Introduction
Analogies test whether you can spot the relationship between two given items and apply it to find a matching pair. SSC Stenographer asks 2 to 4 analogy questions every year in the General Intelligence & Reasoning section. They appear in three flavours — number, letter and meaning analogies — and are scoring if you train your eye for relationships. After this lesson you will know every common pattern, the trap variants used by SSC, and a step-by-step method to crack any analogy in under 30 seconds.
Core Concept
An analogy says: A is to B as C is to D. Your job is to discover the rule that converts A into B and apply the same rule on C to get D. The rule may be arithmetic (×2, +5, square, cube), positional (next letter, opposite letter, position+3), semantic (synonym, antonym, tool-worker, animal-young, country-currency) or structural (anagram, mirror image).
Always read the pair as a single thought: "Doctor is to Hospital" tells you a profession-workplace rule, so the answer pair must also be a profession-workplace pair. Real-life analogy: think of analogies like family resemblance — a son resembles his father in some specific feature; you must spot that feature first.
Three traps SSC uses repeatedly: (1) more than one rule fits — pick the most specific; (2) plural vs singular tweaks (Pen : Pens :: Mouse : ? answer is Mice, not Mouses); (3) order reversal — if the first pair is general→specific, the second must also be general→specific.
Formula Sheet
| Type | Rule examples |
|---|---|
| Number | ×2, +n, square (5:25), cube (3:27), prime → next prime |
| Letter | +1, +2, opposite letter (A↔Z), skip-letter, vowel→consonant |
| Word — synonym | Big : Large :: Quick : Fast |
| Word — antonym | Hot : Cold :: Day : Night |
| Worker–tool | Carpenter : Saw :: Tailor : Scissors |
| Country–currency | India : Rupee :: Japan : Yen |
| Animal–young | Dog : Puppy :: Cow : Calf |
Solved Examples
Example 1. Find the missing term: 9 : 81 :: 12 : ?
- Spot the rule: 9² = 81.
- Apply the same rule to 12: 12² = 144.
- Answer: 144.
Example 2. Doctor : Stethoscope :: Soldier : ?
- Rule: profession → primary tool used.
- A soldier's primary tool is a Gun / Rifle.
- Answer: Gun.
Example 3 (letter). BCD : EFG :: HIJ : ?
- Each letter shifts +3 (B→E, C→F, D→G).
- Apply +3 to H, I, J → K, L, M.
- Answer: KLM.
Shortcut: if the first pair shows a perfect square or cube, always check that rule first — it covers ~30% of SSC analogies.
Question Patterns
SSC Stenographer typically rotates through six analogy patterns. Knowing the pattern cuts solving time in half.
- Number analogies — squares, cubes, primes. Sample: 16 : 256 :: 19 : ?
- Letter pair shifts — uniform position change. Sample: AC : EG :: IK : ?
- Word meaning — synonym/antonym. Sample: Brave : Courageous :: Lazy : ?
- Function/tool — worker and instrument. Sample: Painter : Brush :: Sculptor : ?
- Cause–effect / sequence — happens-before-then. Sample: Cloud : Rain :: Spark : ?
- Mixed (number + letter) — odd-one-out style. Sample: A1 : C9 :: E25 : ?
Practise 10 questions of each type from previous-year SSC papers and you will recognise the pattern within 5 seconds.
Mistakes to Avoid
1. Picking the first plausible relationship. Often two rules work — only one is unique. Cross-check both options before committing.
2. Ignoring direction. "Hospital : Doctor" is workplace→worker, but "Doctor : Hospital" is the reverse — your answer pair must follow the same direction.
3. Forgetting plural/singular tweaks. Mouse : Mice is irregular — don't blindly add 's'.
4. Mismatching number-rule with closest option. Always recompute; don't trust eyeballing for cubes.
Exam Importance
| Exam | Frequency | Marks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC Stenographer | High | 2–4 | Mostly easy-medium, mixed types |
| SSC CGL | High | 2–3 | Number analogies dominate |
| SSC CHSL | High | 2–4 | Word meaning frequent |
Analogies repeat almost every year and reward pattern recognition over computation. Treat them as guaranteed marks.
Quick Revision
- Find the rule first, then apply.
- Square / cube rule covers ~30% of number analogies.
- +3 shift is the most-asked letter rule.
- Read in one direction only (A→B same as C→D).
- Watch for irregular plurals (mouse–mice).
- Worker–tool and country–currency repeat yearly.
- Solve 10 PYQ analogies daily for 2 weeks.
- Aim 25 seconds per analogy in mock tests.
- Memorise the 8 standard analogy categories: synonyms, antonyms, cause-effect, worker-tool, animal-young, country-currency, country-capital, instrument-measurement.
- For letter analogies, write all 4 positions on rough sheet before computing the shift.
- For mixed letter-number analogies, identify position numbers (A=1, B=2, … Z=26) immediately.
- For figure analogies, isolate one rule per element (rotation, shading, count, position).
- Reject options that satisfy only one element of the analogy when two are required.
- Practice 200 PYQ analogies across last 5 years for full coverage.