What Puzzles Questions Test
- Linear and circular seating arrangements
- Order and ranking puzzles
- Scheduling puzzles (days, months, time slots)
- Box and floor arrangements
Question bank coverage by sub-pattern
How Puzzles Appears in RRB NTPC
Puzzles is part of the General Intelligence & Reasoning section (30% of the RRB NTPC syllabus).
Puzzles Solved Examples for RRB NTPC
12 exam-pattern puzzles questions from the practice bank, each with a full solution.
Seven people – A, B, C, D, E, F, and G – attend an event on one day each from Monday to Sunday. A attends the event before D. B attends the event on Wednesday. C attends the event immediately after B. E attends the event after F. Only one person attends the event between C and G. Who attends the event on Saturday?
- A.ECorrect
- B.F
- C.D
- D.Cannot be determined
Solution
1. B attends on Wednesday. 2. C attends immediately after B, so C attends on Thursday. 3. Only one person attends between C and G. This means G attends on either Tuesday or Saturday. 4. A attends before D. E attends after F. 5. If G attends on Tuesday, then the order is A/F, G, B, C, D/E, F/E, D/E. This is not possible as D/E, F/E, D/E means that D and E have to be consecutive. There are only two spots on Friday and Sunday. 6. Therefore, G attends on Saturday. 7. Given that A attends before D, and E attends after F. The order must be: A, F, B, C, D, G, E. 8. Thus, E attends on Sunday and F attends on Tuesday. A attends on Monday. D attends on Friday. G attends on Saturday.
Six classes – A, B, C, D, E and F – are scheduled from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Each class lasts for one hour. Class A is scheduled at 10:00 AM. Class C is scheduled three hours after class A. Class B is scheduled immediately before Class E. Class D is not scheduled at 9:00 AM. What time is Class F scheduled?
- A.8:00 AMCorrect
- B.9:00 AM
- C.11:00 AM
- D.1:00 PM
Solution
1. A is at 10:00 AM. 2. C is three hours after A. 3. B is immediately before E. 4. D is not at 9:00 AM. This means C is at 1:00 PM. The schedule is: _ , _ , A, _ , _ , C. B and E must be consecutive. D is not at 9:00 AM. This gives us: F, D, A, B, E, C. Thus the times are: 8:00 AM - F, 9:00 AM - D, 10:00 AM - A, 11:00 AM - B, 12:00 PM - E, 1:00 PM - C. Therefore, Class F is scheduled at 8:00 AM.
If 'A + B' means 'A is the father of B', 'A - B' means 'A is the wife of B', 'A * B' means 'A is the brother of B', then what does the expression 'P * Q + R - S' mean?
- A.P is the brother of Q who is the father of R who is the wife of SCorrect
- B.P is the brother of Q who is the father of R who is the husband of S
- C.P is the brother of Q who is the mother of R who is the wife of S
- D.P is the brother of Q who is the father of R who is the sister of S
Solution
P * Q means 'P is the brother of Q'. Q + R means 'Q is the father of R'. R - S means 'R is the wife of S'. Combining these, we get 'P is the brother of Q who is the father of R who is the wife of S'.
Nine boxes are arranged one above the other. Box P is placed two places above box Q. Box R is immediately above box S. There are three boxes between box S and box Q. Box T is placed immediately above box U. There are four boxes between box U and box V. Box W is placed above box V. If box W is at the top, which box is at the bottom?
- A.VCorrect
- B.Q
- C.U
- D.Cannot be determined
Solution
1. P is two places above Q: P _ Q. 2. R is immediately above S: R/S. 3. Three boxes between S and Q: R/S _ _ _ Q. Combining with step 1, we have P _ Q and R/S _ _ _ Q. So, we can say P has to be above R/S. 4. T is immediately above U: T/U. 5. Four boxes between U and V: T/U _ _ _ _ V. Combining everything, if W is at the top and W is above V, the order becomes: W / P / R/S / T/U _ _ _ _ V / Q. Hence V is at the bottom.
There are eight boxes kept one above the other. Box A is kept three places above Box B. Box C is kept immediately above Box D. Two boxes are kept between Box D and Box B. Box E is kept immediately above Box F. Box G is kept three places below Box F. Which box is kept at the top?
- A.A
- B.CCorrect
- C.E
- D.G
Solution
1. A is three places above B: A _ _ B. 2. C is immediately above D: C/D. 3. Two boxes between D and B: C/D _ _ B. Combining with step 1, we can deduce A at the top: A _ _ B and C/D _ _ B. Thus, A must be somewhere above C/D. It's either C/D A _ _ B or A C/D _ _ B. 4. E is immediately above F: E/F. 5. G is three places below F: E/F _ _ G. Since we have 8 boxes, we can fit them all. The only valid order is C/D A E/F _ _ B _ _ G. Hence, C is at the top.
Eight persons – L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, and S – live in an eight-floor building, but not necessarily in the same order. Each of them has a different number of coins: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45. The one who has 25 coins lives on the 4th floor. Only three persons live between the one who has 25 coins and L. M lives immediately above L. Only two persons live between M and the one who has 10 coins. The one who has 20 coins lives immediately above the one who has 35 coins. Only one person lives between N and the one who has 15 coins. O lives immediately above N. O does not have 20 coins. Only four persons live between P and the one who has 40 coins. P lives above the one who has 40 coins. Q lives on the topmost floor. S has 30 coins. R lives above N. Which floor does P live on?
- A.Eighth
- B.SeventhCorrect
- C.Sixth
- D.Fifth
Solution
1. The one who has 25 coins lives on the 4th floor. 2. Three persons live between the one who has 25 coins and L. M lives above L. 3. Two persons live between M and the one who has 10 coins. 4. The one who has 20 coins lives above the one who has 35 coins. 5. One person lives between N and the one who has 15 coins. O lives above N. O does not have 20 coins. 6. Four persons live between P and the one who has 40 coins. P lives above the one who has 40 coins. 7. Q lives on the topmost floor. S has 30 coins. R lives above N. By placing each person and their coins on the floors according to the conditions, it is determined that P lives on the seventh floor.
Eight persons – A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H – have exams in different months of the same year, namely January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and August, but not necessarily in the same order. Only two persons have exams between A and B. C has an exam immediately before E. G has an exam before F. B has an exam after G. Only one person has an exam between C and D. H has an exam in March. A has an exam in a month with 31 days. If A has an exam in May, then who has an exam in August?
- A.FCorrect
- B.B
- C.C
- D.D
Solution
Given A has an exam in May. Two persons have exams between A and B, so B has exam in August. C has an exam immediately before E. G has an exam before F and B has an exam after G. One person has an exam between C and D. H has an exam in March. With these constraints, the arrangement is: January-G, February-C, March-H, April-E, May-A, June-D, July-F, August-B. Therefore, F has an exam in July and B has an exam in August.
Seven people – A, B, C, D, E, F, and G – live on seven different floors of a building, but not necessarily in the same order. The lowermost floor is numbered 1, and the floor above it is numbered 2, and so on until the topmost floor is numbered 7. Each of them likes a different color – Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink, White, and Black, but not necessarily in the same order. A lives on an even-numbered floor and likes Red color. There are two floors between the floors on which A and the person who likes Black color live. The person who likes Green color lives immediately above the person who likes Black color. D likes Yellow color and lives on floor number 1. There are three floors between the floors on which D and C live. E lives immediately above F. E does not like Black color. B likes White color. F does not like Pink color. Who lives on the 6th floor?
- A.CCorrect
- B.G
- C.A
- D.E
Solution
1. D (Yellow) lives on floor 1. 2. There are 3 floors between D and C, so C lives on floor 5. 3. A lives on an even floor and likes Red, and there are 2 floors between A and the person who likes Black. This means A is on floor 4 and Black is on floor 7. Green is immediately below Black, so Green is on floor 6. 4. E lives immediately above F, and E doesn't like Black. Since floors 5 and 1 are taken, E and F must be on floors 2 and 3 respectively, in that order. 5. A likes Red, B likes White, and D likes Yellow. F doesn't like Pink, and E doesn't like Black. Thus, G likes Pink and E likes Blue. This leaves F liking Green. However, floor 6 likes Green. The only mistake that we made was assuming that C lives on floor 5. If C lives on floor 6, then A must live on floor 2, and Black must live on floor 5, and Green must live on floor 4. Therefore, E and F must live on floors 3 and 7 respectively. B likes White, which leaves G liking pink. In this case, E likes Blue, F likes Black, and G likes Pink. The order is: D (Yellow), A (Red), E (Blue), Green, Black, C (Pink), F (White).
Six friends – A, B, C, D, E, and F – were born in different months of the same year, namely January, March, June, August, October and December. A was born in a month having 31 days. There are two people born between A and B. C was born immediately before D. E was born before F. B was not born in December. Who was born in June?
- A.C
- B.D
- C.E
- D.Cannot be determinedCorrect
Solution
1. A was born in a month having 31 days (Jan, Mar, Aug, Oct, Dec). 2. Two people were born between A and B. 3. C was born immediately before D. 4. E was born before F. 5. B was not born in December. 6. Case 1: A in Jan. Two people between A and B. Then B must be in June. Then there are no 2 days together so C and D cannot be placed in the remaining spots. 7. Case 2: A in Mar. Two people between A and B. Then B must be in Aug. Then there is only one set of consecutive days available. C and D must be in Oct and Dec, where C in Oct and D in Dec. E and F can be in Jan and June. Then E is in Jan and F is in June. 8. Case 3: A in Aug. Two people between A and B. Then B must be in Mar. Then there is only one set of consecutive days available. C and D must be in Jan and Oct, where C in Jan and D in Oct. E and F can be in June and Dec. Then E is in June and F is in Dec. 9. Case 4: A in Oct. Two people between A and B. Then B must be in Mar. Then there is only one set of consecutive days available. C and D must be in Jan and Aug, where C in Jan and D in Aug. E and F can be in June and Dec. Then E is in June and F is in Dec. 10. Case 5: A in Dec. Two people between A and B. Then B must be in Mar. But B cannot be in December. This is not possible. 11. From the above 4 cases, E and F can be in June. Since there is no way to determine who is born in June, the answer is cannot be determined.
Seven persons – A, B, C, D, E, F, and G – were born in different months of the same year, starting from March to September, but not necessarily in the same order. A was born in a month that has 30 days. There are two persons born between A and D. C was born immediately before E. G was born before F. B was born after G. Only one person was born between C and D. Who was born in July?
- A.A
- B.B
- C.C
- D.DCorrect
Solution
1. A was born in a month with 30 days (April, June, or September). 2. Two people were born between A and D. 3. C was born immediately before E. 4. G was born before F, and B was born after G. 5. Only one person was born between C and D. Combining these, we can deduce the order. If A is in April, D can be in July. C and E must be together. If A is in June, D can be in September. If A is in September, D can be in June. Considering all constraints, the correct order is: March-G, April-A, May-C, June-E, July-D, August-B, September-F. Therefore, D was born in July.
Five subjects – History, Geography, Civics, Economics, and Science are taught in a school from Monday to Friday. Each subject is taught for one hour. No two subjects can be taught at the same time. History is taught on Monday. Civics is not taught on Tuesday or Wednesday. Geography is taught immediately before Economics. Science is taught immediately after Civics. Which subject is taught on Thursday?
- A.Civics
- B.EconomicsCorrect
- C.Geography
- D.Science
Solution
1. History is on Monday. 2. Civics is not on Tuesday or Wednesday. 3. Geography is immediately before Economics. 4. Science is immediately after Civics. This means that Civics and Science are taught consecutively, and Geography and Economics are taught consecutively. Since History is on Monday, and Civics can't be on Tuesday or Wednesday, Civics must be on Thursday and Science on Friday. Therefore Geography must be on Wednesday and Economics on Thursday. Monday - History, Tuesday - _, Wednesday - Geography, Thursday - Economics, Friday - Science. Thus, Civics must be on Thursday.
Seven friends P, Q, R, S, T, U and V are living in a seven-floor building (numbered 1 to 7) but not necessarily in the same order. Each one is working in different companies namely TCS, CTS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini and Tech Mahindra. P lives on floor number 4 and works in TCS. The one who works in CTS lives immediately above P. Only two persons live between the one who works in CTS and the one who works in Infosys. The one who works in Wipro lives immediately above the one who works in HCL. Only one person lives between Q and the one who works in Capgemini. T lives immediately above Q. T does not work in CTS. Only three persons live between U and the one who works in Tech Mahindra. U lives above the one who works in Tech Mahindra. V lives on the topmost floor. S works in CTS. R lives above Q. Who lives on floor number 2?
- A.QCorrect
- B.S
- C.T
- D.U
Solution
1. P lives on floor 4 and works in TCS. 2. The one who works in CTS lives immediately above P. 3. Two persons live between the one who works in CTS and the one who works in Infosys. 4. The one who works in Wipro lives immediately above the one who works in HCL. 5. Only one person lives between Q and the one who works in Capgemini. T lives immediately above Q. T does not work in CTS. 6. Only three persons live between U and the one who works in Tech Mahindra. U lives above the one who works in Tech Mahindra. 7. V lives on the topmost floor. S works in CTS. R lives above Q. By placing each person on the floors according to the conditions, it's determined that Q lives on floor number 2.
Puzzles — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the right order to use puzzle clues?
Definite placements first, then relative clues, and negative clues ("X is not next to Y") last for elimination. Re-reading clues in the given order wastes time — group them by strength.
Should I draw the arrangement?
Always. A five-second diagram prevents the re-reading loop that makes puzzle sets slow. For circular seating, fix one person first and place everyone relative to them.
How many Puzzles practice questions does Parikshala have for RRB NTPC?
198 exam-pattern Puzzles questions for RRB NTPC Reasoning, each with a step-by-step solution. Practice is free — no sign-up needed to start.