This is a 32-minute Verbal Reasoning depth practice on letter and number codes (Set 2), styled on GL Assessment 11+ multiple-choice papers. There are 40 questions across four sections: Letter Codes, Number Codes, Letters for Numbers and Substitution Ciphers. Every question is worth 1 mark, for 40 marks in total. Difficulty increases through each section and across the pack as a whole, finishing with scholarship-level stretch questions. For each question, choose the ONE best answer from the options A to E. No calculator is allowed. Read every rule or example carefully, since a different rule may apply in each question, and check whether letters or digits shift forward or backward, and whether the alphabet wraps around.
Worked example. Worked example (Letter Codes): if the code for PARK is QBSL, what is the code for MILK? Answer: NJML. Comparing PARK and QBSL shows every letter moves forward 1 place in the alphabet (P to Q, A to B, R to S, K to L). Applying the same forward shift of 1 to MILK gives M to N, I to J, L to M, K to L, i.e. NJML. Apply this same careful, letter-by-letter approach throughout the pack, even as the sections move on to number codes, letters-for-numbers and substitution ciphers, always reading the rule or example given in each question closely, since it can change from question to question, including whether letters or digits shift forward or backward and whether the alphabet wraps around.
1
SECTION 1: LETTER CODES (8 minutes, 10 questions)
Study the example word (or words) and its code to work out the rule, then apply the same rule to the new word. A different rule may apply in each question, including how far the letters shift and whether the alphabet wraps around.
Q1. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter one place later in the alphabet. If the code for PARK is QBSL, what is the code for MILK?
A) NJML
B) NJMK
C) MJML
D) NIML
E) NJLL
(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)
2
(Letter Codes) Q2. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter two places earlier in the alphabet. If the code for DUCK is BSAI, what is the code for ROSE?
A) PMQC
B) PMQD
C) PNQC
D) OMQC
E) PMPC
(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)
3
(Letter Codes) Q3. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter three places later in the alphabet, wrapping back to A after Z. What is the code for WOLF?
A) ZROI
B) AROI
C) ZRPI
D) ZQOI
E) ZROJ
(Total for Question 3 is 1 mark)
4
(Letter Codes) Q4. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter four places earlier in the alphabet, wrapping back to Z after A. What is the code for SHIP?
A) ODEL
B) PDEL
C) OCEL
D) ODFL
E) ODEM
(Total for Question 4 is 1 mark)
5
(Letter Codes) Q5. In a code, CORN is written as DPSO, and DESK is written as EFTL. Using the same rule, what is the code for NOTE?
A) OPUF
B) OPUE
C) NPUF
D) OPTF
E) OQUF
(Total for Question 5 is 1 mark)
6
(Letter Codes) Q6. In a code, a word is first spelled backwards, then every letter is moved 2 places forward in the alphabet. What is the code for VASE?
A) GUCX
B) EUCX
C) GUCV
D) GSCX
E) GUEX
(Total for Question 6 is 1 mark)
7
(Letter Codes) Q7. In a code, HERO is written as JGTQ, and GLOW is written as INQY. Using the same rule, what is the code for BELL?
A) DGNN
B) DGMN
C) DFNN
D) DGNM
E) CGNN
(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)
8
(Letter Codes) Q8. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter five places later in the alphabet, wrapping back to A after Z. What is the code for FORT?
A) KTWY
B) KTWX
C) KSWY
D) JTWY
E) KTVY
(Total for Question 8 is 1 mark)
9
(Letter Codes) Q9. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter three places earlier in the alphabet, wrapping back to Z after A. If the code for a word is KBPQ, what is the original word?
A) NEST
B) MEST
C) NDST
D) NERT
E) NESS
(Total for Question 9 is 1 mark)
10
(Letter Codes) Q10. In a code, LEAF is written as OHDI, and MINT is written as PLQW. Using the same rule, what is the code for YARD?
A) BDUG
B) ADUG
C) BDUF
D) BCUG
E) BDTG
(Total for Question 10 is 1 mark)
11
SECTION 2: NUMBER CODES (8 minutes, 10 questions)
Study the example number (or numbers) and its code to work out the rule, then apply the same rule to the new number. A different rule may apply in each question.
Q1. In a code, the code for a number is the number multiplied by 2. What is the code for 34?
A) 68
B) 66
C) 64
D) 70
E) 36
(Total for Question 11 is 1 mark)
12
(Number Codes) Q2. In a code, the code for a number is the number minus 15. What is the code for 42?
A) 27
B) 26
C) 28
D) 25
E) 57
(Total for Question 12 is 1 mark)
13
(Number Codes) Q3. In a code, each digit is replaced by double its value, keeping only the last digit if the result is 10 or more. For example, the code for 3 is 6 (3x2=6), and the code for 7 is 4 (7x2=14, keep the last digit 4). What is the code for 258?
A) 406
B) 416
C) 401
D) 206
E) 407
(Total for Question 13 is 1 mark)
14
(Number Codes) Q4. In a code, the digits of a number are rotated: the first digit moves to the end, and the others shift one place to the left. For example, the code for 1234 is 2341. What is the code for 5678?
A) 6785
B) 8567
C) 6758
D) 6875
E) 7856
(Total for Question 14 is 1 mark)
15
(Number Codes) Q5. In a code, the digits of a number are first reversed, then each digit has 1 added to it (a 9 becomes 0). What is the code for 4726?
A) 7385
B) 6274
C) 7386
D) 7285
E) 8385
(Total for Question 15 is 1 mark)
16
(Number Codes) Q6. In a code, the code for a two-digit number is the product of its two digits. For example, the code for 34 is 12 (3x4=12). What is the code for 68?
A) 48
B) 14
C) 42
D) 40
E) 2
(Total for Question 16 is 1 mark)
17
(Number Codes) Q7. In a code, each digit is replaced by the last digit of its square. For example, the code for 3 is 9 (3 squared is 9), and the code for 7 is 9 (7 squared is 49, last digit 9). What is the code for 4869?
A) 6461
B) 1461
C) 6661
D) 6431
E) 6468
(Total for Question 17 is 1 mark)
18
(Number Codes) Q8. In a code, each digit is replaced by (7 minus the digit); if this gives a negative number, 10 is added to make it positive. Four of the digit codes below are correct. Which ONE is WRONG?
A) 2 -> 5
B) 6 -> 1
C) 8 -> 9
D) 3 -> 5
E) 9 -> 8
(Total for Question 18 is 1 mark)
19
(Number Codes) Q9. In a code, the code for a number is the sum of its digits, repeated until a single digit remains. For example, the code for 39 is 3 (3+9=12, then 1+2=3). What is the code for 587?
A) 2
B) 20
C) 3
D) 1
E) 4
(Total for Question 19 is 1 mark)
20
(Number Codes) Q10. In a code, the first and last digits of a number swap places, and the middle digits stay the same. What is the code for 7139?
A) 9137
B) 7139
C) 9731
D) 3197
E) 9317
(Total for Question 20 is 1 mark)
21
SECTION 3: LETTERS FOR NUMBERS (8 minutes, 10 questions)
In this section, use A=1, B=2, C=3, up to Z=26, unless a question tells you to use a different rule.
Q1. Using A=1, B=2, C=3, up to Z=26, what number represents the letter M?
A) 12
B) 13
C) 14
D) 11
E) 23
(Total for Question 21 is 1 mark)
22
(Letters for Numbers) Q2. Using the same rule (A=1 to Z=26), what letter is represented by the number 17?
A) P
B) Q
C) R
D) O
E) G
(Total for Question 22 is 1 mark)
23
(Letters for Numbers) Q3. Using the same rule (A=1 to Z=26), what number sequence represents the word FOX?
A) 6-15-24
B) 6-15-23
C) 7-15-24
D) 6-14-24
E) 24-15-6
(Total for Question 23 is 1 mark)
24
(Letters for Numbers) Q4. Using the same rule (A=1 to Z=26), what word is represented by 23-9-14-4?
A) WIND
B) VIND
C) WHND
D) WIMD
E) WINC
(Total for Question 24 is 1 mark)
25
(Letters for Numbers) Q5. In a different code, the alphabet is numbered in reverse, so Z=1, Y=2, X=3, and so on down to A=26. What number represents the letter H?
A) 19
B) 8
C) 18
D) 20
E) 7
(Total for Question 25 is 1 mark)
26
(Letters for Numbers) Q6. Using the same reverse code (Z=1 to A=26), what letter is represented by the number 23?
A) D
B) E
C) C
D) W
E) X
(Total for Question 26 is 1 mark)
27
(Letters for Numbers) Q7. In a code, each letter's value is its alphabet position plus 6 (so A=7, B=8, C=9, and so on). What is the value of the letter P?
A) 22
B) 21
C) 23
D) 16
E) 28
(Total for Question 27 is 1 mark)
28
(Letters for Numbers) Q8. Using the same code (alphabet position plus 6), what is the value of the word KIT (the sum of its letter values)?
A) 58
B) 40
C) 52
D) 64
E) 46
(Total for Question 28 is 1 mark)
29
(Letters for Numbers) Q9. In a code, each letter is given the value of its position in the alphabet, then the value is halved, rounding down if needed. So the code for E is 2 (5 divided by 2, rounded down). What is the code for the letter S?
A) 9
B) 19
C) 8
D) 10
E) 38
(Total for Question 29 is 1 mark)
30
(Letters for Numbers) Q10. Using the reverse code (Z=1, Y=2, X=3, down to A=26), what is the value of the word PEN (the sum of its letter values)?
Each question gives a substitution rule or a worked example pair. Work out exactly how each letter (or digit) is replaced, then apply the same rule to the new word or number. A different rule may apply in each question.
Q1. In a code, the alphabet is reversed, so that A is written as Z, B as Y, C as X, and so on. What is the code for BIG?
A) YRT
B) XRT
C) YQT
D) YRS
E) ZRT
(Total for Question 31 is 1 mark)
32
(Substitution Ciphers) Q2. Using the same mirror-alphabet code (A=Z, B=Y, C=X, and so on), what is the code for STOP?
A) HGLK
B) IGLK
C) HFLK
D) HGMK
E) HGLJ
(Total for Question 32 is 1 mark)
33
(Substitution Ciphers) Q3. Using the same mirror-alphabet code, what word does the code URMW represent?
A) FIND
B) FINE
C) GIND
D) FHND
E) FIOD
(Total for Question 33 is 1 mark)
34
(Substitution Ciphers) Q4. In a code, the letters of the keyword CHAIRDESK stand for the digits 1 to 9 in order, so C=1, H=2, A=3, I=4, R=5, D=6, E=7, S=8 and K=9. What number is represented by the word DESK?
A) 6789
B) 6798
C) 5789
D) 6689
E) 6779
(Total for Question 34 is 1 mark)
35
(Substitution Ciphers) Q5. Using the same code (C=1, H=2, A=3, I=4, R=5, D=6, E=7, S=8, K=9), what word is represented by 1-3-5-6-8?
A) CARDS
B) HARDS
C) CARES
D) CARKS
E) CAIDS
(Total for Question 35 is 1 mark)
36
(Substitution Ciphers) Q6. In a different code, the letters of the keyword BLACKPOINT stand for the digits 0 to 9 in order, so B=0, L=1, A=2, C=3, K=4, P=5, O=6, I=7, N=8 and T=9. What word is represented by 5-6-7-8-9?
A) POINT
B) KOINT
C) PIINT
D) PONNT
E) POIIT
(Total for Question 36 is 1 mark)
37
(Substitution Ciphers) Q7. In a code, MARKET is written as QFNYJP, and TRAIN is written as PNFXL. Using the same code, what is the code for TRAM?
A) PNFQ
B) PNFY
C) QNFP
D) PNFJ
E) NPFQ
(Total for Question 37 is 1 mark)
38
(Substitution Ciphers) Q8. Using the same code (M=Q, A=F, R=N, K=Y, E=J, T=P, I=X, N=L), what word does the code PJFN represent?
A) TEAR
B) TEAM
C) PEAR
D) TEAN
E) FEAR
(Total for Question 38 is 1 mark)
39
(Substitution Ciphers) Q9. In this code, each letter is replaced by the letter one place later in the alphabet. Four of these five word-code pairs follow that rule correctly. Which ONE does NOT?
A) DUSK -> EVTL
B) LAMP -> MBNQ
C) RING -> SJOH
D) FLAG -> GMBH
E) CORD -> DPSD
(Total for Question 39 is 1 mark)
40
(Substitution Ciphers) Q10. In a code, each letter of a word is first replaced using the mirror alphabet (A=Z, B=Y, C=X, and so on), and then the resulting letters are written in reverse order. What is the code for LEAF?
A) UZVO
B) OVZU
C) UZVN
D) TZVO
E) UYVO
(Total for Question 40 is 1 mark)
Mark scheme · EP.V34 Verbal Reasoning: Letter and Number Codes Set 2
Question 1
B1 A) NJML - comparing PARK and QBSL shows each letter shifts 1 place forward (P to Q, A to B, R to S, K to L); applying this to MILK gives M to N, I to J, L to M, K to L, i.e. NJML cao
Answer: A) NJML
Question 2
B1 A) PMQC - comparing DUCK and BSAI shows each letter shifts 2 places back (D to B, U to S, C to A, K to I); applying this to ROSE gives R to P, O to M, S to Q, E to C, i.e. PMQC cao
Answer: A) PMQC
Question 3
B1 A) ZROI - shifting each letter of WOLF forward by 3 gives W to Z, O to R, L to O, F to I, i.e. ZROI cao
Answer: A) ZROI
Question 4
B1 A) ODEL - shifting each letter of SHIP back by 4 gives S to O, H to D, I to E, P to L, i.e. ODEL cao
Answer: A) ODEL
Question 5
B1 A) OPUF - both examples confirm the rule 'shift every letter forward by 1', since CORN gives DPSO and DESK gives EFTL; applying this to NOTE gives N to O, O to P, T to U, E to F, i.e. OPUF cao
Answer: A) OPUF
Question 6
B1 A) GUCX - VASE spelled backwards is ESAV; shifting each letter forward by 2 gives E to G, S to U, A to C, V to X, i.e. GUCX cao
Answer: A) GUCX
Question 7
B1 A) DGNN - both examples confirm the rule 'shift every letter forward by 2', since HERO gives JGTQ and GLOW gives INQY; applying this to BELL gives B to D, E to G, L to N, L to N, i.e. DGNN cao
Answer: A) DGNN
Question 8
B1 A) KTWY - shifting each letter of FORT forward by 5 gives F to K, O to T, R to W, T to Y, i.e. KTWY cao
Answer: A) KTWY
Question 9
B1 A) NEST - decoding means shifting each code letter forward by 3: K to N, B to E, P to S, Q to T, i.e. NEST cao
Answer: A) NEST
Question 10
B1 A) BDUG - both examples confirm the rule 'shift every letter forward by 3', since LEAF gives OHDI and MINT gives PLQW; applying this to YARD gives Y to B (wrapping past Z), A to D, R to U, D to G, i.e. BDUG cao
Answer: A) BDUG
Question 11
B1 A) 68 - 34 multiplied by 2 is 68 (34+34=68) cao
Answer: A) 68
Question 12
B1 A) 27 - 42 minus 15 is 27 cao
Answer: A) 27
Question 13
B1 A) 406 - 2x2=4, 5x2=10 (keep the last digit 0), 8x2=16 (keep the last digit 6), giving 406 cao
Answer: A) 406
Question 14
B1 A) 6785 - moving the first digit (5) to the end of 5678 gives 6785 cao
Answer: A) 6785
Question 15
B1 A) 7385 - reversing 4726 gives 6274; adding 1 to each digit gives 6+1=7, 2+1=3, 7+1=8, 4+1=5, i.e. 7385 cao
Answer: A) 7385
Question 16
B1 A) 48 - the digits of 68 are 6 and 8, and 6x8=48 cao
Answer: A) 48
Question 17
B1 A) 6461 - the squares are 4x4=16 (last digit 6), 8x8=64 (last digit 4), 6x6=36 (last digit 6), 9x9=81 (last digit 1), giving 6461 cao
Answer: A) 6461
Question 18
B1 D) 3 -> 5 is wrong - by the rule, 7 minus 3 is 4, so the code for 3 should be 4, not 5 cao
Answer: D) 3 -> 5 is wrong (should be 3 -> 4)
Question 19
B1 A) 2 - 5+8+7=20, then 2+0=2, so the code is 2 cao
Answer: A) 2
Question 20
B1 A) 9137 - swapping the first digit (7) and the last digit (9) of 7139, and keeping the middle digits (1 and 3) the same, gives 9137 cao
Answer: A) 9137
Question 21
B1 B) 13 - counting A=1, B=2, and so on, the 13th letter of the alphabet is M, so M=13 cao
Answer: B) 13
Question 22
B1 B) Q - counting A=1, B=2, and so on, the 17th letter of the alphabet is Q cao
Answer: B) Q
Question 23
B1 A) 6-15-24 - F=6, O=15, X=24, so the word FOX is represented by 6-15-24 cao
Answer: A) 6-15-24
Question 24
B1 A) WIND - 23=W, 9=I, 14=N, 4=D, so the code 23-9-14-4 spells WIND cao
Answer: A) WIND
Question 25
B1 A) 19 - counting back from Z=1, the letter H is 19th in this reverse order cao
Answer: A) 19
Question 26
B1 A) D - using value = 27 minus the normal alphabet position, the normal position is 27-23=4, and the 4th letter is D cao
Answer: A) D
Question 27
B1 A) 22 - P's normal position is 16, and adding 6 gives 16+6=22 cao
Answer: A) 22
Question 28
B1 A) 58 - K=11+6=17, I=9+6=15, T=20+6=26, so the sum is 17+15+26=58 cao
Answer: A) 58
Question 29
B1 A) 9 - S's position is 19, and 19 divided by 2 is 9.5, which rounds down to 9 cao
Answer: A) 9
Question 30
B1 A) 46 - using value = 27 minus the normal alphabet position, P=27-16=11, E=27-5=22, N=27-14=13, so the sum is 11+22+13=46 cao
Answer: A) 46
Question 31
B1 A) YRT - using the mirror rule value = 27 minus the normal position, B gives Y, I gives R, G gives T, so BIG is coded as YRT cao
Answer: A) YRT
Question 32
B1 A) HGLK - using value = 27 minus the normal position, S gives H, T gives G, O gives L, P gives K, so STOP is coded as HGLK cao
Answer: A) HGLK
Question 33
B1 A) FIND - since mirroring twice restores the original letter, applying the mirror rule to URMW gives U to F, R to I, M to N, W to D, i.e. FIND cao
Answer: A) FIND
Question 34
B1 A) 6789 - D=6, E=7, S=8, K=9, so DESK is represented by 6789 cao
Answer: A) 6789
Question 35
B1 A) CARDS - 1=C, 3=A, 5=R, 6=D, 8=S, so the code 1-3-5-6-8 spells CARDS cao
Answer: A) CARDS
Question 36
B1 A) POINT - 5=P, 6=O, 7=I, 8=N, 9=T, so the code 5-6-7-8-9 spells POINT cao
Answer: A) POINT
Question 37
B1 A) PNFQ - matching the letters in MARKET/QFNYJP and TRAIN/PNFXL gives M=Q, A=F, R=N, T=P; applying this to TRAM gives T to P, R to N, A to F, M to Q, i.e. PNFQ cao
Answer: A) PNFQ
Question 38
B1 A) TEAR - reversing the table gives P=T, J=E, F=A, N=R, so the code PJFN spells TEAR cao
Answer: A) TEAR
Question 39
B1 E) CORD -> DPSD is wrong - applying the rule to CORD gives C to D, O to P, R to S, D to E, so the correct code is DPSE, not DPSD cao
Answer: E) CORD -> DPSD is wrong (should be CORD -> DPSE)
Question 40
B1 A) UZVO - mirroring each letter of LEAF gives L to O, E to V, A to Z, F to U, i.e. OVZU; reversing OVZU gives UZVO cao