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Relative After/Before

Relative After/Before problems ask you to find a letter that comes a certain number of positions after or before a given letter in the English alphabet. These problems test your knowledge of alphabet order and positional relationships.

10Worksheets
200+Practice Questions
BeginnerDifficulty
1-2 hoursHours to Master

What You'll Learn

Introduction & Overview Why This Matters How to Solve Pro Tips & Tricks
Shortcut Methods Common Mistakes Practice Worksheets Exam Importance

Introduction to Relative After/Before

Relative After/Before problems ask you to find a letter that comes a certain number of positions after or before a given letter in the English alphabet. These problems test your knowledge of alphabet order and positional relationships.

Prerequisites

English alphabet order (A to Z) Basic counting Understanding of 'before' and 'after' concepts Alphabet position numbers (A=1 to Z=26)
Why This Matters: Relative After/Before problems are fundamental to alphabet test sections. You can expect 2-3 questions in SSC CGL, 2-3 in Banking PO, and 2-3 in Railways RRB exams.

How to Solve Relative After/Before Problems

1

Step 1: Identify the base letter given in the problem

2

Step 2: Note the number of positions to move (offset value)

3

Step 3: Determine direction: 'after' means move forward, 'before' means move backward

4

Step 4: Find the position number of the base letter (A=1, B=2, ... Z=26)

5

Step 5: Add offset for 'after' or subtract offset for 'before' to get target position

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Step 6: If position exceeds 26, wrap around to beginning (modulo 26)

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Step 7: Convert the target position back to the corresponding letter

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Step 8: Verify your answer by counting manually if needed

Pro Strategy: Always convert letters to their position numbers (A=1 to Z=26) before performing addition or subtraction. For wrap-around cases, remember that after Z comes A, and before A comes Z.

Example Problem

Example 1: Which letter is 5 positions after 'P'? Solution: Step 1: Base letter = P Step 2: P is position 16 Step 3: After means add: 16 + 5 = 21 Step 4: Position 21 = U Answer: U Example 2: Which letter is 3 positions before 'M'? Solution: Step 1: Base letter = M (position 13) Step 2: Before means subtract: 13 - 3 = 10 Step 3: Position 10 = J Answer: J

Pro Tips & Tricks

  • Memorize key positions: A=1, E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Z=26 as reference points
  • For 'after' problems, use the mnemonic: forward = add
  • For 'before' problems, backward = subtract
  • When crossing Z while going forward, subtract 26 from the result
  • When crossing A while going backward, add 26 to the result
  • Create a mental alphabet strip or write A-Z for quick reference

Shortcut Methods to Solve Faster

After: Target position = Base position + n (if ≤26, else -26)
Before: Target position = Base position - n (if ≥1, else +26)
The 5-letter groups (A-E, F-J, K-O, P-T, U-Z) help quick positioning

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Adding instead of subtracting for 'before' problems
Forgetting to wrap around when crossing Z or A
Using letter order incorrectly (confusing 'after' with 'before')
Not converting letters to positions before calculating

Exam Importance

Relative After/Before is an important topic for various competitive exams. Here's how frequently it appears:

SSC CGL
2-3 questions
BANKING PO
2-3 questions
RAILWAYS RRB
2-3 questions
INSURANCE
2-3 questions

Ready to Master Relative After/Before?

Start with Worksheet 1 and work your way up to expert level! Each worksheet includes:

20 practice questions
Detailed solutions
Step-by-step explanations
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