1: $2\times 17+15=49$ ✓.
2. Column 2: $2\times 41+24=106$ ✓.
3. Column 3: $2\times ?+29=85\Rightarrow 2\times ?=56\Rightarrow ?=28$.

Trick: If the bottom row is about twice the top, test $2a+b$.

Answer: (B) $28$

Concept: Imagine each box as a $3\times 3$ grid and follow the dot and the star around the 8 border cells.

1. Dot: top-left → top-middle (1 step) → middle-right (2 steps) → bottom-left (3 steps), all clockwise. Next 4 steps clockwise → top-right.
2. Star: middle-right → top-right (1 step) → top-left (2 steps) → bottom-middle (3 steps), all anticlockwise. Next 4 steps anticlockwise → top-middle.
3. Dot at top-right and star at top-middle: option (B).

Trick: Two objects moving in opposite directions with increasing steps (1, 2, 3, 4) is a common pattern.

Answer: (B) option (B)

Concept: Each position moves $+5$.

1. 1st letters: U, Z, E, J → $+5$ → O.
2. 2nd letters: K, P, U, Z → $+5$ → E.
3. 3rd letters: S, X, C, H → $+5$ → M. Answer: OEM.

Trick: After Z, continue from A: Z $+5$ = E.

Answer: (B) OEM

Concept: Reverse the word, then shift every letter $+3$.

1. BEST reversed = TSEB; $+3$ → W V H E = WVHE ✓.
2. CROP reversed = PORC; $+3$ → S R U F.
3. Code: SRUF.

Trick: If the last letter of the code is near the first letter of the word, try reversing.

Answer: (B) SRUF

Concept: Each letter is replaced by (its position $+1$).

1. BLOCK: B(2)→3, L(12)→13, O(15)→16, C(3)→4, K(11)→12 → 31316412 ✓.
2. SUPREME: S(19)→20, U(21)→22, P(16)→17, R(18)→19, E(5)→6, M(13)→14, E(5)→6.
3. Code: 202217196146.

Trick: Write positions under the letters and compare digit groups with the code.

Answer: (B) 202217196146

Concept: 1st and 2nd letters are opposite pairs; 3rd = 1st $+4$; 4th = 2nd $+4$.

1. BYFC: B–Y opposite; F = B $+4$; C = Y $+4$ ✓. GTKX: G–T opposite; K = G $+4$; X = T $+4$ ✓.
2. SHWL: S–H opposite; W = S $+4$; L = H $+4$ ✓.
3. MNRT: M–N opposite, but R = M $+5$ and T = N $+6$ – breaks the rule.

Trick: Opposite pairs add to 27 (B+Y, G+T, S+H, M+N).

Answer: (B) MNRT

Concept: Split the five symbols into two groups that move separately.

1. Top-left, centre and bottom-left hold the callout, diamond and ellipse, which rotate in a cycle: (callout, diamond, ellipse) → (ellipse, callout, diamond) → (diamond, ellipse, callout) → next back to (callout, diamond, ellipse).
2. Top-right and bottom-right hold the star and the arrow, which swap every step: star top in fig 1 and 3, so arrow on top in fig 4 with star at bottom-right.
3. Fig 4: callout top-left, diamond centre, ellipse bottom-left, arrow top-right, star bottom-right → option (C).

Trick: Series of 3 cycles repeat after 3 steps – figure 4 restores figure 1's cycle.

Answer: (C) option (C)

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

1. S is to the immediate left of R → S is next to R clockwise.
2. P is second to the right of S → two places anticlockwise from S, i.e. just on the other side of R. So the order is P, R, S.
3. P is between R and U → U is next to P. Q is immediate left of T → T, Q fill the remaining seats as R, S, T, Q, U, P clockwise.
4. Between P and S sits R.

Trick: Fix one person, then place others step by step using clockwise/anticlockwise.

Answer: (B) R

Concept: Replace each letter by its operation, then use BODMAS (brackets, division/multiplication, addition/subtraction).

1. Expression becomes $74+(31\times 2)\times 2-(68-4)÷(4\times 2)$.
2. Brackets: $31\times 2=62$, $68-4=64$, $4\times 2=8$.
3. $74+62\times 2-64÷8=74+124-8$.
4. $=190$.

Trick: Solve brackets first, then $÷$ and $\times$, last $+$ and $-$.

Answer: (B) 190

Concept: In embedded-figure questions the given figure (X) must appear inside an option with the same size, shape and orientation (no rotation).

1. Figure (X) has a small flag/triangle on top of a vertical bar, the bar turns right at the bottom and ends in a small two-cell box.
2. In option (B), the slanted edge comes from a diagonal of the crossed rectangle, the vertical strip runs down below it, and the two small cells sit on the step at its lower right — the same outline in the same orientation.
3. In (A) and (C) the small two-cell box sits in a different orientation/size, and in (D) the top part is not a closed flag of the same shape.

Trick: Pick the most distinctive part of (X) (here the two small cells) and look for it first in each option, then check the rest.

Answer: (B) Option (B)

Concept: At sunrise the Sun is in the East, so every shadow falls towards the West.

1. Diksha and Arpita sit back to back, so they face opposite directions.
2. Diksha’s shadow points West, and this is to the right of Arpita.
3. A person whose right hand is West is facing South (facing South: right = West, left = East).
4. So Arpita faces South (and Diksha faces North).

Trick: Facing North → right is East; facing South → right is West.

Answer: (D) South

Concept: Put each option’s signs in order and evaluate with BODMAS; the side values must become equal.

1. Option (B): $24\times 12+35-24÷6=319$.
2. $24÷6=4$ and $24\times 12=288$.
3. $288+35-4=319$ ✓ — both sides equal.
4. Other options do not give 319, e.g. (A): $24+12-35÷24\times 6$ is not even an integer.

Trick: Look for a product near the answer: $24\times 12=288$ is close to 319, so ‘$\times$’ comes first.

Answer: (B) $\times ,+,-,÷,=$

Concept: Write the alphabet positions and check the gaps between consecutive letters (count cyclically after Z).

1. YNID: Y(25)→N(14) is $+15$ (cyclic), N→I $-5$, I→D $-5$.
2. JYTO: J(10)→Y(25) $+15$, Y→T $-5$, T→O $-5$.
3. IXSN: I(9)→X(24) $+15$, X→S $-5$, S→N $-5$.
4. CSMH: C(3)→S(19) $+16$, S→M $-6$, M→H $-5$ — pattern broken.

Trick: Last three letters of the alike groups each drop by 5: N-I-D, Y-T-O, X-S-N; S-M-H does not.

Answer: (A) CSMH

Concept: Decode the chain step by step from Dev’s wife.

1. Wife’s sister’s mother = wife’s mother (Dev’s mother-in-law).
2. Her only son = wife’s brother.
3. The girl is the daughter of wife’s brother.
4. Girl’s paternal grandfather = father of wife’s brother = wife’s father. So the wife is his daughter.

Yaad rakhein: ‘Sister’s mother’ is simply one’s own mother.

Answer: (C) Daughter

Concept: Track the 1st, 2nd and 3rd letters of the clusters separately.

1. 1st letters: A, E, I, ?, U — the vowels, so the missing one is O.
2. 2nd letters: G, K, O, ?, W — each $+4$, so S.
3. 3rd letters: M, N, O, ?, Q — each $+1$, so P.
4. Missing cluster = OSP.

Trick: A, E, I, O, U appearing in a row is a vowel pattern.

Answer: (B) OSP

Concept: The correct option must be traceable inside figure (X) with the same size and orientation (no rotation).

1. Look at the upper-right block of (X): a rectangle divided by horizontal lines, joined on its right to a tall double vertical strip that runs down.
2. Option (A) shows exactly this shape — horizontal strips at the top with a long double vertical strip on the right going down — so it fits in (X).
3. In (B) the extra closed cell on the right, in (C) the inner pattern, and in (D) the pattern of strips do not match any part of (X) in the same orientation.

Trick: Compare the number of lines and the corner where the long strip turns; that settles it quickly.

Answer: (A) Option (A)

Concept: For people sitting around a table facing the centre, ‘right’ means moving anticlockwise.

1. Order clockwise: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H (equal gaps).
2. The direction D faces (south-west) does not change the order.
3. From H move anticlockwise: 1st = G, 2nd = F, 3rd = E.
4. So the third person to the right of H is E.

Trick: Facing centre: right = anticlockwise, left = clockwise.

Answer: (B) E

Concept: Find the differences; when they are not constant, check the second differences.

1. Known differences: $85-65=20$, $112-85=27$, $305-215=90$, $430-305=125$.
2. Second differences grow as 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, so the differences are 20, 27, 41, 62, 90, 125.
3. Missing term $=112+41=153$.
4. Check: $153+62=215$ ✓.

Trick: Second differences are multiples of 7.

Answer: (A) 153