Civil Service Numerical Reasoning Test Number Sequences and Patterns 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the next number: 256, 64, 16, 4, __?
- 1 (Correct answer)
- 2
- 0.5
- 3
Correct answer: 1
Each term is divided by 4: 256/4=64, 64/4=16, 16/4=4, 4/4=1.
Question 2: Find the missing number: 2, 9, 28, __, 126?
- 65 (Correct answer)
- 60
- 75
- 54
Correct answer: 65
Pattern: 1³+1=2, 2³+1=9, 3³+1=28, 4³+1=65, 5³+1=126. Missing = 4³+1 = 65.
Question 3: What is the next term: 17, 13, 9, 5, __?
- 1 (Correct answer)
- 3
- 2
- 0
Correct answer: 1
The sequence decreases by 4 each time: 5 − 4 = 1.
Question 4: Find the missing number: 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16, __?
- 22 (Correct answer)
- 20
- 18
- 24
Correct answer: 22
Differences: +1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6. Next = 16 + 6 = 22.
Question 5: What comes next: 5, 15, 45, 135, __?
- 405 (Correct answer)
- 270
- 315
- 390
Correct answer: 405
Each term is multiplied by 3: 135 × 3 = 405.
Question 6: Find the next number: 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, __?
- 49 (Correct answer)
- 42
- 45
- 50
Correct answer: 49
These are perfect squares: 2², 3², 4², 5², 6², 7². Next = 7² = 49.
Civil Service Numerical Reasoning Test Number Sequences and Patterns 4
What is the next number: 256, 64, 16, 4, __?