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 SSC CGL
Puzzles is part of the General Intelligence & Reasoning section (25% of the SSC CGL syllabus). See the full SSC CGL Tier-I breakdown.
Puzzles Solved Examples for SSC CGL
12 exam-pattern puzzles questions from the practice bank, each with a full solution.
Six friends - A, B, C, D, E, and F - have different classes scheduled between 8 AM and 1 PM. Each class is of one hour duration. A's class is scheduled at 9 AM. Two classes are scheduled between A and B. C's class is immediately before D's class. E's class is at 1 PM. F's class is not immediately after A's class. What is the timing of C's class?
- A.10 AM
- B.11 AMCorrect
- C.12 PM
- D.8 AM
Solution
1. A is at 9 AM. 2. Two classes between A and B. 3. C is immediately before D. 4. E is at 1 PM. 5. F is not immediately after A. This gives us: 9 AM - A, _ , _, _ , 1 PM - E. Since two classes are between A and B, B must be at 12 PM. F cannot be at 10 AM. Then, C and D must be at 11 AM and 12 PM respectively. The order is: 8 AM - F, 9 AM - A, 10 AM - _, 11 AM - C, 12 PM - B, 1 PM - E. Since D follows C, D must be at 12 PM. Thus, C is at 11 AM.
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.
Five friends, A, B, C, D, and E, are sitting in a row. A is to the left of B, but to the right of C. D is to the right of E, but to the left of C. Who is sitting in the middle?
- A.A
- B.B
- C.CCorrect
- D.D
Solution
A is to the left of B, so C A B. D is to the right of E, but to the left of C, so E D C. Combining these, we have E D C A B. Thus, C is in the middle.
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.
Seven persons live on seven different floors of an apartment building numbered 1 to 7 (ground floor is 1, topmost is 7). Floor 1 is occupied by the security warden. Exactly two persons live between the warden and Eshan. Eshan lives on floor 6. Question: On which floor does Eshan live?
- A.Floor 6Correct
- B.Floor 7
- C.Floor 1
- D.Floor 2
Solution
Detailed Puzzle Deduction: According to the conditions given in the floor arrangement, Eshan lives on floor 6. Therefore, the correct choice is: 'Floor 6'.
International summit delegation #2 comprises distinguished professionals visiting foreign research centers. Delegate Bhavya is a certified Civil Engineer and will be visiting the research facility in London. Question: What is the profession of delegate Bhavya and which city will he visit?
- A.Civil Engineer, visiting Paris
- B.Data Scientist, visiting New York
- C.Civil Engineer, visiting LondonCorrect
- D.Corporate Lawyer, visiting London
Solution
Detailed Puzzle Deduction: Cross-referencing delegation #2 records confirms that Bhavya is a Civil Engineer visiting London. Therefore, the correct choice is: 'Civil Engineer, visiting London'.
Six medical specialists consult patients in clinical suite #6 across six daily time slots. Specialist Dr. Farhan is assigned the 5:00 PM appointment slot. Question: Which time slot is assigned to Dr. Farhan?
- A.10:30 AM
- B.12:00 PM
- C.5:00 PMCorrect
- D.9:00 AM
Solution
Detailed Puzzle Deduction: From the clinic duty roster for suite #6, Dr. Farhan is on duty at 5:00 PM. Therefore, the correct choice is: '5:00 PM'.
In workshop batch #2, seven trainees attend laboratory practicals from Monday to Sunday, one on each day. Trainee Bhavya is scheduled to attend the practical session on Tuesday. Question: On which day does trainee Bhavya attend the practical session?
- A.Thursday
- B.Saturday
- C.TuesdayCorrect
- D.Wednesday
Solution
Detailed Puzzle Deduction: Based on the batch #2 schedule, trainee Bhavya attends on Tuesday. Therefore, the correct choice is: 'Tuesday'.
Six medical specialists consult patients in clinical suite #5 across six daily time slots. Specialist Dr. Eshan is assigned the 3:30 PM appointment slot. Question: Which time slot is assigned to Dr. Eshan?
- A.3:30 PMCorrect
- B.5:00 PM
- C.9:00 AM
- D.10:30 AM
Solution
Detailed Puzzle Deduction: From the clinic duty roster for suite #5, Dr. Eshan is on duty at 3:30 PM. Therefore, the correct choice is: '3:30 PM'.
International summit delegation #3 comprises distinguished professionals visiting foreign research centers. Delegate Chetan is a certified Corporate Lawyer and will be visiting the research facility in Paris. Question: What is the profession of delegate Chetan and which city will he visit?
- A.Physics Professor, visiting Berlin
- B.Corporate Lawyer, visiting ParisCorrect
- C.Data Scientist, visiting Paris
- D.Corporate Lawyer, visiting New York
Solution
Detailed Puzzle Deduction: Cross-referencing delegation #3 records confirms that Chetan is a Corporate Lawyer visiting Paris. Therefore, the correct choice is: 'Corporate Lawyer, visiting Paris'.
There are seven persons namely A, B, C, D, E, F and G who go to market on different days of the week starting from Monday to Sunday. C goes on Thursday. A goes immediately before C. There are only two persons who go between A and F. D goes immediately after G. B goes immediately before E. Who goes to market on Sunday?
- A.F
- B.E
- C.B
- D.DCorrect
Solution
1. C goes on Thursday. 2. A goes immediately before C, so A goes on Wednesday. 3. Two persons go between A and F. This means F goes on Sunday (A _ _ C _ _ F). 4. D goes immediately after G. This means G and D are consecutive. 5. B goes immediately before E. This means B and E are consecutive. 6. The days left are Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. 7. Since F is on Sunday, and A and C are on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, the remaining people B, E, G, D should be placed on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. 8. D is immediately after G, and B is immediately before E. So we can arrange them as G-D and B-E. 9. Thus, the arrangement is as follows: Monday: B Tuesday: E Wednesday: A Thursday: C Friday: G Saturday: D Sunday: F 10. The question asks who goes to the market on Sunday, which is F.
Six medical specialists consult patients in clinical suite #11 across six daily time slots. Specialist Dr. Kunal is assigned the 3:30 PM appointment slot. Question: Which time slot is assigned to Dr. Kunal?
- A.10:30 AM
- B.3:30 PMCorrect
- C.5:00 PM
- D.9:00 AM
Solution
Detailed Puzzle Deduction: From the clinic duty roster for suite #11, Dr. Kunal is on duty at 3:30 PM. Therefore, the correct choice is: '3:30 PM'.
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 SSC CGL?
141 exam-pattern Puzzles questions for SSC CGL Reasoning, each with a step-by-step solution. Practice is free — no sign-up needed to start.