SPES
SPES
SPES
R.A NO.. 7323, which was passed in 1992, is an earn-and-learn program to develop
productive work ethics in the youth.
Numerical series tests are a type of numerical aptitude test which require you to find the
missing number in a sequence. This missing number may be at the beginning or middle
but is usually at the end.
A B C D E
1 4, 8, 16, 32, ? 48 64 40 46 44
A B C D E
2 4, 8, 12, 20, ? 32 34 36 38 40
A B C D E
3 54, 49, ?, 39, 34 47 44 45 46 42
A B C D E
4 ?, 19, 23, 29, 31 12 15 16 17 18
These number sequences can be quite simple like the examples above. However, you
will often see more complex questions where it is the interval between the numbers that
is the key to the sequence.
A B C D E
6 48, 46, 42, 38, ? 32 30 33 34 35
These numerical series test questions usually consist of four visible numbers plus one
missing number. This is because the test designer needs to produce a sequence into
which only one number will fit. The need to avoid any ambiguity means that if the
number sequence relies on a more complex pattern, then there will need to be more
visible numbers. For example; Identify the missing number in the series.
A B C D E
7 4, 3, 5, 9, 12, 17, ? 32 30 24 26 22
A B C D E
85, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, ?, ? 19 17 15 16 21
A B C D E
91, ?, 4, 7, 7, 8, 10, 9, ? 6 3 11 13 12
Answers
1. B – The numbers double each time
7. D – Each number is the sum of the previous and the number 3 places to the left
To solve these number sequence questions efficiently, you should first check the
relationship between the numbers themselves looking for some simple arithmetic
relationship. Then look at the intervals between the numbers and see if there is a
relationship there. If not, and particularly if there are more than 4 numbers visible, then
there may be two number sequences interleaved. You will occasionally find multiplication,
division, or powers used in these sequences, but test designers tend to avoid them as
these operations soon lead to large numbers which are difficult to work out without a
calculator.
I ii iii iv V
10 B, E, H, K, ? L M N O P
i ii iii iv V
11 A, Z, B, Y, ? C X D V H
i ii iii iv V
12 T, V, X, Z, ? Y B A W Q
Answers
16. iii – There are two letters missing between each one, so N is next.
Because arithmetic operations cannot be performed on letters there is less room for
ambiguity in these questions. This means that interleaved sequences can be used with
fewer visible letters than in questions that use numbers. Question 17 for example can use
2 interleaved sequences even though only four letters are visible. This would be very
difficult to achieve with numbers.
It is implicit in these ‘alphabetic sequence’ questions that the sequence ‘loops’ back
around and starts again. See question 18. It is important to recognize this as it is not
usually stated explicitly – you are just expected to know it.
If you see more than one of these questions in a test then it is almost certainly worth
taking the time to write out the letters of the alphabet with their ordinal numbers
underneath. You can then treat these questions in a similar way to number series
questions. This can save a lot of time overall and avoid simple mistakes.
If you are told that you need to sit a numerical reasoning test as part of the job selection
process and you want to prepare for it properly, then you should ask which type of
questions it contains. Specifically, is it just numerical series or does it also contain data
interpretation, computation or estimation questions.
These sample question papers each contain 22 questions and have a suggested time
limit of 20 minutes. The questions are presented in Letter/A4 format for easy printing and
self-marking
Number series tests present numerical sequences that follow a logical rule which is based
on elementary arithmetic. An initial sequence is given from which the rule is to be
deduced. You are then asked to predict the next number that obeys the rule. The difficulty
level of these questions can increase in two ways; first, the logic behind the sequence
becomes less trivial and demands attention and creativity; second, the missing number
can be positioned at an early stage, thus preventing you from deciphering the hidden rule
by looking only at the previous numbers in the sequence.