Clock Reasoning is an interesting and scoring topic in reasoning sections of competitive exams like SSC, IBPS, SBI PO, and RRB. This blog covers everything about the concepts and formulas to quick tricks and solved questions from recent 2024–25 exams.
What Is Clock Reasoning in Reasoning?
Clock Reasoning involves solving problems based on the functioning of an analog clock. It tests your ability to calculate angles between clock hands, time differences, and movements of hour and minute hands.
This topic frequently appears in exams because it assesses logical thinking, time calculation skills, and mental visualization core skills necessary for many reasoning questions.
Key skills required include:
- Logical deduction
- Angle and time calculation
- Visualization of hand positions on a clock face
Why Is Clock Reasoning Important in Competitive Exams?
Clock Reasoning is an important topic of the reasoning syllabus because as it provides easy-to-understand questions that are quick to solve with the right approach. It requires less memorization and more logical application, making it a good scoring topic if practiced well.
| Exam | No. of Questions | Difficulty |
| SSC CGL / CHSL | 1–2 | Easy |
| IBPS PO / SBI PO | 1–2 | Moderate |
| RRB NTPC / Group D | 1 | Easy |
| State PSC / Police | 1–2 | Moderate |
Clock Reasoning Short Notes
Clock Reasoning questions is being asked around angles, relative speeds of hands, and time calculations.
| Term | Explanation |
| Minute Hand Speed | Moves 6° per minute (360°/60 minutes) |
| Hour Hand Speed | Moves 0.5° per minute (360°/12 hours/60 minutes) |
| Angle Between Hands | Calculated by difference between hour and minute angles |
| Clockwise & Anticlockwise | Directions to consider while calculating angles |
| Hands Overlapping | Times when both hands are exactly on each other |
| Hands Opposite | Hands form 180° angle (straight line) |
Concepts Used in Clock Reasoning
Details of the types of concepts asked in the reasoning questions are as follows:
| Concept | Details |
| Speed of Minute Hand | 6 degrees per minute |
| Speed of Hour Hand | 0.5 degrees per minute |
| Angle Formula | Angle = |
| Hands Overlap Times | Occurs every 65 5/11 minutes |
| Hands Opposite Time | Occurs every 32 8/11 minutes |
| Clock Angle Calculation | Smaller angle between hour and minute hands |
What Are the Types of Clock Reasoning Questions in Reasoning?
Clock Reasoning questions in exams generally come in these types:
- Direct: Find the angle between hands at a given time
- Puzzle-based: Multiple conditions involving clock times and hands’ positions
- Coded (symbol-based): Using symbols to represent hours and minutes
- Mixed-concept reasoning: Combining clock logic with other reasoning areas like direction or sequence
Clock Reasoning Formulas for Reasoning
Essential formulas to speed up the clock reasoning questions are as follows:
- Minute hand speed: 6° per minute
- Hour hand speed: 0.5° per minute
- Angle between hands:
Clock Reasoning Tricks for SSC CGL and Other Exams
Some quick tricks to solve Clock Reasoning questions are as follows:
- Always find the smaller angle between hands, not the larger.
- Use the formula for angle between hands instead of drawing clocks.
- When asked for time between overlaps or opposites, remember hands overlap every ~65 5/11 minutes.
- Visualize clockwise and anticlockwise directions carefully.
- For ‘how many times hands overlap in a day’ type, remember it’s 22 times.
- Start calculations from given time rather than from 12:00 to avoid confusion.
Solved Clock Reasoning Questions from 2024–25 Exams
Question 1: SSC CGL 2024 Tier 1 – Memory-Based
At what time between 4 and 5 o’clock will the hands of a clock be at right angles?
Answer: 4:15 and 4:45
Explanation: Hands are at 90° (right angle) twice between any two hours. Use the angle formula to find exact minutes.
Question 2: IBPS PO Prelims 2024
Find the angle between the hour and minute hands at 3:20.
Answer: 50°
Explanation:
Hour angle = 30 × 3 + 0.5 × 20 = 90 + 10 = 100°
Minute angle = 6 × 20 = 120°
Angle = |120 – 100| = 20° (smaller angle)
But since difference is 20°, that is the answer (Check if smaller or larger is needed).
Question 3: RRB NTPC 2024
How many times do the hands of a clock coincide in 24 hours?
Answer: 22 times
Explanation: Hands coincide 11 times in 12 hours. So, in 24 hours = 22 times.
Clock Reasoning Concepts for Bank Exams
Bank exams like IBPS PO and SBI PO often include coded or symbol-based clock questions. For example, a symbol may represent an hour or minute, and you have to decode time or angle from given data.
Example:
If # represents 3 hours and * represents 15 minutes, what time is #:*?
Answer: 3:15
These variations test your ability to translate symbols into clock time and then apply standard formulas.
Common Mistakes to Avoid while Solving Clock Reasoning
While practicing Clock Reasoning, watch out for these mistakes:
- Confusing larger and smaller angles—always confirm smaller angle unless asked otherwise.
- Ignoring minute hand speed when calculating hour hand position.
- Forgetting to subtract angle from 360° if initial angle > 180°.
- Misreading the problem as 12-hour clock when it could be 24-hour format.
- Not visualizing clockwise vs anticlockwise directions properly, causing errors in angle calculations.
FAQs
Use angle formulas directly and memorize key times for overlaps and opposites to avoid lengthy calculations.
Yes, typically 1–2 questions appear, often moderate in difficulty.
It’s better not to skip as these are usually easy and scoring questions.
Questions where time or angles are represented with symbols or codes instead of numbers
- Counting Figure Reasoning Question Types, Concepts and Trick
- Paper Folding and Cutting Reasoning, Concepts, Short Tricks and Tips
- Mirror Image Question Types, Concepts, Short Tricks, and Tips
- Cube, Cuboid, and Dice Reasoning Questions, Short Tricks, and Tips
- Calendar Reasoning Question Types, Concepts, Short Tricks and Tips
- Clock Reasoning Question Types, Concepts, Strategies and Tricks
Hello, I’m Aditi the creative mind behind the words at Oliveboard. As a content writer specializing in state-level exams, my mission is to simplify complex exam information and help aspirants navigate their journey with clarity and confidence.
Having walked the path of an aspirant myself, I bring a unique, relatable perspective to my work. I focus on crafting accessible and accurate content on Exam Notifications, Admit Cards, and Results, ensuring candidates have the right information at the right time.
At Oliveboard, I play a key role in empowering students by breaking down the exam process into understandable and actionable insights. My aim is to make preparation less daunting and more rewarding, one well-informed step at a time.