Puzzles Notes for Reasoning

Puzzles are the heart of the reasoning section in bank PO and clerk exams, where 15 to 25 marks can depend on them. They are also common in SSC CGL, insurance exams and UPSC CSAT, where they appear as arrangement and attribute-matching questions. A puzzle gives you a set of people or objects, a few attributes (such as floor, colour, day or profession) and a list of clues. Your job is to arrange everything correctly. Puzzles look difficult only because the information is scattered. With a fixed method and a neat table, almost every puzzle becomes a step-by-step process rather than a guessing game.

Quick Facts: Puzzles at a Glance

• Main types: Floor puzzles, box (stack) puzzles, scheduling (day/month/year), comparison (ranking by height, weight, marks) and multi-attribute puzzles.
• Core tool: A table or grid with one row per position and one column per attribute.
• Start with: Definite clues (fixed positions) before relative clues (above, below, before, after).
• Handle doubt: When a clue allows two possibilities, draw two cases and eliminate one later.
• Time target: 6 to 8 minutes for a 5-question puzzle set in bank prelims.

1. The Universal Puzzle-Solving Method

1. Read the first paragraph carefully. Note the number of people, positions and attributes. Check whether the bottom floor is numbered 1 or the top floor is 1.
2. Draw the frame. Make a table with positions as rows (floors 1 to 8, days Monday to Sunday, months January to December) and attributes as columns.
3. Place definite clues first. Clues such as "P lives on floor 3" or "The meeting on Thursday is with R" fix positions directly.
4. Use connected clues next. Clues linked to already placed items, such as "Q lives just above P", are easy once P is fixed.
5. Create cases for uncertain clues. If "S lives two floors above T" has two options, write Case 1 and Case 2 side by side.
6. Eliminate. Use negative clues ("U does not live on an even floor") and leftover clues to cancel wrong cases.
7. Fill the gaps and verify. After placing everyone, read all clues once quickly to confirm nothing is violated.

2. Floor Puzzles

In floor puzzles, people live on different floors of a building, often with extra attributes like colour, city or car. Typical clues use phrases like "immediately above", "two floors below", "between" and "topmost floor".

Key reading rules:

• "A lives immediately above B" means A's floor = B's floor + 1.
• "A lives above B" means A's floor is higher, by any number.
• "Only two people live between A and B" means a gap of three floors.
• Check whether there is one person per floor or two flats per floor.

Mini example: Five persons A, B, C, D and E live on floors 1 to 5 (1 is the lowest). C lives on floor 3. A lives immediately above C. B lives on an odd floor below C. E does not live on the top floor.

Solution: C = 3, A = 4. B is odd and below 3, so B = 1. Remaining floors 2 and 5 for D and E. E is not on top, so E = 2 and D = 5. Final order from bottom: B, E, C, A, D.

3. Box (Stack) Puzzles

Box puzzles stack boxes one above another, often with colours, weights or items inside. They work like floor puzzles, but watch out for phrases like "as many boxes as" or "number of boxes between".

• "Two boxes are kept between P and Q" means a gap of three positions.
• "As many boxes above X as below Y" requires you to balance two counts; try placing X and Y in possible positions and test.
• Sometimes the number of boxes is not given. Then use the clues to find the minimum or exact number first.

Tip: Number the boxes from bottom to top, and write the numbers on the left side of your table so that counting gaps is easy.

4. Scheduling Puzzles (Days, Months, Years)

Scheduling puzzles arrange events, meetings or people across days of a week, months of a year or a list of years.

• Days puzzle: Monday to Sunday; a week usually starts on Monday unless stated otherwise.
• Month puzzle: Often uses months with 30 or 31 days as a hint. Remember: April, June, September and November have 30 days; February has 28 or 29.
• Two dates in a month: Some puzzles use January 12 and January 19 for the same month; make your table with two rows per month.
• Year or age puzzles: Use the reference year to calculate ages, and check that ages make sense.

Mini example: Four lectures P, Q, R and S are held on Monday to Thursday, one per day. R is on Wednesday. P is before R but not on Monday. Q is after S.
Solution: R = Wednesday, P = Tuesday. Monday and Thursday remain for S and Q. Q is after S, so S = Monday and Q = Thursday.

5. Comparison (Ranking) Puzzles

These compare people by height, weight, marks or salary. Write all relations in one line with symbols.

Example: A is taller than B but shorter than C. D is shorter than B. E is the tallest. Order: E > C > A > B > D. So the second tallest is C and the shortest is D.

Tip: If a comparison puzzle also gives numeric values (for example, "the second heaviest weighs 65 kg"), first build the order, then fill in numbers.

6. Multi-Attribute Puzzles

These match several sets of information, such as person, city, colour and profession, without a position order. Use a grid with people as rows and attributes as columns, and mark ✓ for confirmed matches and ✗ for impossible ones. When a row has only one possibility left, it is confirmed, which then removes that option from all other rows.

UPSC CSAT often uses this type, for example matching five friends with five hobbies and five cities, followed by questions like "Who likes painting?" or "Which statement is definitely true?"

7. Smart Tricks to Save Time

• Read all clues once before drawing. You will spot the definite clues faster.
• Mark used clues with a tick so you do not read them again.
• Use short forms: first letters for names and colours.
• Never erase cases too early. Cancel a case only when a clue clearly contradicts it.
• Answer what is asked: In bank exams, you may answer 3 out of 5 questions even before the puzzle is fully solved.
• Skip and return: If a puzzle has not opened in 3 minutes, move to another and come back later.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Confusing "above" with "immediately above".
2. Forgetting whether the lowest floor is numbered 0 or 1.
3. Assuming a weekly schedule starts on Sunday when the question says Monday.
4. Ignoring negative clues, which are often the key to eliminating a case.
5. Rushing to answer before verifying all clues.

How to Practise Puzzles

• Weeks 1–2: Solve two easy puzzles daily from each type, without a timer, focusing on method.
• Weeks 3–4: Add a timer of 10 minutes per puzzle and gradually reduce it to 7 minutes.
• Ongoing: Solve one mixed puzzle set daily from previous year bank and CSAT papers.
• Keep a notebook of tricky phrases you misread and revise it weekly.

Puzzles reward patience and neatness. A clean table with clearly marked cases is the single biggest difference between students who solve puzzles and those who give up halfway.

Solved Puzzle: Step by Step

Puzzle: Six friends J, K, L, M, N and O attend a workshop on six different days from Monday to Saturday. Each likes a different colour: red, blue, green, yellow, white and black.

• L attends on Wednesday and likes green.
• Two persons attend between L and the one who likes black.
• J attends immediately before K.
• N attends on Monday and does not like red.
• The one who likes white attends on Friday.
• M attends after O.

Step 1: Fix L = Wednesday (green) and N = Monday. Step 2: Two persons between L and black: black is on Saturday (Monday is not possible as only one day lies before Wednesday). Step 3: White is on Friday. Step 4: J and K are consecutive; free days are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so J and K can be Thursday-Friday or Friday-Saturday. Step 5: O must come before M, leaving Tuesday for O. If J-K are Thursday-Friday, M is Saturday; if Friday-Saturday, M is Thursday. Both cases satisfy all clues, so questions will be framed only on facts that are common to both cases, such as "Who attends on Tuesday?" (O) or "What colour does L like?" (green). This is a realistic example of how exams test definite information even when the arrangement has two valid cases.

Related Notes

• Direction Sense and Seating Arrangement Notes
• Ranking, Order and Mathematical Operations Notes
• Blood Relations Notes for Reasoning
• All Reasoning Notes

Frequently Asked Questions

What are puzzles in reasoning?

Puzzles are questions in which you arrange people or objects by position and match attributes using a set of clues.

What are the main types of puzzles in bank exams?

Floor puzzles, box puzzles, scheduling puzzles based on days or months, comparison puzzles and multi-attribute puzzles.

How do I start solving a puzzle?

Draw a table, place definite clues first, then use connected clues, and create separate cases when a clue has two possibilities.

What does "immediately above" mean in floor puzzles?

It means exactly one floor higher, with no floor in between.

How can I solve puzzles faster?

Read all clues once, start with fixed clues, use short forms, mark used clues and practise daily with a timer.

What should I do if a clue gives two possibilities?

Draw both cases side by side and continue. A later clue usually eliminates one case.

Are puzzles asked in UPSC CSAT?

Yes. CSAT often includes arrangement and attribute-matching puzzles followed by a few questions.

How much time should one puzzle take?

In bank prelims, aim for 6 to 8 minutes for a set of 5 questions. Harder mains-level puzzles may take longer.

What is a box puzzle?

A box puzzle arranges boxes in a vertical stack with attributes such as colour or contents, using clues about their relative positions.

What is a scheduling puzzle?

A scheduling puzzle arranges events or people across days, months or years based on given conditions.

Why are negative clues important?

Negative clues, such as "X does not live on an even floor", help eliminate wrong cases and often decide the final arrangement.

How many puzzles should I practise daily?

Two to three puzzles a day, of different types, is enough for steady improvement.