Letter analogy is about finding a consistent rule that transforms one letter or group of letters into another — and then applying that same rule to a new letter or group.
Think of it like a machine. You drop "J" in, the machine spits out "N". You drop "T" in, it spits out "X". What does the machine do? It adds 4 to the alphabetical position. Now if you drop "P" in, you know it will give you "T". That's the whole game.
In SSC MTS, letter analogy questions appear in two broad forms:
JT : NX :: TP : ? — two pairs shown, find what completes the third.FHKO : UQNL :: MORV : ? — groups of 3-4 letters, same idea but applied to each letter independently.The analogy can be applied in one of three ways:
A ↔ Z, B ↔ Y, C ↔ X... positions add up to 27.Here's the analogy that captures it best: imagine the alphabet as a number line from 1 to 26. Letter analogy is just arithmetic on that number line — addition, subtraction, or mirroring. Once you treat letters as numbers, these questions become straightforward.
The two tools you need before anything else:
Memorise both. Most MTS errors come from confusing which numbering system to use mid-question.
Write this out once and burn it into memory:
| A=1 | B=2 | C=3 | D=4 | E=5 | F=6 | G=7 | H=8 | I=9 | J=10 | K=11 | L=12 | M=13 | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|------|------|------|------| | N=14 | O=15 | P=16 | Q=17 | R=18 | S=19 | T=20 | U=21 | V=22 | W=23 | X=24 | Y=25 | Z=26 |
The shortcut most toppers use: EJOTY — E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25. Every fifth letter. From any of these anchors, count forward or backward by 1-4 to reach any letter without running through the whole alphabet.
The "opposite" of any letter: position + reverse position = 27.
Quick way to find the opposite of any letter without counting: opposite position = 27 − original position.
Every letter in the given cluster shifts by the same fixed number.
Example: MOB : KMZ — check the shift: M(13) → K(11), that's −2. O(15) → M(13), that's −2. B(2) → Z(26)? B minus 2 = Z? Yes — when you go below A, you wrap around: B(2) − 2 = 26 = Z. Confirmed: uniform −2 shift.
Wrapping rule: If position drops below 1, add 26. If position goes above 26, subtract 26.
Each position in the cluster has its own shift. You need to find all of them from the given pair.
Example: FHKO : UQNL — check position by position:
For complex clusters like these, the fastest approach is to compute each individual shift rather than hunting for a single unifying rule. Write four differences, apply each to the corresponding position in MORV.
Letters are paired as opposites (sum = 27). These look like: V : E :: G : T :: K : ?
If the answer given in a question conflicts with your calculation, always recheck whether the question uses sum = 27 (which is the standard for SSC) or sum = 25 (which some older books use). SSC consistently uses 27.
Some MTS questions embed numbers alongside letters: GY 16 : DV 23. Here you must find the rule for the letters and the rule for the number separately, then apply both.
Two independent rules running in parallel. Don't mix them up.
Memorise: E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25. These are the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th letters.
To find any letter's position fast — locate the nearest EJOTY anchor and count. Example: What position is R? Nearest anchor is O=15. R is 3 after O, so R=18. Time with EJOTY anchor: 3 seconds. Time counting from A: 12 seconds. That's a 4× speed gain across every letter-position lookup in the question.
When you see two letters that seem unrelated by simple addition, immediately check if their positions add to 27. If yes, it's reverse pairing.
Micro-example: D : W — D=4, W=23. 4 + 23 = 27. Confirmed reverse pair.
Standard method (trying various shifts): 20-30 seconds. Mirror check: 5 seconds. Use this as your second check whenever a uniform shift doesn't surface within 10 seconds.
Do not attempt to visualise alphabet shifts mentally for cluster questions. The moment you see a 3-4 letter cluster, write the position numbers of all letters in the given pair before doing anything else.
MORV → M=13, O=15, R=18, V=22. Write these down. Then compute shifts. Then apply to the answer options.
Mental approach for a 4-letter cluster: 45-60 seconds with error risk. Write-and-compute approach: 30 seconds, near-zero errors. The 15 seconds you "save" by going mental costs you the question.
For cluster questions, compute only the transformation of the first letter, then eliminate options that don't match. In most MTS questions, this alone eliminates 2-3 options, and you then verify with the second letter to confirm.
Example: If first letter maps to "N", eliminate every option whose first letter is not N. Then among the survivors, check the second letter. Average time saved: eliminates 3 steps of verification. Reduces solving time from 60s to 35s on 4-letter cluster questions.
When a shift takes a letter below A or above Z, many students freeze or miscalculate. Remember: the alphabet is a circle of 26. Going below A wraps to Z side; going above Z wraps to A side.
Formula: If computed position ≤ 0, add 26. If computed position ≥ 27, subtract 26.
Example: B(2) − 3 = −1 → −1 + 26 = 25 = Y. Without this rule, you'd waste 20 seconds recounting. With it: 3 seconds.
In the exam hall, run this decision tree the moment you see a letter analogy question:
Step 1: Convert all given letters to positions. (5 seconds — use EJOTY anchors.)
Step 2: Compute the shift for each corresponding letter in the given pair. Are all shifts equal? If yes — uniform shift. If no — check each position separately.
Step 3: If uniform shift doesn't work cleanly, check reverse pairing. Do positions sum to 27? If yes — apply mirror rule.
Step 4: Apply the confirmed rule to the new cluster. Use wrap-around correction if needed.
Step 5: Eliminate options by first letter, then verify with remaining letters.
If you're stuck after 40 seconds: Don't burn more time. Scan options — often one answer stands out as "obviously wrong" (violates a direction or magnitude), and you can make an educated pick among the remaining two.
The full process for a standard 4-letter cluster question, done cleanly, takes 35-50 seconds. You should never exceed 90 seconds on any MTS letter analogy question.
Why this question: This is the simplest pattern type in MTS — uniform shift. It proves the framework works even for 4-letter clusters if you just write down positions and compute differences.
Solving path: Write positions — M=13, O=15, B=2. Compute shifts: 13→11 is −2, 15→13 is −2, 2→26 is −2 (wrapping: 2−2=0, 0+26=26=Z). Uniform −2 confirmed. Apply to each option. LOP: L=12, O=15, P=16. Apply −2: 12−2=10=J, 15−2=13=M, 16−2=14=N → JMN. Match: LOP : JMN.
Why this question: This tests whether you can identify a uniform shift in a 2-letter pair and recognise it across multiple answer options — a core MTS skill.
Solving path: JT : NX. J=10, N=14: shift +4. T=20, X=24: shift +4. Uniform +4 confirmed. Check each option for the same +4 on both letters. Option C — TP : XT. T=20, X=24: +4. P=16, T=20: +4. Match confirmed.
Why this question: This 2024 question pairs letters with a number, requiring you to find two parallel rules. Tests that you don't mix up the letter and number patterns.
Solving path: GY 16 → DV 23. G=7, D=4: −3. Y=25, V=22: −3. 16→23: +7. Two rules: letters −3, number +7. Apply to LW 13: L=12, 12−3=9=I. W=23, 23−3=20=T. 13+7=20. Answer: IT 20.
Why this question: A 2024 question confirming the +4 uniform shift pattern, but with a full 4-letter cluster. Clean verification that the framework scales up.
Solving path: UBIP → YFMT. U=21→Y=25: +4. B=2→F=6: +4. I=9→M=13: +4. P=16→T=20: +4. Uniform +4 confirmed. Apply to OVCJ: O=15+4=19=S. V=22+4=26=Z. C=3+4=7=G. J=10+4=14=N. Answer: SZGN.
Why this question: The trickiest PYQ in this set. Position-specific shifts rather than a uniform one. Tests whether you default to "compute each letter independently" rather than hunting for a single rule.
Solving path: FHKO → UQNL. Compute each shift individually. F=6→U=21: +15. H=8→Q=17: +9. K=11→N=14: +3. O=15→L=12: −3. The shifts are +15, +9, +3, −3 — they decrease by 6 each time (or equivalently, each pair sums to 27: 6+21=27, 8+17=25... hmm, not all 27). Apply the pattern to MORV: M=13, shifts are +15,+9,+3,−3 applied in turn? M+15=28→2=B? That gives BLJE... Instead, note the explanation: each letter's reverse-alphabet position with a decreasing correction. The cleanest path: F(6)→U: 27−6=21. H(8)→Q: 27−8=19? No, Q=17. Difference from 27: 8+17=25. Inconsistent. Use brute force per-position shifts: +15, +9, +3, −3. Apply to MORV: M(13)+15=28=2=B? No. Step back — explanation states: shifts from right: −4,−3,−2 pattern variant. The answer NJGE corresponds to: M(13)→N(14): +1. O(15)→J(10): −5. R(18)→G(7): −11. V(22)→E(5): −17. Shifts: +1, −5, −11, −17 — decreasing by 6 each time. Confirm with FHKO→UQNL: F(6)→U(21): +15. H(8)→Q(17): +9. K(11)→N(14): +3. O(15)→L(12): −3. Yes — decreasing by 6. Apply to MORV: M(13)+1=N(14). O(15)−5=J(10). R(18)−11=G(7). V(22)−17=E(5). Answer: NJGE.
Forgetting wrap-around: When a shift takes a letter past Z or before A, students either freeze or pick the wrong letter. Burn this in: position below 1 → add 26. Position above 26 → subtract 26. B − 3 = Y, not some non-existent letter.
Assuming uniform shift without checking: The biggest trap. Students compute the first letter's shift, assume it applies to all, and stop verifying. Always check at least two positions before committing to "uniform shift". The FHKO:UQNL type question is designed to catch exactly this mistake.
Mixing up forward and reverse position tables: Some questions use reverse alphabet numbering (A=26 end) implicitly through the "sum = 27" mirror rule. If you compute forward shifts and get ugly non-uniform numbers, immediately try the mirror check before giving up.
Slow position lookup without anchors: Students who count A-B-C-D... from scratch for every letter lose 10-15 seconds per letter in cluster questions. That adds up to over a minute for a 4-letter question. Use EJOTY anchors — every letter is within 4 steps of E, J, O, T, or Y.
Not writing positions down: Attempting to track 4 separate shifts mentally leads to errors on MTS questions. Write positions next to letters the moment you start. The 10 seconds spent writing saves 30 seconds of re-checking.
Ignoring the number component in mixed questions: In GY 16 : DV 23 type questions, many students correctly find the letter rule (−3) but forget to find the number rule (+7) and assume the number is a label or irrelevant. Every element in the given pair has a pattern — treat numbers and letters with equal attention.