SSC CGL Race Questions 2026 — Free Chapter Wise Practice Test

Race Tests — Pick a Level and Start

Tap a level to see every test in it. Level 1 is set at real SSC CGL difficulty — start there the day you finish the concept. Level 2 is pitched above the exam, to push accuracy under pressure.

A race question is a speed question with the clock stopped at the winner’s finish. Whatever the wording — a start, a beat, a dead heat, a lead — it comes down to one sentence: in the time the winner runs the whole course, the loser runs less, and the two distances are in the ratio of the speeds. Everything else is reading which distance and which time the question is really about.

The marks are lost in three places. The first is adding margins — if A beats B by 20 m and B beats C by 10 m over 200 m, A does not beat C by 30 m; C’s shortfall is measured when B has run 180 m, not 200 m, so the answer is 29 m. The second is mixing the two kinds of start: a start of 10 seconds is worth 10 × (the slower runner’s speed) metres, never 10 × the winner’s. The third is on circular tracks — using the sum of speeds for runners going the same way, or the LCM rule for a meeting anywhere when it applies only to a meeting at the starting point. Each test puts twenty-five race questions in front of you in one sitting, which is what makes those checks automatic.

How Many Race Questions Are Asked in SSC CGL?

Races is a small chapter that turns up in most cycles, usually as one question — a linear race with a start, or a circular-track meeting. It is quick marks for a candidate who has the two or three rules ready, and a time sink for one who has not.

Counts vary by shift. Race questions use the same relative-speed idea as time, speed and distance, so the two chapters are best prepared together.

What You Will Practice in the Race Chapter

Linear (straight) races

• Both finishing times given, and the distance by which the faster runner wins
• A head start in seconds, both finishing together — the winner’s time or speed, or the loser’s
• A head start in metres for a dead heat — the other runner’s speed, or the start that can be given
• A speed ratio and a lead, and the point on the course where the runners meet
• A speed ratio and a start turned into a winning margin, and the start recovered from a margin
• A start plus a time margin turned into the loser’s or the winner’s speed
• A margin from one race carried to a longer race, with or without a fresh start
• Two races with different starts solved together — a time, a speed, or both speeds
• A beats B and B beats C over the same course, chained into A against C
• Margins over different course lengths, or one winner’s two margins, chained
• Pursuit with a head start in metres and in seconds at once
• A second race in which the losers are handed starts
• “Beats by d metres or t seconds” — the loser’s speed, the winner’s time, or the race length

Circular races

• First meeting in the same direction (difference of speeds) and in opposite directions (sum of speeds)
• Both directions in one question, and the ratio of the two meeting times
• First time back at the starting point together — the LCM of the lap times
• Three runners in mixed directions, and the first moment all three are together
• Speeds in rounds per hour and a clock start
• A fixed race distance on a track — the last overtake and the number of overtakes
• The number of distinct points on the track where the runners meet
• A speed multiple and a meeting time turned into a lap time
• Speeds exchanged, doubled or halved at a meeting; a runner who turns back
• Overtaking a runner who starts with a lead, and a runner who starts late
• The nth meeting as a clock time, laps completed at a meeting, and where on the track it happens

Rules worth memorising

The first row carries the linear half of the chapter and the eighth and ninth carry the circular half. Almost every other rule is one of those three read with the right distance.

The three mistakes that cost the most marks

• Adding margins. A beats B by 20 m and B beats C by 10 m over 200 m gives 29 m, not 30 m — B’s lead over C is earned over 200 m, but B only ran 180 m by the time A finished. Chain the ratios instead.
• Valuing a time start at the wrong speed. A start of 10 seconds is the slower runner’s 10 seconds. Multiply by the loser’s speed, and convert every start to one kind before comparing two races.
• Same direction, wrong rule. Runners going the same way need the difference of speeds; the sum is for opposite directions. And the LCM of lap times gives the first meeting at the starting point, not the first meeting anywhere.

Solved Examples — SSC CGL Race Questions

How the Race Chapter Tests Work

• 25 questions per test, with a full question palette — answered, skipped, marked for review, not visited.
• Optional 15-minute timer — with the clock to build exam speed, without it while you are still learning the chapter.
• Marking: +2 correct, −0.5 wrong, 0 unattempted — the same scheme as the real paper.
• Solutions, shortcut tricks and concept notes open after you submit, question by question.
• English and हिंदी, chosen at the start of every test.
• Free with a TrickySSC account — sign in once with Google or your mobile number, and every test is open to you.

How to Prepare Races for SSC CGL

1. Stop the clock at the winner’s finish. Ask how far each runner has gone at that instant; every linear race question is answered from that picture.
2. Turn every margin into a speed ratio first. “A beats B by 40 m over 400 m” means speeds 10 : 9. Ratios carry across race lengths; margins do not.
3. Convert starts to one kind. A start in seconds is worth (seconds × slower speed) metres. Do the conversion before comparing two races.
4. Chain, never add. For three runners multiply the distance ratios; adding the two margins is the most common wrong option.
5. Decide who wins before finding the margin. If the start given exceeds the fair start, the slower runner wins, and the margin is measured on the other runner at that finish.
6. On a track, name the direction first. Same way: difference of speeds. Opposite: sum. Write it down before dividing.
7. Know which meeting is asked. Anywhere on the track uses relative speed; at the starting point uses the LCM of lap times; the number of distinct points uses the HCF.
8. Keep a lead and a lap apart. The first overtake closes only the lead; every later overtake needs a whole lap.
9. Do Level 1 untimed, the same day you finish the theory. It is set at real SSC CGL difficulty; the aim is picking the right rule, not speed.
10. Repeat Level 1 with the 15-minute clock on, then move to Level 2. After that, verify against a previous year paper and a full mock test under locked sectional timing.

Related SSC CGL Maths Chapters

These chapters share the same relative-speed and ratio work. Practising them as a block is the fastest route through arithmetic.

All SSC CGL Chapter Wise Tests

Every chapter below has its own free Level 1 and Level 2 tests with full solutions.

SSC CGL Race Questions — Frequently Asked Questions

More Free SSC CGL Practice