Analogy Questions for SSC MTS

What is an Analogy

An analogy simply means a similar relationship. You are given a pair like 'Doctor : Hospital' and asked to find which pair has the same kind of relationship, say 'Teacher : School'. The logic is: a doctor works in a hospital, just like a teacher works in a school. Your job is to identify the hidden rule in the first pair and apply it to find the missing word or number in the second pair.

• Always identify the RELATIONSHIP first, not just the words.
• Three main types: Word Analogy, Number Analogy, Letter Analogy.
• The relationship can be place, product, tool, part-whole, cause-effect, worker-workplace, and more.
• Never guess from meaning alone — find the exact logic.
• Both pairs must follow the exact same relationship, not just a similar one.

Word Analogy (Semantic)

These use common knowledge relationships between two words. The trick is to build a bridge sentence. Example: 'Pen : Write :: Knife : ?' Your bridge sentence is 'Pen is used to Write'. Apply same bridge: 'Knife is used to Cut'. Answer is Cut. Always build this short sentence in your mind before looking at options.

• Worker to Workplace: Doctor : Hospital :: Judge : Court
• Tool to Action: Scissors : Cut :: Pen : Write
• Animal to Young one: Cat : Kitten :: Dog : Puppy
• Part to Whole: Page : Book :: Brick : Wall
• Raw material to Product: Cotton : Cloth :: Wood : Furniture
• Cause to Effect: Fire : Ash :: Flood : Destruction

Number Analogy

Here you get a number pair like 4 : 16 and must find the matching pair from options. The rule here is 4 squared is 16. So you look for a pair where the second number is the square of the first. Common rules are: square, cube, double, half, add/subtract a fixed number, multiply/divide by a fixed number. Always test the simplest operation first.

• Check square first: 5 : 25 means 5 squared = 25.
• Check cube: 3 : 27 means 3 cubed = 27.
• Check difference: 7 : 13 means +6, so 9 : 15 also +6.
• Check ratio: 4 : 12 means x3, so 5 : 15 is x3.
• Sometimes both numbers have a hidden pattern — check sum of digits, reverse, etc.
• Do NOT overthink — try simple operations first.

Letter Analogy

These involve pairs of letter groups. For example: ACE : BDF :: GIK : ? The rule is each letter in ACE is shifted by +1 to get BDF (A+1=B, C+1=D, E+1=F). Apply the same shift to GIK: G+1=H, I+1=J, K+1=L. Answer is HJL. Always write out the alphabetical positions (A=1, B=2 ... Z=26) if you are unsure. SSC MTS usually keeps these straightforward with shifts of 1 to 3.

• Write positions if unsure: A=1, B=2, C=3 ... Z=26.
• Common rule: forward shift (+1, +2, +3).
• Common rule: backward shift (-1, -2).
• Common rule: reverse of the word (ABC reversed = CBA).
• Common rule: alternate letters skipped (A, C, E = skip one each time).
• Check both position AND pattern of letters together.

Mixed and Odd Analogy

Some SSC MTS questions mix categories — like a word with a number, or use general knowledge (country and capital, animal and sound, etc.). These need basic GK. For example: India : New Delhi :: Japan : Tokyo. Relationship is Country : Capital. Keep a small mental list of common GK analogies.

• Country : Capital is very common — memorise top 20 capitals.
• Animal : Sound — Lion Roars, Dog Barks, Cat Meows.
• Language : Country — Hindi : India :: Mandarin : China.
• Instrument : Player — Violin : Violinist :: Piano : Pianist.
• GK-based analogies need basic static awareness, not deep study.

• Choosing an option that has the same topic as the question pair but not the same relationship. Example: Doctor : Hospital and Nurse : Medicine — Nurse and Medicine are related to doctor, but the correct relationship is Worker : Workplace, so Nurse : Hospital is correct.
• In number analogy, trying complex formulas when a simple +, -, x, or division works. Always try simple operations first.
• In letter analogy, miscounting alphabet positions especially near the end (X=24, Y=25, Z=26). Practice this row: U=21, V=22, W=23, X=24, Y=25, Z=26.
• Reversing the order of relationship. If the first pair is Cause : Effect, the second pair must also be Cause : Effect, not Effect : Cause.
• Spending too much time. Analogy should take maximum 30-40 seconds. If stuck, eliminate wrong options and move on.

• BRIDGE SENTENCE trick: Always make one short sentence for the first pair. 'A is used for B'. Then apply it to the second pair. This works for almost all word analogies.
• SCD rule for number analogy: Square, Cube, Difference — check in this order. If none works, try ratio.
• Alphabet line shortcut: Remember the midpoint M=13 and N=14. Count forward or backward from there for faster position finding.
• WPTA for common word analogy categories: Worker-Place, Tool-Action, Part-Animal (young one), Raw-Product. Cover these four and you cover 80 percent of word analogies.

• SSC MTS typically asks 3 to 5 analogy questions per paper. In the 2023 and 2024 papers, word analogy appeared most frequently followed by number analogy. Letter analogy is less common but still appears.
• Difficulty is easy to medium. These are gift questions — never skip them. Target 100 percent accuracy here.
• In recent MTS papers, GK-based analogies like country-capital or animal-young one have appeared. Revise a basic static GK list alongside reasoning.
• Elimination works well here. Even if you cannot identify the exact relationship, eliminate options that clearly break the pattern. You can usually narrow to 2 options very fast.
• Time target: Spend no more than 30 seconds per analogy question. If confused, mark your best guess and move forward — do not let one question eat your time.