number series - surely this is too hard
Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators
number series - surely this is too hard
DS and I have spent nearly an hour wrestling with:
YZ UP BD TJ EH SD HL RX KP
Eventually we have found the answer, with 4 separate number sequences at play here:
1st letters -4, -8, -12, -16. -20, and +7, +11, +15, +19
2nd letters alternating +4 and -6.
Do questions this complex and time consuming really come up in the 11+ exam?
Advice appreciated, because if this type of question comes up my DS will never be able to finish a VR exam in the required time.
YZ UP BD TJ EH SD HL RX KP
Eventually we have found the answer, with 4 separate number sequences at play here:
1st letters -4, -8, -12, -16. -20, and +7, +11, +15, +19
2nd letters alternating +4 and -6.
Do questions this complex and time consuming really come up in the 11+ exam?
Advice appreciated, because if this type of question comes up my DS will never be able to finish a VR exam in the required time.
Hi new2me
My experience is that you have to sometimes look at every other set of letters (like on the number sequences) if things look too hard. Or look for mirror patterns. In this case it looks like an every other set of letters one.
So....
Instead of going Y to U try Y to B - plus 3
Then B to E - plus 3
And for the second letters Z to D - plus 4
Then D to H - plus 4
Does this work?
I don't think (and I'm sure Patricia will set us both straight) that they are usually that complicated.
Take heart.
Hope this helps.
Mrs Chubbs
My experience is that you have to sometimes look at every other set of letters (like on the number sequences) if things look too hard. Or look for mirror patterns. In this case it looks like an every other set of letters one.
So....
Instead of going Y to U try Y to B - plus 3
Then B to E - plus 3
And for the second letters Z to D - plus 4
Then D to H - plus 4
Does this work?
I don't think (and I'm sure Patricia will set us both straight) that they are usually that complicated.
Take heart.
Hope this helps.
Mrs Chubbs
I think that sequences usually have about 5 of the series given if they’re straightforward and you have to find the next one. If there are many more than that then it is almost certain that it is two sets of sequences. In this case because there are 9 given you should see if skipping every alternate one works, which in this case it does.
So you end up with two sequences which go:
YZ BD EH HL KP
UP TJ SD RX ??
You can ignore the first of these two sequences altogether. Then hopefully in the second sequence, which is what you’re trying to identify, it is more obvious that the first letter is -1 every time and the second letter is -6 (you should always look at the first and second letters separately).
So hopefully the answer you came up with is QR?
With my DS, whilst I'm keen to encourage him to answer every question as them come up (apart from the type Z, guess and come back to ones) I also want him to know when to give up.... Some advice from Patricia or other experienced users might be useful on this....
So you end up with two sequences which go:
YZ BD EH HL KP
UP TJ SD RX ??
You can ignore the first of these two sequences altogether. Then hopefully in the second sequence, which is what you’re trying to identify, it is more obvious that the first letter is -1 every time and the second letter is -6 (you should always look at the first and second letters separately).
So hopefully the answer you came up with is QR?
With my DS, whilst I'm keen to encourage him to answer every question as them come up (apart from the type Z, guess and come back to ones) I also want him to know when to give up.... Some advice from Patricia or other experienced users might be useful on this....
