Unit 5 is different from the units you've likely covered so far — it rewards speed and formula recall over conceptual depth, and that only comes from actually solving problems, not reading about them. This test walks through 15 questions built around the patterns that show up again and again in this unit: series that hide an increasing gap or a square-number rule, letter codes built on alphabet-position shifts, a couple of blood-relation puzzles that are far easier with a quick family-tree sketch than by reading alone, and the core aptitude formulas suchas percentage, profit and loss, simple interest, time-distance, averages, and ratio.
Every question below unlocks a full worked solution the moment you answer it and once selected, the choice is locked, so treat this the way you'd treat the real exam. A 15-minute countdown timer runs at the top for pacing practice, though it won't lock the test when it hits zero.
Q1. Find the missing number in the series: 3, 8, 15, 24, 35, ?
Q2. Find the next term in the letter series: A, C, F, J, ?
Q3. If BOOK is coded as CPPL, using the same coding rule, how is PAGE coded?
Q4. Pointing to a boy, Meena said, "He is the son of my father's only daughter." How is the boy related to Meena?
Q5. "All UGC NET aspirants prepare for Paper 1. Ravi is a UGC NET aspirant. Therefore, Ravi prepares for Paper 1." This is an example of which type of reasoning?
Q6. A candidate scored 138 marks out of 200 in a test. What is the percentage score?
Q7. A book bought for ₹450 is sold for ₹540. Find the profit percentage.
Q8. Find the simple interest on ₹8,000 at 6% per annum for 4 years.
Q9. A car travels at a constant speed of 45 km/h for 3.5 hours. How far does it travel?
Q10. Find the average of 34, 58, 42, and 66.
Q11. In a class, the ratio of boys to girls is 3:5. If there are 18 boys, how many girls are there?
Q12. Find the missing number in the series: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, ?
Q13. Find the next term in the letter series: AA, CC, FF, JJ, ?
Q14. Introducing a man, a woman said, "He is the only son of my mother's mother." How is the man related to the woman?
Q15. If 5 is coded as 25, 6 is coded as 36, and 7 is coded as 49, how is 8 coded using the same rule?
Learn More: Understanding the Patterns Behind These Questions
Reading Number and Letter Series Correctly
Two very different patterns appeared in this test, and recognizing which one you're looking at is the actual skill being tested. Series like 3, 8, 15, 24, 35 don't have a fixed gap between terms — the gap itself grows (+5, +7, +9, +11, +13), which is the hallmark of a second-order arithmetic pattern. Series like 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, by contrast, are perfect squares of consecutive integers, and once you spot that a term is a familiar square number, the entire series reveals itself instantly. Letter series work identically, just translated into alphabet positions - A, C, F, J follows the same growing-gap logic as the first number series, only measured in letters instead of digits. The practical habit worth building: before assuming a pattern is arithmetic, quickly check whether the numbers are squares, cubes, or products of consecutive integers (like 2, 6, 12, 20, which is n×(n+1)) - this single check resolves a large share of series questions in seconds rather than minutes.
Coding-Decoding: Two Common Rule Types
This test used two distinct coding logics. The first, BOOK→CPPL, is a simple alphabet shift — every letter moves forward by a fixed number of positions, and once you identify the shift amount from the example given, you apply it mechanically to the new word. The second, 5→25, 6→36, 7→49, is a value-transformation code, where the "code" isn't a letter substitution at all but a mathematical operation (here, squaring) applied to the original number. The exam rarely tells you which type you're facing, so the fastest approach is to test the simplest possible rule first - a fixed shift for letters, a basic arithmetic operation for numbers - before assuming something more complex.
Solving Blood Relations Without Losing Track
The blood relation question in this test ("son of my father's only daughter") is a compact version of a puzzle that becomes far easier with a two-second sketch. Draw a small stick-figure family tree as you read each clause, labeling relationships as you go, rather than trying to hold the whole chain in your head. In this case: Meena is female, so her father's only daughter is Meena herself - meaning the boy is simply her son. The error most candidates make isn't a logic error, it's a working-memory error from trying to track three or four relationships mentally under time pressure. A diagram removes that risk entirely.
Deductive Reasoning at a Glance
The reasoning question in this test followed the classic deductive structure: a general rule ("all UGC NET aspirants prepare for Paper 1"), a specific case that fits the rule ("Ravi is an aspirant"), and a conclusion that follows with certainty. This certainty is exactly what separates deductive reasoning from inductive reasoning — if the two premises are true, the conclusion cannot be false. Watch for this structure specifically; UGC NET tends to test whether you can distinguish a guaranteed conclusion (deductive) from a merely probable one (inductive), not just whether you can follow the logic itself.
Quick Formula Reference for This Test's Aptitude Questions
| Topic | Formula |
|---|---|
| Percentage | (Part ÷ Whole) × 100 |
| Profit / Loss % | (SP − CP) ÷ CP × 100, or (CP − SP) ÷ CP × 100 for loss |
| Simple Interest | (Principal × Rate × Time) ÷ 100 |
| Distance | Speed × Time |
| Average | Sum of values ÷ Number of values |
| Ratio Division | Part = (Its ratio share ÷ Total ratio parts) × Whole amount |
Keeping a version of this table on hand during your daily practice — not memorized in the abstract, but actively applied to a new problem each time — is what turns these formulas from something you recognize into something you can execute quickly under exam conditions.
About This Test
If you scored well on this first test, continue to Test 2 for a fresh set of problems built around different series patterns, a multi-word coding puzzle, and compound interest. If a particular question type slowed you down, the sections above walk through the exact reasoning for each pattern that appeared here.
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These questions are prepared by UGCNetHub based on established UGC NET Paper 1 exam patterns and are not reproduced from any official NTA paper. Always cross-check topic-level updates with the official syllabus released by the National Testing Agency (NTA).