Coding Decoding Questions with Answers

Coding and decoding questions are a common topic asked in the reasoning section of various competitive exams. This topic tests your ability to decipher patterns and relationships between letters or numbers. These questions may appear challenging at first, but with practice and a systematic approach, you can excel in this area and earn valuable marks. Proficiency in solving coding decoding questions can be achieved through consistent practice. At Smartkeeda, we provide a wealth of coding and decoding questions that are readily available for practice on our website. Furthermore, you can also access and download free coding and decoding PDFs, allowing you to attempt questions offline and enhance your skills in this particular area.
 

Introduction to Coding Decoding

In coding and decoding questions, you are typically given a word or phrase and its coded form. The coded form may involve letters or numbers rearranged or replaced in a specific manner. Your task is to decipher the logic or rule behind the coding and apply it to another given word to find its coded form. Once you've identified the coding pattern, create a coding key or a set of rules that describe the transformation and apply the logic in the given questions.

Click here to practice free coding decoding questions!

Types of Coding Decoding Questions 

1. Letter Coding : In letter coding, the letters of a word are systematically substituted with other alphabets, following a specific rule like adding a subtracting and you have to deduce the code for another word by applying the same set of operations.

For Example: If DELHI is written as EDMGJ in a certain code. How is NEPAL written in that code?
In the given example, a specific code has been applied to the word "DELHI," resulting in the code "EDMGJ." To determine how the word "NEPAL" is written in the same code, we need to identify the coding pattern used for "DELHI."

Upon closer examination, we can see that each letter in "DELHI" has been shifted one position forward and one position backward alternatively to obtain its corresponding letter in the code:

• D -> E (shifted forward by one position)
• E -> D (shifted backward by one position)
• L -> M (shifted forward by one position)
• H -> G (shifted backward by one position)
• I -> J (shifted forward by one position)

Now, we can apply the same coding pattern to the word "NEPAL" to find its code:
 

• N -> O (shifted forward by one position)
• E -> D (shifted backward by one position)
• P -> Q (shifted forward by one position)
• A -> Z (shifted backward by one position)
• L -> M (shifted forward by one position)

Therefore, according to the given coding pattern, the word "NEPAL" is coded as "ODQZM" in the same code.
 

2. Number Coding : Number coding is a type of coding and decoding reasoning task where letters within a word are assigned specific numerical values based on predefined rules. To successfully navigate these questions, candidates must unravel the underlying coding rule and then apply it to decode or encode other words accordingly.

For Example: In a certain code, APPLE is written as 50, how is MANGO written in that code?
In the given example of number coding, the letters of the word "APPLE" have been assigned numerical values based on their positional values in the alphabet. Here's how it works:
 

• A (1st letter in the alphabet) is assigned the numerical value 1.
• P (16th letter in the alphabet) is assigned the numerical value 16.
• P (16th letter in the alphabet) is assigned the numerical value 16.
• L (12th letter in the alphabet) is assigned the numerical value 12.
• E (5th letter in the alphabet) is assigned the numerical value 5.

When you add these numerical values together, you get 1 + 16 + 16 + 12 + 5 = 50.
So, according to the provided coding rule, "APPLE" is encoded as 50.
Now, let's apply the same coding rule to the word "MANGO":
 

• M (13th letter in the alphabet) is assigned the numerical value 13.
• A (1st letter in the alphabet) is assigned the numerical value 1.
• N (14th letter in the alphabet) is assigned the numerical value 14.
• G (7th letter in the alphabet) is assigned the numerical value 7.
• (15th letter in the alphabet) is assigned the numerical value 15.

Adding these numerical values together: 13 + 1 + 14 + 7 + 15 = 50.
So, according to the same coding rule, "MANGO" is also encoded as 50.
 

3. Mixed Coding : Mixed coding is a crucial and frequently encountered category within coding and decoding questions, especially in banking, insurance, and various competitive exams. In mixed letter coding questions, you are presented with three or four sentences and each word of that sentence is assigned some coded word. Your task is to decipher the code for a specific word asked in the question.

How to solve Coding Decoding ?

1. To decode the target word, you have to identify any two sentences that share a common word. This common word serves as the key to deciphering the code for that specific word.
2. By comparing the codes for the common word in these two sentences, you can determine the code for the target word. The assumption is that the same code applies to the common word in both messages.
3. If there are multiple common words across different sentence pairs, you can use them to decode other words within the sentences. By systematically selecting various combinations of sentences, you can decode every word in the given sentences.

For Example: Read the following information carefully and answer the questions given beside.
 
In a certain code language,

1. 'There is Park' is written as ‘nup yex ace’
2. 'People in Schools' is written as ‘ybx cvu vcl’ 
3. 'Park is Dark' is written as ‘nup cig ace’
4. 'Dark People in Several Park' is written as ‘vcl cal nup cig cvu’

What would be the code for ‘Park is School’?

From sentence 1 and 3, we can find common code for “Park is” that is ‘nup ace’
Now our task is to find code for “school”
From sentence 2 and 4, we can see there are common words “in” and “people” and the common code for these words can be seen as “vcl cvu”
So the remaining word “schools” in the sentence 2 would be coded as “ybx”
Therefore, code for “park is school” would be “nup ace ybx”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Solving coding and decoding questions can be a herculean task as you are bound to make mistakes if you are not familiar with the questions types and tricks to save yourself from these mistakes.

• Candidates may sometimes make assumptions about the coding pattern without double checking it with the given condition. After decoding the patter, always ensure that your identified pattern holds true for all cases provided.
• Trying to memorize codes for common words or phrases after solving it is not a reliable strategy. You should write down the code for the given word immediately after solving it as it is going to be useful in decoding other sentences as well.
• Spending too much time on a single coding decoding question can result in time mismanagement and hinder your progress in the exam.

Coding and decoding questions improve with practice. Not practicing this skill can lead to decreased accuracy and confidence during the exam.