Minimalist IAS
CSAT 2025 paper

UPSC CSE CSAT 2025 · Paper II (CSAT) · Question 8 · Puzzles, arrangements & general mental ability

निम्नलिखित अनुक्रम में क्रमशः X और Y के स्थान पर क्या आता है ? जनवरी, जनवरी, दिसंबर, अक्टूबर, X,…

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2025, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Question 8 — Puzzles, arrangements & general mental ability.

निम्नलिखित अनुक्रम में क्रमशः X और Y के स्थान पर क्या आता है ?

जनवरी, जनवरी, दिसंबर, अक्टूबर, X, मार्च, अक्टूबर, Y, सितंबर

Read this question in English

What comes at X and Y respectively in the following sequence?

January, January, December, October, X, March, October, Y, September

(a) July, May · (b) July, April · (c) June, May · (d) June, April

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (b) जुलाई, अप्रैल

Counting forward, the gap between successive months shrinks by one each time: 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 months. Nine months after October is July, and six months after October is April.

  1. Write the months as numbers: 1, 1, 12, 10, X, 3, 10, Y, 9.
  2. Count forward from each month to the next: January → January is 12 months, January → December is 11, December → October is 10.
  3. The gap falls by one each time: October + 9 months = July (X); July + 8 = March; March + 7 = October.
  4. October + 6 months = April (Y); April + 5 = September, which matches the last term.
  5. So X = July and Y = April.

Remember · For month or weekday series, convert to numbers and study forward gaps, wrapping around after 12 (or 7).

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

Cite this question: UPSC CSE CSAT 2025, Q8 — minimalistias.com/pyqs/csat/2025/q8

In the UPSC syllabus: Puzzles, arrangements & general mental ability › Number & letter series See it and tick it covered →

Timed · 30 minutes Take CSAT Puzzles, arrangements & general mental ability · Set 3 as a test This question is in it — with UPSC's marking and an instant score. Start the set

More on Puzzles, arrangements & general mental ability

All Puzzles, arrangements & general mental ability questions →