Soft Skills & Corporate Readiness Interview - Tips & Techniques General English Language Logical Reasoning / Analytical Ability Quantitative Aptitude Computer Aptitude General Knowledge / Current Affairs Reference Books, Websites & Study Sources.
Learning Modules
Topics
Soft Skills & Corporate Readiness Interview - Tips & Techniques General English Language Logical Reasoning / Analytical Ability Quantitative Aptitude Computer Aptitude General Knowledge / Current Affairs Reference Books, Websites & Study Sources.
Chapters
Age, Time and Calendars Alpha Numeric Sequence Puzzles Alphabet Series Analogy Arithmetical Reasoning Assertion and Reasoning Blood and Family Relations Classification Coding and Decoding Finding Missing Character Logical Sequence of Words Mathematical Operations Non Verbal - Reasoning Number, Ranking and Time Sequence Position of Digits, Alphabets and Words Puzzles Rank and Sequence Seating Arrangements Sense of Direction and Distance Series Completion Situation based Reaction Test of Eligibility or Potential Venn Diagrams Verification of Truth of a Statement

Puzzles

Practice MCQs

None

Reasoning Ability Puzzles Competitive Exams

Puzzles are reasoning questions where information is given in the form of clues. You have to arrange persons, objects, days, floors, seats, boxes, or events logically and answer the questions based on the final arrangement.

What are Puzzle Questions?

In reasoning exams, Puzzles test your ability to organize scattered clues into a meaningful arrangement. The clues may describe positions, order, relationships, days, months, floors, directions, or seating positions.

A puzzle usually gives multiple conditions. You must combine all the conditions carefully, eliminate wrong possibilities, and prepare the final table or diagram.

Quick idea: Do not try to answer directly. First convert the clues into a table, row, circle, floor chart, or sequence.
Puzzle Type What is Arranged? Example
Linear Seating People sitting in a row A sits to the left of B
Circular Seating People sitting around a table C sits opposite D
Floor Puzzle People living on different floors E lives above F
Day / Month Puzzle Events or persons arranged by time Interview is on Wednesday
Box / Object Puzzle Items placed in boxes or positions Red box is above blue box
Comparison Puzzle Age, height, marks, weight, ranking A is taller than B but shorter than C

“Puzzle solving is the art of converting clues into a clear arrangement.”

Reasoning Tip
Key Points
  • Read all clues before solving.
  • Identify the puzzle type first.
  • Make a table or diagram.
  • Place fixed clues first.
  • Use possibilities where clues are uncertain.
  • Eliminate impossible cases step by step.
clues arrangement logic elimination

Main Types of Puzzle Questions

Different puzzles require different layouts. Choosing the correct layout saves time.

1. Linear Seating Puzzle

People sit in a straight line facing north or south.

Seat 1 Seat 2 Seat 3 Seat 4
A B C D

Useful for row arrangement and left-right position clues.

2. Circular Seating Puzzle

People sit around a circular table.

Example clues:
A is opposite B.
C is immediate right of D.

Useful for opposite, immediate left, and immediate right clues.

3. Floor Puzzle

People or objects are arranged floor-wise.

Floor 4 ?
Floor 3 ?
Floor 2 ?
Floor 1 ?

Start with top and bottom floor clues.

4. Day / Month Puzzle

Events are arranged by days or months.

Monday ?
Tuesday ?
Wednesday ?

Useful for before, after, immediately before, and immediately after clues.

Tip: The correct diagram is half the solution. Use a row for seating, a column for floors, and a timeline for events.

Important Clue Words in Puzzles

Clue Word Meaning Example
Immediate left Directly next to the left side A sits immediate left of B
Immediate right Directly next to the right side C sits immediate right of D
Between Placed inside two given positions B is between A and C
Opposite Facing directly across A is opposite D
Above Higher floor or higher position P lives above Q
Below Lower floor or lower position R lives below S
Before Earlier in time or order Meeting is before lunch
After Later in time or order Interview is after test
Important: Left and right may change depending on the direction people are facing. If people face south, their left and right are opposite to your view.

Step-by-Step Puzzle Solving Method

Step Action Example
Step 1 Identify the type of puzzle. Linear seating, circular seating, floor, day, or comparison
Step 2 Draw the correct layout. Row, circle, floor chart, or timeline
Step 3 Place fixed clues first. A sits at the extreme left
Step 4 Use direct relation clues. B is immediate right of A
Step 5 Create cases for uncertain clues. C may be in seat 2 or seat 4
Step 6 Eliminate impossible cases. If D cannot sit beside E, remove that case
Step 7 Verify all clues before answering. Check every condition with final arrangement
Important: Never ignore a clue. Even one unused clue can change the final arrangement.

Worked Example 1: Linear Seating Puzzle

Four persons A, B, C, and D are sitting in a row facing north.

  • A sits at the extreme left.
  • B sits immediate right of A.
  • D sits at the extreme right.

Find the position of C.

Seat 1 Seat 2 Seat 3 Seat 4
A B C D
C sits in Seat 3, between B and D.

Worked Example 2: Floor Puzzle

Four persons P, Q, R, and S live on four different floors. Floor 1 is the lowest and Floor 4 is the highest.

  • P lives on the top floor.
  • Q lives immediately below P.
  • S lives on the lowest floor.

Find the floor of R.

Floor Person
Floor 4 P
Floor 3 Q
Floor 2 R
Floor 1 S
R lives on Floor 2.

Worked Example 3: Day Puzzle

Three tests — Maths, Science, and English — are held on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

  • Maths is not on Monday.
  • Science is immediately before English.
  • English is on Wednesday.

Find the day of Maths test.

Day Test
Monday Science
Tuesday Maths
Wednesday English
Maths test is on Tuesday.

Note: This example shows why every clue must be checked. If English is on Wednesday and Science is before English, Science must be placed before Wednesday. Then Maths takes the remaining valid day.

Common Types of Puzzle Questions

Seating Arrangement

Arrange persons in a row or around a table.

  • Linear seating
  • Circular seating
  • Facing north or south
  • Immediate left/right
Floor Arrangement

Arrange persons on different floors.

  • Top floor
  • Lowest floor
  • Immediately above
  • Immediately below
Day / Month Puzzle

Arrange events by days, dates, or months.

  • Before
  • After
  • Immediately before
  • Immediately after
Comparison Puzzle

Arrange people or things by comparison.

  • Age
  • Height
  • Marks
  • Weight
Rule: Fixed clues should be placed first. Conditional clues should be handled by making possible cases.

Solved Examples

Question Method Answer
A sits at the extreme left. B sits immediate right of A. Who is left of B? Arrangement starts A, B A
P lives above Q. Q lives above R. Who lives highest? Order from top: P, Q, R P
A happened before B. C happened after B. Arrange the events. A before B and C after B A, B, C
A is taller than B. C is taller than A. Who is tallest? Order: C, A, B C
In a row A, B, C, D, who is between B and D? Order: A, B, C, D C
Four boxes are arranged top to bottom as Red, Blue, Green, Yellow. Which box is below Blue? Green is immediately below Blue Green
If Maths is before Science and Science is before English, which is last? Order: Maths, Science, English English
A is older than B but younger than C. Who is youngest? Order: C, A, B B

Note: Most puzzle questions become simple when the final arrangement is prepared clearly.

Common Traps and Shortcuts

Common Traps
  • Starting with a clue that has many possibilities.
  • Ignoring the direction people are facing.
  • Confusing immediate left with left somewhere.
  • Forgetting to verify all clues at the end.
  • Mixing top-bottom and left-right arrangements.
  • Not making separate cases for uncertain clues.
Useful Shortcuts
  • Place extreme position clues first.
  • Use fixed clues before conditional clues.
  • Mark immediate pairs together.
  • For floors, draw from top to bottom.
  • For days, draw a timeline from earliest to latest.
  • Eliminate cases as soon as a clue fails.
Exam approach: Identify whether the puzzle is based on seating, floor arrangement, day sequence, box arrangement, or comparison order.

Practice

A) Multiple Choice Questions
  1. A sits at the extreme left and B sits immediate right of A. Who is to the left of B?
    A C D Cannot be determined
  2. P lives above Q and Q lives above R. Who lives at the highest position?
    P Q R Cannot be determined
  3. A happened before B and C happened after B. What is the correct order?
    A, B, C B, A, C C, B, A A, C, B
  4. A is taller than B. C is taller than A. Who is tallest?
    A B C Cannot be determined
  5. In the order A, B, C, D, who is immediately between B and D?
    A B C D
B) Solve the Higher-Order Problems
  1. Five persons A, B, C, D, and E sit in a row facing north. A sits at the extreme left. B sits immediate right of A. E sits at the extreme right. D sits immediate left of E. Find the position of C. Hint: Place extreme positions first.
  2. P, Q, R, and S live on four different floors. P lives on the top floor. Q lives immediately below P. S lives on the lowest floor. Find the floor of R. Hint: Draw floors from top to bottom.
  3. Events A, B, C, and D happened in sequence. D happened before A. A happened before C. B happened after C. Arrange the events. Hint: Link clues one by one.
  4. A is taller than B. C is shorter than B. D is taller than A. Who is the tallest? Hint: Arrange from tallest to shortest.
  5. Four boxes Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow are arranged from top to bottom. Red is at the top. Blue is immediately below Red. Yellow is at the bottom. Find the position of Green. Hint: Fill the fixed positions first.
Reasoning Reminder

Puzzles require patience and structure. Convert every clue into a table or diagram, then eliminate impossible arrangements until only one valid arrangement remains.

Task: Create five puzzles using seating arrangement, floor arrangement, event sequence, comparison order, and box arrangement.

Show Suggested Answers
Multiple Choice
  1. A
    Since B is immediate right of A, A is to the left of B.
  2. P
    Order from top is P, Q, R. So P is highest.
  3. A, B, C
    A happened before B, and C happened after B.
  4. C
    C is taller than A, and A is taller than B.
  5. C
    In A, B, C, D, C is between B and D.
Higher-Order Problems
  1. A is extreme left, B is immediate right of A, E is extreme right, and D is immediate left of E.
    Arrangement: A, B, C, D, E.
    Answer = C is in the middle position.
  2. P is on Floor 4, Q on Floor 3, S on Floor 1. Remaining floor is Floor 2.
    Answer = R lives on Floor 2.
  3. D happened before A, A before C, and B after C.
    Sequence: D, A, C, B.
  4. D is taller than A, A is taller than B, and B is taller than C.
    Order: D, A, B, C.
    Answer = D.
  5. Red is top, Blue is immediately below Red, Yellow is bottom. Green takes the remaining position.
    Arrangement: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow.
    Answer = Green is third from the top.
Clue Explanation

In puzzles, direct clues give fixed placements, while indirect clues create possibilities. The correct answer is found by testing each clue against the final arrangement.

Exam Tips
  • Read the complete puzzle before drawing.
  • Choose the correct layout first.
  • Place extreme and fixed clues first.
  • Keep immediate pairs together.
  • Make separate cases for uncertain clues.
  • Verify all conditions before answering.
Practice MCQs