SSC Clock Questions, Tips and Tricks

SSC Clock Questions form a part of the reasoning section in SSC exams. Questions usually cover clock angles, mirror time, reverse time, and hand movement. Students can find this topic easy after a few days of practice. This section does not require long calculations. To understand this topic, students only need a clear idea of how a clock works.

Clock questions may feel confusing at first. However, with step-by-step practice, patterns start repeating in such queries. Many questions look different but follow the same rules. Students can solve many questions using a single rule. Calm and slow practice in the beginning helps students increase their speed later. This topic is small but gives steady marks in exams.

SSC Clock Questions PDF

SSC Clock Questions Overview

SSC Clock Questions appear in SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, SSC GD, SSC MTS and other SSC exams. The questions do not appear in large numbers, but they repeat in similar forms. Most questions test the ability of students to calculate angles, hand distance, mirror time, and overlaps.

Students can solve most questions mentally without writing steps. Regular practice helps students finish clock questions faster than other reasoning problems. Many students complete them in under 30 seconds once they practise enough.

Note: The above-provided table provides data from previous student feedback and trends in SSC reasoning papers.

SSC CGL Clock Questions

SSC CGL clock questions appear in almost every Tier 1 paper. Students usually see at least one question, and some see two or three. Questions include angles between hands, mirror time, time gaps, and overlapping positions. Practising the same types of questions builds the confidence of students. As students solve more questions, they notice repeated tricks and patterns. This repetition makes the topic easier. Calm and steady practice brings faster results than rushing through many questions at once.

Here are some of the common question types in SSC CGL:

• Students calculate the angle between the hour and minute hands at a given time.

• Questions ask when the hands meet again after a time gap.

• Students find the mirror image of a given time.

• Students determine when the hands form a straight line (180 degrees).

• Some questions ask students to read clocks that gain or lose time.
  
  

SSC CHSL Clock Questions

SSC CHSL clock questions appear in many papers with short and direct queries. Students find them easier than CGL questions. A lot of questions ask for time difference, mirror time, or angle values. A simple trick can help students write the correct answer quickly. Students who solve clock questions fast save time for other reasoning problems. Many students gain marks by solving these questions without overthinking.

Candidates can find the following common question types in SSC CHSL:

• Students calculate angles at common times like 3:15, 6:30, and 9:45.

• Students find when clock hands will overlap next.

• Students solve mirror time questions, such as the reflection of 4:40.

• Students find time gaps between two hand positions.

• Students read swapped hour and minute hand positions.

SSC GD Clock Questions

SSC GD clock questions appear less frequently. Students may see one question or none. The questions remain simple and direct. Students solve them quickly without complex steps. Many students check the options and choose the correct answer when the clock question appears in GD papers. This strategy saves time for other questions. SSC aspirants can find the following common question  types related to the clock in the SSC GD paper:

• Students calculate the angle at an exact hour or half hour.

• Students find mirror time in a simple format.

• Students determine hand positions without long calculation.

• Students read overlapping hands quickly.

• Students interpret reversed clock hands correctly.
  
  

SSC MTS Clock Questions

SSC MTS clock questions may appear rarely, but they remain simple. Students can solve most clock questions mentally by visualising the clock face. Students who know clock number positions solve them faster. Even one correct answer can help students maintain a good score. So practising this topic always remains a safe choice.

SSC MTS aspirants may find the following queries:

• Students find the angle at 12:30, 3:00, 6:00, or 9:00.

• Students solve mirror time problems without confusing numbers.

• Students calculate the simple error in clocks that run fast or slow.

• Students read overlapping hands without extra steps.

• Students interpret basic hand direction questions.

SSC Reasoning Clock Questions

SSC reasoning clock questions combine clock rules with logical thinking. Students see angles, mirror time, reverse time, overlap, and time gain questions. Regular practice helps students recognise patterns quickly.

Careful reading matters because many students make mistakes when they read quickly. Students solve questions accurately by paying attention to details.

Common clock problems based on reasoning include:

• Students apply the rule: the minute hand moves 5.5 minutes faster than the hour hand each hour.

• Students identify when hands form a straight line at 180 degrees.

• Students calculate right-angle formation at 90 degrees.

• Students track their hands overlapping 11 times in 12 hours.

• Students find mirror time using the 11:60 minus actual time rule.

SSC Clock Tricks

SSC clock tricks help students solve questions faster. Such tricks help students to reach the answer without writing long steps. Students can improve speed by practising and applying these rules in every question type.

Students should practise tricks along with logic to achieve better results. They learn to spot the right method for each question type.

Here are some easy clock tricks for SSC exam aspirants:

• Students apply the minute hand gain rule of 5.5 minutes per hour.

• Students use the formula 0.5 × (11m − 60h) to calculate angles.

• Students note that hands overlap 11 times in 12 hours.

• Students recognise that hands form a 90° angle 22 times in 12 hours.

• Students calculate mirror time by subtracting from 11:60.
  
  

Some Sample SSC Clock Questions 

Here are a few SSC clock questions that students can practise to clear their concept. These queries are related to clock errors, clock images, angles, etc. 

Q1. How many degrees does the hour hand move in one hour?

A) 15°
B) 30°
C) 60°
D) 90°
Answer:  B) 30°
Explanation: 360° in 12 hours → 360 ÷ 12 = 30° per hour.

Q2. How many degrees does the minute hand move in one minute?

A) 3°
B) 5°
C) 6°
D) 12°
Answer:  C) 6°
Explanation: 360° in 60 minutes → 360 ÷ 60 = 6° per minute.

Q3. Find the angle between the hands at 3:20.

A) 10°
B) 20°
C) 25°
D) 35°
Answer: B) 20°
Explanation: |(30×3) – (11/2×20)| = |90 – 110| = 20°.

Q4. Find the smaller angle between the hands at 5:45.

A) 82.5°
B) 90°
C) 97.5°
D) 105°
Answer: C) 97.5°
Explanation: |(30×5) – (11/2×45)| = 97.5°.

Q5. At what time between 2 and 3 o’clock will the hands coincide?

A) 10 min 8 sec past 2
B) 10 10/11 min past 2
C) 11 min past 2
D) 12 min past 2
Answer:  B) 10 10/11 min past 2
Explanation: Formula = (60×H)/11.

Q6. At what time between 3 and 4 o’clock will the hands be at right angles?

A) 3:15 and 3:45
B) 3:20 and 3:40
C) 3:27 and 3:38
D) 3:24 and 3:48

Answer: C) 3:27 and 3:38
Explanation: (60H ± 30)/5.5 → (180 ± 30)/5.5 = 27 3/11, 38 2/11.

Q7. How many times do the hands coincide in 12 hours?

A) 10
B) 11
C) 12
D) 24
Answer:  B) 11

Q8. How many times do the hands form a straight line (same or opposite direction) in 12 hours?

A) 11
B) 12
C) 22
D) 24
Answer:  C) 22

Q9. How many times in 12 hours do the hands form a right angle?

A) 11
B) 12
C) 22
D) 24
Answer:  C) 22

Q10. If a clock shows 4:25, what will be the mirror image?

A) 7:25
B) 7:35
C) 8:25
D) 8:35
Answer:  B) 7:35
Explanation: 11:60 – 4:25 = 7:35.

Q11. Mirror image shows 2:40. What is the real time?

A) 9:10
B) 9:15
C) 9:20
D) 9:25
Answer:  C) 9:20
Explanation: 11:60 – 2:40 = 9:20.

Q12. A clock gains 5 minutes in 24 hours. How much will it gain in 7 days?

A) 25 minutes
B) 30 minutes
C) 35 minutes
D) 40 minutes
Answer:  C) 35 minutes

Q13. A clock loses 2 minutes in 24 hours. How long will it take to lose 30 minutes?

A) 300 hours
B) 360 hours
C) 480 hours
D) 720 hours
Answer:  B) 360 hours (15 days)

Q14. Formula to find time when hands coincide is:

A) (30H – 11M)/2
B) (60/11) × H
C) (11/60) × H
D) (5.5/60) × H
Answer:  B) (60/11) × H minutes past H o’clock

Q15. How many degrees does the hour hand move in 40 minutes?

A) 15°
B) 20°
C) 25°
D) 30°
Answer:  B) 20°

Q16. A clock is 10 minutes fast at 9 AM and 5 minutes slow at 9 PM. When was it correct?

A) 1 PM
B) 3 PM
C) 5 PM
D) 7 PM
Answer:  C) 5 PM
Explanation: 15 minutes change in 12 hours → correct after 8 hours.

Q17. Find the distance between hour and minute hands of a 10 cm radius clock at 3:00.

A) 10 cm
B) 12 cm
C) 14.14 cm
D) 16 cm
Answer:  C) 14.14 cm
Explanation: 2r sin(θ/2) = 2×10×sin45° = 14.14 cm.

Q18. How often do the hands coincide?

A) Every 60 minutes
B) Every 62 minutes
C) Every 65 5/11 minutes
D) Every 70 minutes
Answer:  C) 65 5/11 minutes

Q19. If both hands are 120° apart between 1 and 2 o’clock, the time is approximately:

A) 1:20
B) 1:25
C) 1:27
D) 1:30
Answer:  C) 1:27

Q20. The hands of a clock are together at 12:00. They will be together again at:

A) 12:50
B) 1:00
C) 1:05
D) 1:05 5/11
Answer:  D) 1:05 5/11