This is a 32-minute Verbal Reasoning depth practice on letter and number codes (Set 3), 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, whether the alphabet wraps around, and whether a code table needs to be built from more than one example before you can use it.
Worked example. Worked example (Letter Codes): if the code for PEAR is QFBS, what is the code for LION? Answer: MJPO. Comparing PEAR and QFBS shows every letter moves forward 1 place in the alphabet (P to Q, E to F, A to B, R to S). Applying the same forward shift of 1 to LION gives L to M, I to J, O to P, N to O, i.e. MJPO. 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, whether the alphabet wraps around, and whether a table of matched letters needs to be built up from more than one example before it can be applied to a new word.
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 two places later in the alphabet. If the code for HAWK is JCYM, what is the code for LARK?
A) NCTM
B) LCTM
C) NATM
D) NCRM
E) NCTK
(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)
2
(Letter Codes) Q2. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter three places earlier in the alphabet. If the code for GRAPE is DOXMB, what is the code for STONE?
A) PQLKB
B) SQLKB
C) PTLKB
D) PQOKB
E) PQLNB
(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)
3
(Letter Codes) Q3. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter four places later in the alphabet, wrapping back to A after Z. What is the code for WREN?
A) AVIR
B) WVIR
C) ARIR
D) AVER
E) AVIN
(Total for Question 3 is 1 mark)
4
(Letter Codes) Q4. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter five places earlier in the alphabet, wrapping back to Z after A. What is the code for CRAB?
A) XMVW
B) CMVW
C) XRVW
D) XMAW
E) XMVB
(Total for Question 4 is 1 mark)
5
(Letter Codes) Q5. In a code, SEAL is written as UGCN, and TOAD is written as VQCF. Using the same rule, what is the code for GOAT?
A) IQCV
B) GQCV
C) IOCV
D) IQAV
E) IQCT
(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 3 places forward in the alphabet. What is the code for PLUM?
A) PXOS
B) MXOS
C) PUOS
D) PXLS
E) PXOP
(Total for Question 6 is 1 mark)
7
(Letter Codes) Q7. In a code, BEACH is written as ZCYAF, and CHAIR is written as AFYGP. Using the same rule, what is the code for TABLE?
A) RYZJC
B) TYZJC
C) RAZJC
D) RYBJC
E) RYZLC
(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)
8
(Letter Codes) Q8. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter six places later in the alphabet, wrapping back to A after Z. What is the code for TIGER?
A) ZOMKX
B) TOMKX
C) ZIMKX
D) ZOGKX
E) ZOMEX
(Total for Question 8 is 1 mark)
9
(Letter Codes) Q9. In a code, each letter is replaced by the letter two places earlier in the alphabet, wrapping back to Z after A. If the code for a word is QUYL, what is the original word?
A) SWAN
B) QWAN
C) SUAN
D) SWYN
E) SWAL
(Total for Question 9 is 1 mark)
10
(Letter Codes) Q10. In a code, FLAME is written as JPEQI, and SHORE is written as WLSVI. Using the same rule, what is the code for ZEBRA?
A) DIFVE
B) ZIFVE
C) DEFVE
D) DIBVE
E) DIFRE
(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 3. What is the code for 27?
A) 81
B) 78
C) 84
D) 90
E) 30
(Total for Question 11 is 1 mark)
12
(Number Codes) Q2. In a code, the code for a number is the number plus 38. What is the code for 46?
A) 84
B) 83
C) 85
D) 74
E) 8
(Total for Question 12 is 1 mark)
13
(Number Codes) Q3. In a code, each digit is replaced by (the digit plus 5), keeping only the last digit if the result is 10 or more. For example, the code for 3 is 8 (3+5=8), and the code for 7 is 2 (7+5=12, keep the last digit 2). What is the code for 384?
A) 839
B) 339
C) 889
D) 834
E) 830
(Total for Question 13 is 1 mark)
14
(Number Codes) Q4. In a code, the digits of a number are rotated: the last digit moves to the front, and the others shift one place to the right. For example, the code for 1234 is 4123. What is the code for 6497?
A) 7649
B) 4976
C) 7469
D) 9764
E) 6479
(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 subtracted from it (a 0 becomes 9). What is the code for 5081?
A) 0794
B) 1794
C) 0894
D) 0704
E) 0795
(Total for Question 15 is 1 mark)
16
(Number Codes) Q6. In a code, the code for a two-digit number is the sum of its two digits, doubled. For example, the code for 15 is 12 (1+5=6, then 6x2=12). What is the code for 47?
A) 22
B) 11
C) 24
D) 18
E) 14
(Total for Question 16 is 1 mark)
17
(Number Codes) Q7. In a code, each digit is replaced by the last digit of its cube. For example, the code for 3 is 7 (3 cubed is 27, last digit 7), and the code for 6 is 6 (6 cubed is 216, last digit 6). What is the code for 4271?
A) 4831
B) 4841
C) 6831
D) 4871
E) 4231
(Total for Question 17 is 1 mark)
18
(Number Codes) Q8. In a code, each digit is replaced by (the digit plus 4), keeping only the last digit if the result is 10 or more. Four of the digit codes below are correct. Which ONE is WRONG?
A) 1 -> 5
B) 3 -> 7
C) 9 -> 4
D) 6 -> 0
E) 8 -> 2
(Total for Question 18 is 1 mark)
19
(Number Codes) Q9. In a code, the digits of a number alternate: the 1st and 3rd digits each have 2 added, and the 2nd and 4th digits each have 2 subtracted (wrapping if needed). What is the code for 3729?
A) 5547
B) 1547
C) 5947
D) 5507
E) 5941
(Total for Question 19 is 1 mark)
20
(Number Codes) Q10. In a code, the middle two digits of a four-digit number swap places, and the first and last digits stay the same. What is the code for 5284?
A) 5824
B) 4285
C) 2584
D) 5248
E) 4825
(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 R?
A) 18
B) 19
C) 17
D) 12
E) 8
(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 24?
A) X
B) W
C) Y
D) V
E) N
(Total for Question 22 is 1 mark)
23
(Letters for Numbers) Q3. Using the same rule (A=1 to Z=26), what is the value of the word CROW (the sum of its letter values)?
A) 59
B) 58
C) 60
D) 56
E) 65
(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 7-12-15-23?
A) GLOW
B) GLOX
C) FLOW
D) GKOW
E) GLNW
(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 N?
A) 13
B) 14
C) 12
D) 15
E) 17
(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 6?
A) U
B) T
C) V
D) F
E) G
(Total for Question 26 is 1 mark)
27
(Letters for Numbers) Q7. In a code, each letter's value is its alphabet position plus 9 (so A=10, B=11, C=12, and so on). What is the value of the letter F?
A) 15
B) 14
C) 16
D) 6
E) 24
(Total for Question 27 is 1 mark)
28
(Letters for Numbers) Q8. Using the same code (alphabet position plus 9), what is the value of the word COT (the sum of its letter values)?
A) 65
B) 38
C) 56
D) 74
E) 47
(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 that value is doubled and 1 is subtracted. For example, the code for C is 5 (2x3-1=5), and the code for G is 13 (2x7-1=13). What is the code for the letter K?
A) 21
B) 22
C) 20
D) 10
E) 23
(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 LIME (the sum of its letter values)?
Each question gives a substitution rule, a keyword, 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 letters of the keyword GOLDSMITH stand for the digits 1 to 9 in order, so G=1, O=2, L=3, D=4, S=5, M=6, I=7, T=8 and H=9. What number is represented by the word GOLD?
A) 1234
B) 1243
C) 2134
D) 1334
E) 1235
(Total for Question 31 is 1 mark)
32
(Substitution Ciphers) Q2. Using the same code (G=1, O=2, L=3, D=4, S=5, M=6, I=7, T=8, H=9), what word is represented by 4759?
A) DISH
B) SISH
C) DMSH
D) DIMH
E) DIST
(Total for Question 32 is 1 mark)
33
(Substitution Ciphers) Q3. In a code, letters are swapped in adjacent pairs: A<->B, C<->D, E<->F, G<->H, I<->J, K<->L, M<->N, O<->P, Q<->R, S<->T, U<->V, W<->X, Y<->Z. What is the code for GARDEN?
A) HBQCFM
B) HBRCFM
C) HBQDFM
D) HBQCEM
E) HBQCFN
(Total for Question 33 is 1 mark)
34
(Substitution Ciphers) Q4. Using the same pair-swap code (A<->B, C<->D, E<->F, G<->H, I<->J, K<->L, M<->N, O<->P, Q<->R, S<->T, U<->V, W<->X, Y<->Z), what word does the code NPJTS represent?
A) MOIST
B) NOIST
C) MPIST
D) MOJST
E) MOISS
(Total for Question 34 is 1 mark)
35
(Substitution Ciphers) Q5. In a different code, the letters of the keyword TAMBOURINE stand for the digits 0 to 9 in order, so T=0, A=1, M=2, B=3, O=4, U=5, R=6, I=7, N=8 and E=9. What number is represented by the word TUBE?
A) 0539
B) 1539
C) 0439
D) 0529
E) 0538
(Total for Question 35 is 1 mark)
36
(Substitution Ciphers) Q6. Using the same code (T=0, A=1, M=2, B=3, O=4, U=5, R=6, I=7, N=8, E=9), what word is represented by 6412?
A) ROAM
B) IOAM
C) RUAM
D) ROTM
E) ROAB
(Total for Question 36 is 1 mark)
37
(Substitution Ciphers) Q7. In a code, CANDLE is written as HQWZBR, and DANGER is written as ZQWXRF. Using the same code, what is the code for GRADE?
A) XFQZR
B) GFQZR
C) XRQZR
D) XFAZR
E) XFQDR
(Total for Question 37 is 1 mark)
38
(Substitution Ciphers) Q8. Using the same code (C=H, A=Q, N=W, D=Z, L=B, E=R, G=X, R=F), what word does the code FQWXR represent?
A) RANGE
B) FANGE
C) RQNGE
D) RAWGE
E) RANXE
(Total for Question 38 is 1 mark)
39
(Substitution Ciphers) Q9. In this code, each letter is replaced by the letter six places earlier in the alphabet, wrapping back to Z after A. Four of these five word-code pairs follow that rule correctly. Which ONE does NOT?
A) PLANT -> JFUHN
B) STORM -> MNILG
C) CHASE -> WBUMY
D) BRICK -> VLCWE
E) FIELD -> ZCYFY
(Total for Question 39 is 1 mark)
40
(Substitution Ciphers) Q10. In a code, each letter of a word is first replaced using the pair-swap rule (A<->B, C<->D, E<->F, G<->H, I<->J, K<->L, M<->N, O<->P, Q<->R, S<->T, U<->V, W<->X, Y<->Z), and then the resulting letters are written in reverse order. What is the code for CRISP?
A) OTJQD
B) OTJQC
C) OTJRD
D) OTIQD
E) OSJQD
(Total for Question 40 is 1 mark)
Mark scheme · EP.V50 Verbal Reasoning: Letter and Number Codes Set 3
Question 1
B1 A) NCTM - comparing HAWK and JCYM shows each letter shifts 2 places forward (H to J, A to C, W to Y, K to M); applying this to LARK gives L to N, A to C, R to T, K to M, i.e. NCTM cao
Answer: A) NCTM
Question 2
B1 A) PQLKB - comparing GRAPE and DOXMB shows each letter shifts 3 places back (G to D, R to O, A to X, P to M, E to B); applying this to STONE gives S to P, T to Q, O to L, N to K, E to B, i.e. PQLKB cao
Answer: A) PQLKB
Question 3
B1 A) AVIR - shifting each letter of WREN forward by 4 gives W to A (wrapping past Z), R to V, E to I, N to R, i.e. AVIR cao
Answer: A) AVIR
Question 4
B1 A) XMVW - shifting each letter of CRAB back by 5 gives C to X (wrapping before A), R to M, A to V, B to W, i.e. XMVW cao
Answer: A) XMVW
Question 5
B1 A) IQCV - both examples confirm the rule 'shift every letter forward by 2', since SEAL gives UGCN and TOAD gives VQCF; applying this to GOAT gives G to I, O to Q, A to C, T to V, i.e. IQCV cao
Answer: A) IQCV
Question 6
B1 A) PXOS - PLUM spelled backwards is MULP; shifting each letter forward by 3 gives M to P, U to X, L to O, P to S, i.e. PXOS cao
Answer: A) PXOS
Question 7
B1 A) RYZJC - both examples confirm the rule 'shift every letter back by 2', since BEACH gives ZCYAF and CHAIR gives AFYGP; applying this to TABLE gives T to R, A to Y, B to Z, L to J, E to C, i.e. RYZJC cao
Answer: A) RYZJC
Question 8
B1 A) ZOMKX - shifting each letter of TIGER forward by 6 gives T to Z, I to O, G to M, E to K, R to X, i.e. ZOMKX cao
Answer: A) ZOMKX
Question 9
B1 A) SWAN - decoding means shifting each code letter forward by 2: Q to S, U to W, Y to A (wrapping past Z), L to N, i.e. SWAN cao
Answer: A) SWAN
Question 10
B1 A) DIFVE - both examples confirm the rule 'shift every letter forward by 4', since FLAME gives JPEQI and SHORE gives WLSVI; applying this to ZEBRA gives Z to D (wrapping past Z), E to I, B to F, R to V, A to E, i.e. DIFVE cao
Answer: A) DIFVE
Question 11
B1 A) 81 - 27 multiplied by 3 is 81 (27+27+27=81) cao
Answer: A) 81
Question 12
B1 A) 84 - 46 plus 38 is 84 cao
Answer: A) 84
Question 13
B1 A) 839 - 3+5=8, 8+5=13 (keep the last digit 3), 4+5=9, giving 839 cao
Answer: A) 839
Question 14
B1 A) 7649 - moving the last digit (7) of 6497 to the front gives 7649 cao
Answer: A) 7649
Question 15
B1 A) 0794 - reversing 5081 gives 1805; subtracting 1 from each digit gives 1-1=0, 8-1=7, 0-1=9 (wrapping), 5-1=4, i.e. 0794 cao
Answer: A) 0794
Question 16
B1 A) 22 - the digits of 47 are 4 and 7, and 4+7=11, then 11x2=22 cao
Answer: A) 22
Question 17
B1 A) 4831 - the cubes are 4x4x4=64 (last digit 4), 2x2x2=8 (last digit 8), 7x7x7=343 (last digit 3), 1x1x1=1 (last digit 1), giving 4831 cao
Answer: A) 4831
Question 18
B1 C) 9 -> 4 is wrong - by the rule, 9 plus 4 is 13, so the code for 9 should be 3 (keeping the last digit), not 4 cao
Answer: C) 9 -> 4 is wrong (should be 9 -> 3)
Question 19
B1 A) 5547 - the 1st and 3rd digits (3 and 2) each gain 2, giving 5 and 4; the 2nd and 4th digits (7 and 9) each lose 2, giving 5 and 7; putting these in order gives 5547 cao
Answer: A) 5547
Question 20
B1 A) 5824 - swapping the middle two digits (2 and 8) of 5284, and keeping the first digit (5) and last digit (4) the same, gives 5824 cao
Answer: A) 5824
Question 21
B1 A) 18 - counting A=1, B=2, and so on, the 18th letter of the alphabet is R, so R=18 cao
Answer: A) 18
Question 22
B1 A) X - counting A=1, B=2, and so on, the 24th letter of the alphabet is X cao
Answer: A) X
Question 23
B1 A) 59 - C=3, R=18, O=15, W=23, so the sum is 3+18+15+23=59 cao
Answer: A) 59
Question 24
B1 A) GLOW - 7=G, 12=L, 15=O, 23=W, so the code 7-12-15-23 spells GLOW cao
Answer: A) GLOW
Question 25
B1 A) 13 - using value = 27 minus the normal alphabet position, N's normal position is 14, and 27-14=13 cao
Answer: A) 13
Question 26
B1 A) U - using value = 27 minus the normal alphabet position, the normal position is 27-6=21, and the 21st letter is U cao
Answer: A) U
Question 27
B1 A) 15 - F's normal position is 6, and adding 9 gives 6+9=15 cao
Answer: A) 15
Question 28
B1 A) 65 - C=3+9=12, O=15+9=24, T=20+9=29, so the sum is 12+24+29=65 cao
Answer: A) 65
Question 29
B1 A) 21 - K's position is 11, doubling gives 22, and subtracting 1 gives 22-1=21 cao
Answer: A) 21
Question 30
B1 A) 69 - using value = 27 minus the normal alphabet position, L=27-12=15, I=27-9=18, M=27-13=14, E=27-5=22, so the sum is 15+18+14+22=69 cao
Answer: A) 69
Question 31
B1 A) 1234 - G=1, O=2, L=3, D=4, so GOLD is represented by 1234 cao
Answer: A) 1234
Question 32
B1 A) DISH - 4=D, 7=I, 5=S, 9=H, so the code 4759 spells DISH cao
Answer: A) DISH
Question 33
B1 A) HBQCFM - swapping each letter of GARDEN with its pair gives G to H, A to B, R to Q, D to C, E to F, N to M, i.e. HBQCFM cao
Answer: A) HBQCFM
Question 34
B1 A) MOIST - since swapping twice restores the original letter, applying the pair-swap rule to NPJTS gives N to M, P to O, J to I, T to S, S to T, i.e. MOIST cao
Answer: A) MOIST
Question 35
B1 A) 0539 - T=0, U=5, B=3, E=9, so TUBE is represented by 0539 cao
Answer: A) 0539
Question 36
B1 A) ROAM - 6=R, 4=O, 1=A, 2=M, so the code 6412 spells ROAM cao
Answer: A) ROAM
Question 37
B1 A) XFQZR - matching the letters in CANDLE/HQWZBR and DANGER/ZQWXRF gives C=H, A=Q, N=W, D=Z, L=B, E=R, G=X, R=F; applying this to GRADE gives G to X, R to F, A to Q, D to Z, E to R, i.e. XFQZR cao
Answer: A) XFQZR
Question 38
B1 A) RANGE - reversing the table gives F=R, Q=A, W=N, X=G, R=E, so the code FQWXR spells RANGE cao
Answer: A) RANGE
Question 39
B1 E) FIELD -> ZCYFY is wrong - applying the rule to FIELD gives F to Z, I to C, E to Y, L to F, D to X, so the correct code is ZCYFX, not ZCYFY cao
Answer: E) FIELD -> ZCYFY is wrong (should be FIELD -> ZCYFX)
Question 40
B1 A) OTJQD - pair-swapping each letter of CRISP gives C to D, R to Q, I to J, S to T, P to O, i.e. DQJTO; reversing DQJTO gives OTJQD cao