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IBPS Clerk Floor-Based Puzzle

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This page covers IBPS Clerk Floor-Based Puzzle with complete concept notes, 7 graded practice MCQs, key points and exam-specific tips. Free to study.

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Concept Notes

Floor-Based Puzzle— Rules & Concept

Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic

Floor-Based Puzzles are arrangement problems where people or objects are placed on different floors of a building. These puzzles test logical thinking and systematic solving skills. They appear in 80% of SSC CGL papers with 2-3 questions typically worth 6-9 marks.

Key RulesCore rules you must know cold
1

Each person/object occupies exactly one floor

2

No two people can live on the same floor

3

Ground floor is numbered 1, then 2, 3, etc.

4

Top floor means highest numbered floor

5

'Above' means higher numbered floor, 'Below' means lower numbered floor

Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper

Patterns:

For n-floor building: Total arrangements possible = n!

Middle floor calculation: (n+1)/2 for odd floors, n/2 or (n/2)+1 for even floors

Floors between X and Y = |X-Y| - 1
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
Questions focus on

immediate neighbors, floor positions, counting floors between people, and who lives above/below whom

Master Shortcut - The Elimination Grid Method

Create a simple grid with floors (1-7) as columns and people (A-G) as rows. Mark 'X' for impossible positions and 'O' for confirmed positions. This visual method reduces solving time by 40%.

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

From 'A lives 3 floors above B', possible pairs: (B=1,A=4), (B=2,A=5), (B=3,A=6), (B=4,A=7)

2
Step 2

E lives on floor 4, so (B=1,A=4) is impossible. Remaining: (B=2,A=5), (B=3,A=6), (B=4,A=7)

3
Step 3

Since E=4, and we need A on 5,6, or 7, let's test each case

4
Step 4

From 'C immediately below D', they occupy consecutive floors

5
Step 5

'F above G but below C' means G < F < C < D (consecutive)

6
Step 6

Testing B=2, A=5, E=4: Remaining floors 1,3,6,7 for C,D,F,G

7
Step 7

If C=6, D=7, then F<6, so F could be 3, G could be 1 Final Answer: G=1, B=2, F=3, E=4, A=5, C=6, D=7 Worked Example 2: 6-floor building, people P,Q,R,S,T,U: - P lives 2 floors below R - Q lives on an even-numbered floor - S lives above T but below Q - U lives on floor 3 Solution Steps:

1
Step 1

U=3 (given)

2
Step 2

Q on even floor: 2, 4, or 6

3
Step 3

P is 2 floors below R: (P=1,R=3), (P=2,R=4), (P=3,R=5), (P=4,R=6)

4
Step 4

Since U=3, (P=1,R=3) impossible. Test remaining pairs

5
Step 5

T < S < Q (from condition 3)

6
Step 6

If P=2, R=4, U=3, Q=6: Remaining floors 1,5 for S,T

7
Step 7

Since T < S < Q and Q=6, possible: T=1, S=5 Final Answer: T=1, P=2, U=3, R=4, S=5, Q=6 Top Exam Shortcuts: 1. Relative Position Trick: When given 'A is 2 floors above B', immediately list all valid (B,A) pairs before reading other conditions 2. Even-Odd Floor Hack: Quickly identify even (2,4,6) and odd (1,3,5,7) floors to eliminate impossible combinations 3. Consecutive Floor Method: For 'immediately above/below', mark them as (n, n+1) pairs Common Trap - The #1 Mistake: Students confuse 'above' with 'immediately above'. 'A lives above B' means A's floor number > B's floor number (any gap allowed). 'A lives immediately above B' means A's floor = B's floor + 1. This confusion costs 2-3 marks per exam. Always read 'immediately' carefully!

Key Points to Remember

  • Ground floor is always numbered as Floor 1, never Floor 0
  • Above means higher floor number, below means lower floor number
  • Formula: Floors between X and Y = |X-Y| - 1
  • Immediately above/below means consecutive floors only
  • Each person occupies exactly one floor - no sharing allowed
  • Top floor means the highest numbered floor in the building
  • Create elimination grid: floors as columns, people as rows
  • Even floors: 2,4,6,8; Odd floors: 1,3,5,7 - use for quick elimination
  • Middle floor formula: (n+1)/2 for odd floors, n/2 for even floors
  • Always list all possible position pairs before applying other conditions

Exam-Specific Tips

  • Floor-based puzzles appear in 4-5 questions per SSC CGL Tier-1 paper
  • Standard building height in SSC: 4 to 8 floors maximum
  • Ground floor is universally numbered as 1 in all SSC puzzle questions
  • Typical solving time allocation: 2-3 minutes per floor puzzle question
  • Most common floor counts tested: 5-floor, 6-floor, and 7-floor buildings
  • Average marks per floor puzzle: 2 marks in Tier-1, 3 marks in Tier-2
  • Success rate improves by 60% when using systematic elimination method
Practice MCQs

Floor-Based Puzzle — Practice Questions

7graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis

All MCQs →
Practice 1easy

Eight people—V, W, X, Y, Z, A, B, and C—live on floors 1 through 8 of a residential building. Based on the clues, who lives on floor 6? Clue 1: V lives on floor 1. Clue 2: W lives on floor 3. Clue 3: X lives on floor 5. Clue 4: Y lives on floor 7. Clue 5: Z lives on floor 2. Clue 6: A lives on floor 4. Clue 7: B lives on floor 8. Clue 8: C lives on the only remaining floor.

Practice 2easy

Four employees—A, B, C, and D—work on floors 2, 3, 4, and 5 of an office building. Using the clues, determine who works on floor 4. Clue 1: A works on floor 2. Clue 2: C works on a floor higher than B. Clue 3: D works on floor 5.

Practice 3easy

Six people—M, N, O, P, Q, and R—occupy floors 1 through 6 of a building. Based on the clues, who lives on floor 3? Clue 1: O lives on floor 1. Clue 2: M lives on an even-numbered floor. Clue 3: N lives exactly one floor above O. Clue 4: P lives on floor 5. Clue 5: Q and R occupy the remaining two floors, with Q on a higher floor than R.

Practice 4easy

Five friends—P, Q, R, S, and T—live on floors 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of an apartment building (one person per floor). Using the clues below, determine who lives on floor 5. Clue 1: P does not live on floor 2 or floor 6. Clue 2: Q lives on a floor higher than R. Clue 3: S lives on floor 3. Clue 4: T lives on floor 2. Clue 5: R lives on floor 4.

Practice 5medium

Five boxes — P, Q, R, S, and T — are stacked vertically on 5 different floors (1 to 5, where 1 is bottom and 5 is top). Each box contains a different number of items: 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50. Based on the clues below, how many items are in the box on floor 3? 1. The box on floor 1 contains 20 items. 2. R is on floor 2. 3. The box on floor 4 contains 10 more items than the box on floor 3. 4. S is on floor 5 and contains 50 items. 5. P is on floor 1. 6. Q is on floor 4.

Practice 6medium

Seven people — A, B, C, D, E, F, and G — live in a building with 7 floors (1 being the lowest, 7 being the highest). Each person lives on a different floor. Based on the following clues, who lives on floor 4? 1. A lives on an odd-numbered floor. 2. B lives immediately above C. 3. D lives on floor 2. 4. E lives on floor 6. 5. F lives on a floor higher than E. 6. G lives on floor 1. 7. C lives on floor 3.

Practice 7medium

Eight people — P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W — live on 8 different floors (1 to 8, where 1 is lowest). Based on the clues below, who lives on floor 6? 1. P lives on floor 1. 2. Q lives on floor 3. 3. R lives on a floor higher than Q but lower than S. 4. S lives on floor 7. 5. T lives on floor 2. 6. U lives on a floor higher than S. 7. V lives on floor 5. 8. W lives on the only remaining floor.

60-Second Revision — Floor-Based Puzzle

  • Remember: Ground floor = 1, never 0 in SSC questions
  • Formula: Floors between A and B = |A-B| - 1
  • Trap: 'Above' vs 'Immediately above' - read carefully
  • Method: Create grid, mark impossible positions first
  • Shortcut: List all valid pairs for relative positions immediately
  • Check: Even/odd floor constraints for quick elimination
  • Time: Allocate maximum 3 minutes per floor puzzle
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