Example 1
What is the angle between the hour and minute hands of a clock at 7:30?
Answer: D) 45°
Angle = |30H − 5.5M| = |210 − 165| = 45°.
Clock (Angle Between Hands) reasoning questions for competitive exams: rules, worked examples and practice
Clock questions mostly ask for the angle between the hour and minute hands at a given time.
Key rules and formulas
- Angle = |30H − 5.5M| degrees, where H is the hour and M the minutes.
- If the result is more than 180°, subtract it from 360° for the smaller angle.
- The minute hand moves 6° per minute; the hour hand moves 0.5° per minute.
- The hands coincide 11 times in 12 hours.
Common traps
- Forgetting that the hour hand also moves with the minutes.
- Giving the reflex angle when the smaller angle is asked.
Where Clock (Angle Between Hands) is asked
- RRB Group D (General Intelligence & Reasoning)
- RRB NTPC CBT 1 (General Intelligence & Reasoning)
- SSC CGL Tier 1 (General Intelligence & Reasoning)
- SSC CGL Tier 2 (General Intelligence, Reasoning & General Intelligence)
- SSC CHSL Tier 1 (General Intelligence)
Worked examples
Example 2
What is the angle between the hour and minute hands of a clock at 8:20?
Answer: D) 130°
Angle = |30H − 5.5M| = |240 − 110| = 130°.
Example 3
What is the angle between the hour and minute hands of a clock at 5:15?
Answer: C) 67.5°
Angle = |30H − 5.5M| = |150 − 82.5| = 67.5°.
Frequently asked questions
What is Clock (Angle Between Hands) in competitive exams?
Clock questions mostly ask for the angle between the hour and minute hands at a given time.
Which exams ask Clock (Angle Between Hands) questions?
On MockBazaar, Clock (Angle Between Hands) questions appear in RRB Group D, RRB NTPC CBT 1, SSC CGL Tier 1, SSC CGL Tier 2, SSC CHSL Tier 1.
What is the most common mistake in Clock (Angle Between Hands)?
Forgetting that the hour hand also moves with the minutes.