Calendar Reasoning: Lecture Notes (Day 1)
SSC CGL Preparation by Anubhav Sir
1 Introduction
• Instructor: Anubhav Sir
• Objective: Teach reasoning for SSC CGL, starting with calendars, to master the
complete reasoning syllabus in 6 days.
• Target Audience: Students preparing for SSC CGL, especially Hindi-medium learn-
ers, but suitable for all seeking a strong reasoning foundation.
• Course Structure:
– 6-day intensive course covering the entire reasoning syllabus.
– Focus on challenging topics with detailed explanations.
– Classes held 5 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and two other
days). Check Telegram for schedules.
• Session Details:
– Date: June 24, 2025 (assumed).
– Time: 7:00 PM to 7:58 PM.
– Topic: Calendar Reasoning.
• Study Tips:
– Subscribe to the instructor’s YouTube channel and share the playlist link.
– Watch videos in sequence to build a strong foundation.
– Make your own notes for better retention; avoid relying on PDFs.
– Avoid distractions like irrelevant comments.
– Doubt Resolution:
∗ Paid course students: Use the provided WhatsApp number.
∗ Free course students: Ask relevant questions in comments (limited re-
sponses).
• Motivation: Free course covering basics to advanced levels, ensuring all doubts are
resolved with consistent effort.
2 Why Learn Calendar Reasoning?
• Importance: Calendar questions are common in SSC exams, requiring understand-
ing of leap years, odd days, and day calculations.
• Relevance: Recent SSC CGL exams include calendar questions, making it critical.
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• Approach: Starts with basics for beginners and progresses to exam-level questions.
3 Key Concepts Covered
The lecture covers the Gregorian Calendar, leap years, odd days, and calculating the day
of the week for any date.
3.1 Gregorian Calendar
• Definition: The calendar used today, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII.
• Basis: A solar calendar based on the Earth’s revolution around the Sun.
– Earth’s revolution: 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 47 seconds (≈ 365.2422
days), called a solar year.
– Approximated as 365 days, with extra ≈ 6 hours accounted for in leap years.
• Historical Context:
– Improved the Julian Calendar (by Julius Caesar, “Father of the Calendar”).
– Month of July named after Julius Caesar.
– Pope Gregory XIII, “Father of the Modern Calendar,” introduced leap years.
• India’s National Calendar: Saka Calendar, adopted on March 22, 1957; Gregorian
Calendar used for daily purposes.
3.2 Types of Years
• Ordinary Year: 365 days, February has 28 days.
• Leap Year: 366 days, February has 29 days.
• Leap Year Rules:
– Year divisible by 4 (non-century years).
– Century years (ending in 00): Divisible by 400.
– Examples:
∗ 2022: Not divisible by 4 (2022 ÷ 4 = 505.5), ordinary year.
∗ 2000: Divisible by 400 (2000 ÷ 400 = 5), leap year.
∗ 2100: Divisible by 4 but not 400 (2100 ÷ 400 = 5.25), ordinary year.
3.3 Leap Year Calculation
• Why Leap Years?:
– Earth’s revolution: ≈ 365.2422 days, leaving ≈ 6 hours extra per year.
– 4 years: 6 × 4 = 24 hours = 1 extra day (added to February in leap years).
• Century Year Adjustment:
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– Over 400 years, extra time is ≈ 3.12 days (not 4 days).
– Only century years divisible by 400 are leap years to correct this.
3.4 Odd Days Concept
• Definition: Extra days after dividing total days by 7 (week = 7 days).
– Example: 15 ÷ 7 = 2 weeks + 1 odd day.
• Odd Days in a Year:
– Ordinary Year: 365 ÷ 7 = 52 weeks + 1 odd day.
– Leap Year: 366 ÷ 7 = 52 weeks + 2 odd days.
• Odd Days in a Century:
– 100 years: 76 ordinary years (76 × 1 = 76) + 24 leap years (24 × 2 = 48) =
124 odd days.
– 124 ÷ 7 = 17 weeks + 5 odd days.
• Multiple Centuries:
– 200 years: 2 × 5 = 10 odd days = 1 week + 3 odd days.
– 300 years: 3 × 5 = 15 odd days = 2 weeks + 1 odd day.
– 400 years: 4 × 5 = 20 odd days = 2 weeks + 6 odd days (adjusted to 0 due to
century rule).
3.5 Century’s First and Last Day
• First Day:
– January 1, 0001: Monday (assumed).
– 100 years: 5 odd days → Monday + 5 = Saturday (2nd century).
– 200 years: 3 odd days → Monday + 3 = Thursday (3rd century).
– 300 years: 1 odd day → Monday + 1 = Tuesday (4th century).
– 400 years: 0 odd days → Monday (5th century).
– Possible first days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.
• Last Day:
– One day before the next century’s first day.
– Example: 2nd century starts Saturday → 1st century ends Friday.
– Possible last days: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
• Question: Which day cannot be the first day? Answer: Tuesday, Wednesday,
Friday, Sunday.
• Question: Which day cannot be the last day? Answer: Tuesday.
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3.6 Calculating the Day of the Week
• Method:
1. Date: Day of the month.
2. Month Code: Assign from table.
3. Century Code: Assign from table.
4. Year: Last two digits.
5. Leap Years: Year ÷4 (integer part).
6. Sum all, divide by 7, use remainder for day.
• Month Codes:
– January: 0 (3 in leap year)
– February: 3 (6 in leap year)
– March: 3, April: 6, May: 1, June: 4, July: 6, August: 2
– September: 5, October: 0, November: 3, December: 5
• Century Codes:
– Century ÷4, remainder:
∗ 0: 6 (e.g., 2000s)
∗ 1: 4
∗ 2: 2
∗ 3: 0
– Examples: 19th century (code 0), 20th century (code 6).
• Day Codes:
– 0: Saturday, 1: Sunday, 2: Monday, 3: Tuesday, 4: Wednesday, 5: Thursday,
6: Friday
• Simplification: If date > 7, use odd days (date ÷7, remainder).
3.6.1 Example 1: April 21, 2021
• Date: 21 ÷ 7 = 3 weeks, 0 odd days.
• Month: April = 6.
• Century: 2000s = 6.
• Year: 21.
• Leap Years: 21 ÷ 4 = 5.
• Sum: 0 + 6 + 6 + 21 + 5 = 38.
• 38 ÷ 7 = 5 weeks + 3 → Tuesday.
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3.6.2 Example 2: May 28, 2006
• Date: 28 ÷ 7 = 4 weeks, 0 odd days.
• Month: May = 1.
• Century: 2000s = 6.
• Year: 6.
• Leap Years: 6 ÷ 4 = 1.
• Sum: 0 + 1 + 6 + 6 + 1 = 14.
• 14 ÷ 7 = 2 weeks, 0 → Saturday.
3.6.3 Example 3: January 10, 2008 (Leap Year)
• Date: 10 ÷ 7 = 1 week, 3 odd days.
• Month: January (leap year) = 3.
• Century: 2000s = 6.
• Year: 8.
• Leap Years: 8 ÷ 4 = 2.
• Sum: 3 + 3 + 6 + 8 + 2 = 22.
• 22 ÷ 7 = 3 weeks + 1 → Sunday.
3.7 Same First Day in Ordinary Years
• Question: Which months have the same first day in an ordinary year?
• Answer: April and July (code 6), January and October (code 0), March and Novem-
ber (code 3).
• Example: April and July (code 6) start on the same day.
3.8 Finding Dates with a Specific Day
• Question: Which dates in April 2001 were Wednesdays?
• Calculation (April 1, 2001):
– Date: 1.
– Month: April = 6.
– Century: 2000s = 6.
– Year: 1.
– Leap Years: 1 ÷ 4 = 0.
– Sum: 1 + 6 + 6 + 1 + 0 = 14.
– 14 ÷ 7 = 2 weeks, 0 → Saturday.
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• Wednesday = Saturday + 4 days → April 4, 11, 18, 25.
4 Practice Questions
1. What day was April 21, 2021? Answer: Tuesday.
2. What day was May 28, 2006? Answer: Saturday.
3. What day was January 10, 2008? Answer: Sunday.
4. Which months in an ordinary year have the same first day? Answer: April and
July.
5. Which dates in April 2001 were Wednesdays? Answer: April 4, 11, 18, 25.
6. If today is Wednesday, what day after 941 days? Answer: Tuesday (941 ÷ 7 = 134
weeks + 3 days).
5 Key Takeaways
• Gregorian Calendar: Solar calendar, 365.2422 days, leap years adjust extra time.
• Leap Years: Divisible by 4 (non-century), 400 (century).
• Odd Days: Ordinary year (1), leap year (2), 100 years (5), 400 years (0).
• Day Calculation: Use date, month code, century code, year, leap years; sum, divide
by 7.
• Century Days: First: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday; Last: Sunday, Mon-
day, Wednesday, Friday.
• Exam Strategy: Memorize codes, practice odd days and leap years.
6 Corrections and Clarifications
• Leap Year Rule: Century years must be divisible by 400.
• January 10, 2008: Corrected to Sunday (not Thursday).
• April 1, 2001: Corrected to Saturday (not Sunday).
• Century Odd Days: 400 years = 0 odd days due to Gregorian adjustment.
7 Next Class Preview
• Topic: Conditional calendar questions (e.g., given one date’s day, find another).
• Time: 7:00 PM (check Telegram).
8 Final Notes
• Instructor’s Emphasis: Consistency and practice are key.
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• Support: Share the playlist link to help others.
• Motivation: Free course ensures success with dedication.
