UP Police Constable · Bite-size lessons
Symbol & Relationship Test
About 6 min · Numerical & Mental Ability · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 313 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
Symbol & Relationship Test is a unique reasoning topic that blends mathematical operations with logical thinking.
Key ideas
- Symbol substitution: Common operators (+, −, ×, ÷) are replaced by symbols (@, #, *, $, etc.) or interchanged with each other. You must decode which symbol represents which operation.
- BODMAS preservation: Even when symbols change, the order of operations (Brackets, Orders, Division/Multiplication, Addition/Subtraction) remains unchanged. Always apply BODMAS after substitution.
- Statement-based operations: Questions provide a key (e.g., "If + means ×, − means +, × means ÷, ÷ means −") followed by an expression to evaluate using the new meanings.
- Relationship validation: Some questions ask you to determine if a given mathematical relationship becomes true after symbol substitution. You test each option systematically.
- Equation balancing: Questions may present an equation with symbolic operators and ask which number or operation makes it valid.
Quick reference
- Core skill: Replace symbols → Apply BODMAS → Calculate carefully → Verify answer.
- Time per question: 30–45 seconds with practice. Don't rush the substitution step.
- BODMAS reminder: Brackets → Orders → Division/Multiplication (L to R) → Addition/Subtraction (L to R).
- Symbol substitution format: "If X means Y" defines new meanings; apply literally without assumptions.
- Validation strategy: For "which equation is correct" questions, test options one by one using full calculation.
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. If '+' means '×', '−' means '÷', '×' means '−' and '÷' means '+', then what is the value of: 15 + 3 − 5 × 4 ÷ 2 ?
2. In a certain code language, if 'P' means '+', 'Q' means '−', 'R' means '×' and 'S' means '÷', then what is the value of: 24 R 3 P 12 S 4 Q 5 ?
3. If '+' means '−', '−' means '×', '×' means '÷', and '÷' means '+', then what is the value of: 18 ÷ 6 − 3 + 4?
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 18 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
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