Coding Decoding Tricks for SSC CGL: The Short Answer
Coding decoding questions show how one word is written in a secret code and ask you to code (or decode) another word with the same rule. The fastest trick is to write the alphabet positions of the given word and its code, find the gap between each pair of letters (+1, +2, −1, opposite letter, reverse order), and apply the same rule to the new word. Knowing the letter positions by heart with EJOTY (5, 10, 15, 20, 25) and the opposite-letter pairs saves most of the time.
Key takeaway for SSC and bank exams: SSC CGL and CHSL Tier 1 ask 2 to 3 coding questions in reasoning, mostly letter shifts, opposite letters and number coding. IBPS and SBI Clerk and PO ask "sentence coding" (word ↔ code) puzzles, usually as a set of 3 to 5 questions. Every code on this page was checked with a Python script.
For more reasoning practice, pair this note with our alphanumeric series tricks for bank exams and coded inequality tricks.
Alphabet Positions for Coding Decoding (EJOTY Trick)
| Letter | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Letter | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
EJOTY trick: E = 5, J = 10, O = 15, T = 20, Y = 25. Count forward or back from the nearest one. For example, R is three after O, so R = 18.
Reverse position: reverse position = 27 − position. So A is 26th from the end and M is 14th from the end.
Opposite Letters in Coding Decoding (A–Z Pairs)
Opposite letters add up to 27.
| Pair | Pair | Pair | Pair |
|---|---|---|---|
| A ↔ Z | H ↔ S | O ↔ L | V ↔ E |
| B ↔ Y | I ↔ R | P ↔ K | W ↔ D |
| C ↔ X | J ↔ Q | Q ↔ J | X ↔ C |
| D ↔ W | K ↔ P | R ↔ I | Y ↔ B |
| E ↔ V | L ↔ O | S ↔ H | Z ↔ A |
| F ↔ U | M ↔ N | T ↔ G | |
| G ↔ T | N ↔ M | U ↔ F |
Short memory hooks: BY (by), GT (GT Road), HS (High School), IR (Indian Railways), LO (low), MN (MN as in "man"). For the rest, use the rule: opposite position = 27 − position.
Types of Coding Decoding Questions for SSC CGL
| Type | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Letter shift (same) | Every letter moves by the same number | MANGO → OCPIQ (+2) |
| Letter shift (changing) | Shift grows: +1, +2, +3 … | TABLE → UCEPJ |
| Opposite letter | Each letter replaced by its opposite | GOLD → TLOW |
| Reverse + shift | Write the word backwards, then shift | CREAM → MAERC → NBFSD (+1) |
| Number coding (positions) | Each letter → its position | BED → 254 |
| Number coding (sum) | Code = sum of letter positions | CAT → 24 |
| Sentence / word coding | Each word gets a code word | "sky is blue" → "ka la ma" |
| Substitution | Things are renamed in a chain | If sky is called sea, sea is called water … |
Letter Shifting Coding Decoding Tricks (Solved Examples)
Example 1 (same shift): If PAPER is coded as QBQFS, how is PENCIL coded?
P→Q, A→B, P→Q, E→F, R→S: each letter +1. So PENCIL → QFODJM.
Example 2 (changing shift): If FRIEND is coded as HUMJTK, how is CANDLE coded?
F→H (+2), R→U (+3), I→M (+4), E→J (+5), N→T (+6), D→K (+7). Apply +2, +3, +4, +5, +6, +7 to CANDLE: C→E, A→D, N→R, D→I, L→R, E→L → EDRIRL.
Example 3 (reverse and shift): If CREAM is coded as NBFSD, find the rule.
Reverse CREAM → MAERC, then +1 → NBFSD. ✔
Example 4 (opposite letters): If GOLD is coded as TLOW, how is PEN coded?
G↔T, O↔L, L↔O, D↔W. PEN → KVM (P↔K, E↔V, N↔M).
Tip: When the code letters look "far" from the word letters (like G and T), test opposite letters before trying big shifts.
Number Coding Decoding Tricks (Position and Sum Codes)
Example 5 (position code): If BED is written as 254, how is HIDE written?
B = 2, E = 5, D = 4. HIDE → H 8, I 9, D 4, E 5 → 8945.
Example 6 (sum code): If CAT = 24, what is DOG?
C 3 + A 1 + T 20 = 24. DOG = 4 + 15 + 7 = 26.
Example 7 (sum check): If BAD = 7, find FACE.
B 2 + A 1 + D 4 = 7. FACE = 6 + 1 + 3 + 5 = 15.
Other number rules SSC uses: sum of positions × number of letters, reverse positions (27 − n), squares of positions (A C E → 1 9 25), and position codes written in reverse order. Always test the simplest rule first.
Sentence Coding Decoding for Bank Exams (Word Code Method)
Bank exams give coded sentences and ask for the code of one word.
Example 8:
- "sky is blue" → "ka la ma"
- "blue ink pen" → "ma ta ra"
- "pen is cheap" → "ra la sa"
Method: compare two sentences at a time and match the common word to the common code.
| Common word | In sentences | Common code | So |
|---|---|---|---|
| blue | 1 and 2 | ma | blue = ma |
| is | 1 and 3 | la | is = la |
| pen | 2 and 3 | ra | pen = ra |
Then the left-over word in each sentence takes the left-over code: sky = ka, ink = ta, cheap = sa.
Q: What is the code for "cheap ink"? Answer: "sa ta" (codes may appear in any order in bank-style questions, so check options carefully).
New-pattern bank coding: each word is coded with a letter and a number based on its first letter and its length, for example "blue" (4 letters, starts with B) → "4B" or "C4" (next letter). Find the rule from two or three words before decoding.
Substitution Coding (Name-Change Trick)
Example 9: If water is called food, food is called tree, tree is called sky, and sky is called wall, on which does a fruit grow?
A fruit grows on a tree, and tree is called sky. Answer: sky.
Rule: find the real answer first, then give its new name. Do not follow the chain twice.
Coding Decoding Tricks: Common Mistakes
- Counting positions wrongly. Use EJOTY anchors instead of counting from A each time.
- Missing a reverse step. If the shifts look random, reverse the word and test again.
- Assuming the same shift for every letter. Check at least three letter pairs.
- In sentence coding, assuming word order = code order. Codes are usually jumbled.
- Substitution traps: answer with the new name of the real answer, not the real answer itself.
Coding Decoding Questions for SSC CGL (Practice Set with Answers)
- If each letter of WATER is moved one step back, what is the code? Answer: VZSDQ.
- Using opposite letters, how is PEN coded? Answer: KVM.
- If SCHOOL is coded as UEJQQN, how is GARDEN coded? Answer: ICTFGP. Each letter +2.
- If the code of a word is the sum of its letter positions, what is the code for BOOK? Answer: 43. 2 + 15 + 15 + 11.
- If DELHI is coded by moving its letters back by 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 places in turn, what is the code? Answer: CCIDD. D−1 = C, E−2 = C, L−3 = I, H−4 = D, I−5 = D.
- If ACE is coded as 1 9 25, what is the rule? Answer: Square of each letter's position (1², 3², 5²).
- In a code, "sky is blue" = "ka la ma", "blue ink pen" = "ma ta ra" and "pen is cheap" = "ra la sa". What is the code for "ink"? Answer: ta.
- In the same code, what does "la" mean? Answer: is.
- If pen is called book, book is called bag, and bag is called box, in what do students carry their books? Answer: box. Students carry books in a bag, and bag is called box.
- What is the position of R from the end of the English alphabet? Answer: 9th. 27 − 18 = 9.
For timed practice, take the SSC CGL Coding-Decoding Mock Test 01 and the SSC CHSL Coding-Decoding Mock Test 02.
Coding Decoding FAQs
What is coding decoding in reasoning?
It is a question type where a word, number or sentence is written in a code using a fixed rule. You find the rule from the example and apply it to a new word, or decode a given code.
What is the EJOTY trick in coding decoding?
EJOTY gives the positions of E, J, O, T and Y as 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25. You find any other letter's position by counting a step or two from the nearest of these.
How do you find opposite letters quickly?
Opposite letters add up to 27: A (1) and Z (26), B (2) and Y (25), and so on. Phrases like AZ, BY, GT, HS, IR and LO help you remember them.
How do you solve sentence coding questions in bank exams?
Compare two sentences at a time. The word common to both takes the code common to both. Repeat until each word has one code, then use leftovers.
How many coding decoding questions come in SSC CGL?
Usually 2 to 3 questions in SSC CGL Tier 1 reasoning, with a similar number in SSC CHSL and MTS. Bank Clerk and PO exams often ask a 3 to 5 question coding set.
What is the reverse position of a letter?
Reverse position = 27 − forward position. For example, D is 4th from the start and 23rd from the end.
Practice Next
- Topic-wise coding-decoding tests: SSC MTS Coding-Decoding Mock Test 03, RRB Group D Coding Decoding Mock Test 02 and SSC CPO Reasoning Mock Test 01.
- Bank-style sentence coding sets: IBPS PO Coding-Decoding Mock Test 01 and IBPS Clerk Coding-Decoding Mock Test 02.
- Mock tests: SSC CGL Coding-Decoding Mock Test 01, SSC CHSL Coding-Decoding Mock Test 01, SSC CHSL Coding-Decoding Mock Test 03, SSC CGL Coding-Decoding Mock Test 02 and SSC CGL Reasoning Mini Mock Test 02.
- More practice: SSC CGL Coding Decoding Mock Test 03.
- Related notes: alphanumeric series tricks for bank exams, coded inequality tricks, direction sense questions for SSC CGL and Venn diagram questions for SSC CGL.
- Exam details: SSC CGL 2026 and SSC CHSL 2026.
- Browse all study notes.