If you're preparing for SSC CGL, Banking PO, Railway RRB, or any competitive exam in India, you've probably encountered alphabet position questions. These questions ask you to find which position a letter holds in the alphabet (like "What is the position of letter 'M'?"). The traditional method of counting from A is slow and error-prone during exams.
Enter the EJOTY method - a revolutionary technique that helps you find any letter's position in under 2 seconds! Let's master it.
🎯 What is the EJOTY Method?
The EJOTY method divides the alphabet into 5 groups of 5 letters each, with one leftover letter (Z). By memorizing just 5 reference letters - E, J, O, T, Y - and their positions, you can quickly calculate any letter's position.
• E = 5th position
• J = 10th position
• O = 15th position
• T = 20th position
• Y = 25th position
• Z = 26th position (bonus)
📊 Understanding the EJOTY Groups
| Group | Letters | Reference Letter | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A B C D E | E | 5 |
| 2 | F G H I J | J | 10 |
| 3 | K L M N O | O | 15 |
| 4 | P Q R S T | T | 20 |
| 5 | U V W X Y | Y | 25 |
🔍 How to Use EJOTY Method: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Identify the Group
Look at the letter and identify which EJOTY group it belongs to. This becomes automatic with practice.
Step 2: Count from Reference Letter
Count forward or backward from the nearest reference letter.
Step 3: Calculate Position
Add or subtract to get the exact position.
💡 Example 1: Find position of 'M'
Step 1: M is in the O group (K L M N O)
Step 2: O is at position 15
Step 3: M comes 2 letters before O
Answer: 15 - 2 = 13th position
💡 Example 2: Find position of 'Q'
Step 1: Q is in the T group (P Q R S T)
Step 2: T is at position 20
Step 3: Q comes 3 letters before T
Answer: 20 - 3 = 17th position
💡 Example 3: Find position of 'H'
Step 1: H is in the J group (F G H I J)
Step 2: J is at position 10
Step 3: H comes 2 letters before J
Answer: 10 - 2 = 8th position
⚡ Quick Tips for Faster Calculation
Practice saying: "ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PQRST-UVWXY" until it becomes automatic. You'll instantly know which group any letter belongs to.
Use your fingers to count the distance from the reference letter. It's faster and more accurate than mental counting.
Sometimes it's faster to count forward from the previous reference letter:
For 'L': Instead of "O is 15, count back 3", think "J is 10, count forward 2" = 12
🔄 Finding Opposite Letters (26-N+1 Formula)
Opposite letter questions are common in exams. For example: "What is the opposite letter of 'D'?"
Formula: Opposite position = 27 - Original position
💡 Example: Find opposite of 'D'
D is at position 4
Opposite = 27 - 4 = 23
23rd letter = W
Answer: W
• A ↔ Z (1 ↔ 26)
• E ↔ V (5 ↔ 22)
• J ↔ Q (10 ↔ 17)
• O ↔ L (15 ↔ 12)
• T ↔ G (20 ↔ 7)
• Y ↔ B (25 ↔ 2)
📝 Practice Questions
Test yourself with these questions (answers at the bottom):
- What is the position of 'N'?
- What is the position of 'W'?
- Which letter is at position 19?
- What is the opposite letter of 'K'?
- What is the position of 'C'?
❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Mistake #1: Counting from A every time - This wastes precious seconds!
- Mistake #2: Not memorizing EJOTY positions - Without these anchors, the method doesn't work
- Mistake #3: Counting in your head - Use fingers or visualize for accuracy
- Mistake #4: Forgetting the 27-N formula for opposites - Memorize it!
🎯 How to Master EJOTY in One Day
Morning (30 minutes):
- Write EJOTY = 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 fifty times
- Write all 5 groups: ABCDE, FGHIJ, KLMNO, PQRST, UVWXY
Afternoon (30 minutes):
- Practice finding positions of 26 random letters
- Time yourself - aim for under 2 seconds per letter
Evening (30 minutes):
- Practice opposite letter questions
- Solve 20-30 mixed questions
Use our free interactive practice tool to master EJOTY method with real-time feedback and progress tracking!
🏆 Exam-Level Applications
The EJOTY method helps in various question types:
- Direct Position Questions: "What is the position of 'R'?" - Answer in 2 seconds!
- Letter Series: Quickly identify patterns by knowing positions
- Alphabet Test: Find relationships between letters faster
- Coding-Decoding: Decode letter shifts using position knowledge
✅ Final Checklist
Before your exam, ensure you can:
- ✓ Recall EJOTY positions instantly (5, 10, 15, 20, 25)
- ✓ Identify any letter's group without thinking
- ✓ Find any letter's position in under 2 seconds
- ✓ Calculate opposite letters using 27-N formula
- ✓ Solve 10 questions in under 20 seconds
📚 Practice Answers:
- N = 14 (O is 15, N is 1 before)
- W = 23 (Y is 25, W is 2 before)
- 19 = S (T is 20, S is 1 before)
- Opposite of K (11) = 27-11 = 16 = P
- C = 3 (E is 5, C is 2 before)
Now that you've mastered EJOTY method, practice daily for 5-10 minutes to maintain speed. Check out our other articles on advanced alphabet reasoning tricks and mental math shortcuts!