Non-Verbal Questions for SSC CHSL

Figure Series

A row of figures follows a rule — rotation, shading pattern, number of sides increasing, or elements being added/removed. You must find the next figure or the missing one in the middle. Always scan all figures first before picking an answer. Look at one feature at a time: shape, shading, number of parts, direction of arrow, etc.

• Common rules: rotation by 45/90/180 degrees, increasing or decreasing elements, alternating shading
• Check inner and outer parts separately — they may follow different rules
• If stuck, eliminate options by spotting what is definitely wrong
• Series with 5 figures: rule usually completes in every 2 or 3 steps

Figure Analogy

Just like verbal analogy (A is to B as C is to D), here figures follow the same logic. Figure A changes to Figure B in a specific way. Apply the exact same change to Figure C to find Figure D. The change could be rotation, adding/removing shading, flipping, or changing size of an element.

• Identify the single transformation from A to B first — write it in words in your head
• Apply that exact transformation to C
• Watch for mirror flip vs rotation — easy trap
• Number of elements, shading percentage, and orientation are the three biggest clues

Odd One Out (Figure)

Four or five figures are given. One does not follow the common rule shared by the rest. The rule could be about symmetry, number of sides, direction of shading, odd number of elements, or type of shape (curved vs straight).

• Find what 3-4 figures have in common first, then see which one breaks that rule
• Common properties to check: symmetry, number of lines/sides, shading pattern, open vs closed figure
• Do not pick an answer just because it looks different visually — verify the rule
• Often one figure looks different but follows the rule, while a similar-looking one does not

Mirror Image and Water Image

Mirror image is the left-right flip of a figure (imagine holding it in front of a vertical mirror). Water image is the up-down flip (imagine the reflection in still water — a horizontal mirror). In SSC CHSL, clock-based mirror/water image questions also appear: mirror of a clock flips left-right, water image flips top-bottom.

• Mirror image: left becomes right, right becomes left — top and bottom stay the same
• Water image: top becomes bottom, bottom becomes top — left and right stay the same
• For clocks: Mirror image time formula — 11:60 minus given time
• For clocks: Water image time formula — 17:60 minus given time
• Letters and numbers get flipped too — b becomes d in mirror, p becomes q etc.

Paper Folding and Cutting

A square paper is folded once or twice, then a cut is made (usually a hole punched or a corner cut). When unfolded, the holes appear symmetrically based on the folds. Your job is to find the final unfolded pattern. The key insight: every fold doubles the number of holes and they appear as mirror images across each fold line.

• One fold, one hole = 2 holes when unfolded (mirror across fold line)
• Two folds, one hole = 4 holes when unfolded
• Always unfold mentally in reverse — last fold first, first fold last
• The fold line acts as an axis of symmetry for the holes
• Practise by actually folding paper a few times — physical practice beats theory here

Embedded Figures

A small figure (usually a simple shape) is hidden inside a larger, more complex figure. You must identify which option contains the small figure embedded in it. The small figure must appear exactly as given — same size, same orientation, not distorted.

• Trace the small figure's outline in your mind and search for that exact outline in the big figure
• The hidden figure shares lines with the main figure — it is not drawn separately
• Do not change the orientation of the small figure unless clearly indicated
• Practise with simple triangles inside complex polygons first

Counting Figures (Triangles, Squares, etc.)

A complex figure is given and you must count all triangles or squares inside it, including overlapping ones. This is a pure observation + systematic counting task. The trick is to count by size: smallest units first, then groups of 2, then groups of 3, and so on.

• Label each unit (1, 2, 3...) and count systematically — do not eyeball
• For triangles: count singles, then pairs, then triples, etc.
• For squares: count 1x1, then 2x2, then 3x3 grids
• Formula for squares in n x n grid: n(n+1)(2n+1) divided by 6 — but only for perfect grids
• Do not count the same figure twice — use a tally

• Confusing mirror image with water image — mirror is left-right flip, water is up-down flip. Remember: Water flows DOWN so water image flips DOWN.
• In paper cutting, forgetting to unfold in reverse order — candidates unfold in the same direction they folded and get wrong symmetry.
• In figure series, checking only the outer shape and missing the inner element which follows a separate rule.
• In embedded figures, rotating the small figure mentally to fit — the small figure must appear in the SAME orientation unless stated otherwise.
• In counting figures, counting visible outlines only and missing overlapping or composite figures formed by combining adjacent units.

• MIRROR = M for Middle stays (top-bottom stays), sides switch. WATER = W for Which-way-is-down flips (top-bottom flips).
• Clock mirror trick: Remember 11:60 for Mirror, 17:60 for Water — just think M comes before W in alphabet, 11 comes before 17.
• Paper folding rule: Folds = F, Holes = H. F folds with 1 hole gives 2 to the power F holes. So 2 folds = 4 holes, 3 folds = 8 holes.
• For counting squares in a grid, remember the shortcut: 1+4+9 for 3x3 (sum of squares). Say it as One Four Nine.

• SSC CHSL Tier-1 typically has 4 to 6 non-verbal questions out of 25 in Reasoning. Mirror/Water image and Paper cutting appear almost every year — these two alone can give you 2 sure marks if practised.
• Figure series and analogy are usually at easy to medium difficulty in CHSL (easier than CGL). One clear transformation rule is enough — do not overthink.
• Counting of triangles occasionally appears but is less frequent than mirror/paper cutting. Skip and come back if it takes more than 60 seconds.
• In recent CHSL papers (2023-24), embedded figures have appeared as 1 question — it is straightforward if you trace systematically rather than guess.
• Time target: spend max 45 seconds per non-verbal question. If a figure series looks complex, move on and return — fresh eyes often spot the pattern faster.