The alphabet test covers letter positions, letter pairs, rearranging a word, and counting in mixed letter-digit-symbol sequences. ASO 2012, 2018 and 2021 all asked several of these.
Positions
- k-th from the right = (27 − k)-th from the left. The last but one letter is Y.
- Example (ASO 2018): 10th to the left of Y (25) is O (15); 8th to the right of O is W (23).
Letter pairs ("as many letters between them as in the alphabet")
Take each letter in turn and compare it with the letters after it. For a pair to count, its gap in the word must equal its gap in the alphabet. Check both directions: forward (like EF) and backward (like FE). Work methodically, going one letter at a time, so you don't miss a pair.
Rearranging a word
- Swapping the 1st with the last, the 2nd with the second last, and so on, simply reverses the word.
- Swapping neighbouring pairs (1↔2, 3↔4, …): write the new word before you answer.
Sequences of digits or symbols
For "How many 4s are preceded by 7 but not followed by 3?", underline every 4, then check the digit before it and the digit after it. Mark each one you have counted so you don't count it twice.
Forming words
A word can be formed only if each letter appears in the given word at least as many times as the new word needs it.