HSSC CET key terms

A way of expressing a number as a part of 100, so 45% means 45 out of every 100. Used to compare quantities and solve profit, loss, and data questions.

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind, such as 3:5. A proportion states that two ratios are equal, letting you solve for an unknown share.

The sum of a set of values divided by how many values there are. Also called the arithmetic mean, it is used to find a typical value in a group.

Interest calculated only on the original principal for the whole period, using the formula P x R x T / 100, where P is principal, R the yearly rate, and T the time in years.

Interest calculated on the principal plus any interest already added, so the amount grows each period. It is always greater than simple interest for the same rate and time.

Profit occurs when selling price exceeds cost price; loss occurs when it is lower. Both are usually expressed as a percentage of the cost price.

The price at which a shopkeeper buys or produces an article. Profit or loss percentages in most aptitude problems are calculated on this base value.

The price at which an article is actually sold to a customer. Comparing it with the cost price tells whether the seller made a profit or a loss.

A technique where you first find the value of one unit and then multiply to get the value of the required number of units. Useful for work, speed, and rate problems.

Problems about how long people or machines take to finish a task together or separately. The standard trick is to treat total work as 1 and add rates of work.

A variation of time and work where inlet pipes fill a tank and outlet pipes empty it. Filling rates are taken as positive and emptying rates as negative.

The relation distance equals speed multiplied by time. Converting km/h to m/s uses a factor of 5/18, which is common in train and boat questions.

Problems where a boat moves with or against a current. Downstream speed is boat plus stream, and upstream speed is boat minus stream.

A sequence of numbers following a hidden rule, such as adding 4 each time or multiplying by 2. The task is to identify the rule and find the missing or wrong term.

A question that states a relationship between two items and asks you to apply the same relationship to a third item to find the fourth, often written as A:B :: C:?.

Identifying which item in a group does not share the common property of the others. Also called odd one out, it tests the ability to spot shared categories.

The single item in a set that differs from the rest on some clear basis, such as number type, spelling pattern, or category. You must justify the exclusion rule.

A puzzle where words or letters are converted into a code using a rule, and you must either decode a given code or apply the same rule to a new word.

Questions that describe family links in words and ask how two people are related. Drawing a small family tree with clear symbols prevents mistakes.

Problems where a person moves north, south, east, or west in steps, and you must find the final position or distance. A rough sketch makes the answer clear.

A puzzle placing people in rows or around a table based on clues about who sits next to or opposite whom. Working from the most fixed clue is the usual strategy.

A logic question giving two or more statements such as all A are B, and asking which conclusions definitely follow. Only conclusions true in every case are valid.

A reasoning item where a short statement is given and you judge whether a proposed conclusion logically follows from it, without adding outside knowledge.

Something unstated but necessary for a given statement or proposal to make sense. Questions ask you to pick the assumption that is implicit in the passage.

Overlapping circles used to show how sets relate. In reasoning, they quickly reveal whether a conclusion about overlapping groups must be true.

The left-right reversed picture of a figure as seen in a vertical mirror. Questions ask you to choose the correct reflected form among similar options.

The top-bottom reversed picture of a figure as seen in water. Letters and numbers flip vertically, so shapes that look alike upside down are common traps.

A spatial reasoning task where a sheet is folded and punched, then unfolded, and you must say where the holes will appear. Symmetry across the fold lines is the key.

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, such as begin and start. Synonym questions test vocabulary breadth and precision.

A word that means the opposite of another word, such as ancient and modern. Antonym questions ask you to pick the word most opposite in meaning.

A word that sounds or is spelled like another but has a different meaning, such as bank of a river and bank for money. Context decides the intended meaning.

A fixed phrase whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words, such as to let the cat out of the bag meaning to reveal a secret.

A verb combined with a preposition or adverb that creates a new meaning, such as give up or look after. The particle changes the sense of the base verb.

Replacing a long phrase with a single precise word, such as a person who loves books being called a bibliophile. It tests compact and accurate vocabulary.

Active voice makes the subject perform the action, as in she wrote the letter. Passive voice makes the object prominent, as in the letter was written by her.

Direct speech quotes exact words in quotation marks; indirect speech reports them without quotes and shifts tense and pronouns, as in he said that he was tired.

The rule that a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. It is tested through tricky cases like collective nouns and either/or.

A small word such as in, on, at, or between that links a noun to another word and shows place, time, or direction. Wrong prepositions are a common error type.

In Hindi grammar, the joining of two adjacent sounds into one, often changing the form at the junction. Recognising sandhi helps in splitting and understanding compound words.

A Hindi compound word formed by combining two or more words into one unit, where the meaning depends on the relation between the parts. Its types are identified in grammar questions.

Hindi words derived from Sanskrit are tatsam when they keep the original form, and tadbhav when they change over time, as in the pairs of words used in vocabulary questions.