Coding-Decoding is one of the most frequently asked topics in the reasoning ability section of the IBPS PO Exam 2025. These questions are designed to test how well you can understand a given pattern and use logic to find answers. It mainly checks your observation skills, your ability to recognize sequences, and how quickly you can decode a hidden message. Many candidates find this section tricky at first, but with the right approach and regular practice, it becomes easy to solve. In this article, we will cover some easy and useful tricks to help you solve coding-decoding questions with confidence.
Coding Decoding Shortcut Tricks for IBPS PO Exam 2025
Coding Decoding is a reasoning-based concept where words, numbers, or a mix of both are written in a secret or coded form. In these questions, a certain rule is applied to change the original word into a new form. Your job is to identify that rule or pattern and use it to decode other words or find the correct code for a given word. Below are some tips and tricks go through them all to boost your scores in IBPS PO Exam 2025.
Alphabet Position Trick
Know the position of each alphabet (A to Z as 1 to 26). This helps in letter-based coding.
Tip: Remember A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, …, Z = 26
Example: If “CAT” is coded as “3120”, check the position:
C = 3, A = 1, T = 20
Reverse Alphabet Trick
Sometimes the letters are coded using their reverse positions.
Example: A = 26, B = 25, C = 24, …, Z = 1
If “DOG” is coded as “WLT”, then:
D = 4 → W = 23, O = 15 → L = 12, G = 7 → T = 20
Letter Shifting Trick
Check if letters are shifted forward or backward in the alphabet. See if there’s a fixed pattern or variation.
Example:
If “BALL” is coded as “CBDM”:
B → C (+1), A → B (+1), L → D (-8), L → M (+1)
Pair Coding Trick
Words may be divided into pairs, and each pair is coded separately.
Example:
If “HEART” is coded as “EHATR”, it may involve swapping positions or rearranging letters.
Number Coding Trick
Letters may be converted into numbers based on their positions. Check the numerical difference or pattern.
Example:
“ACE” = 1 3 5
“DFH” = 4 6 8
Common Code Trick
Sometimes a group of words is given with their codes. Find the common word and its matching code.
Example:
If:
ROSE is coded as 6821
LOVE is coded as 4591
What is the code for SOUL?
Find the common letters and match them with numbers.