IBPS Clerk Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle — Study Material & 5 Practice MCQs | ZestExam
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IBPS Clerk Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle
Study Material · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
This page covers IBPS Clerk Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle with complete concept notes, 5 graded practice MCQs, key points and exam-specific tips. Free to study.
Every puzzle has conditions that must be satisfied. Read all conditions first. Look for direct clues (like 'A meets on Monday') and indirect clues (like 'B meets two days after C'). Use elimination method to narrow down possibilities
→Three Main Types
1) Day-wise scheduling (7 days of week), 2) Month-wise scheduling (12 months), 3) Date-wise scheduling (1-31 dates). Each type follows similar solving patterns but has different reference points
🔑Formula for Gap Calculation
If X meets 'n' days after Y, and Y is on day 'd', then X is on day 'd+n'. For circular arrangements (like days of week), use modulo 7. If result exceeds 7, subtract 7.
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Exam Patterns
What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
⚡Powerful Shortcut
Create a possibility chart. List all people vertically and all days/months horizontally. Mark 'YES' for confirmed positions and 'NO' for impossible ones. This visual method prevents confusion and speeds up solving
✏️Worked Example 1
Six friends A, B, C, D, E, F meet on different days of the week starting Monday
→Conditions
1
Place direct clues. B = Wednesday, E = Sunday (last day).
2
F meets immediately before B, so F = Tuesday.
3
From condition 1, if C = Monday, then A = Wednesday. But B is already on Wednesday. So C cannot be Monday.
4
If C = Thursday, then A = Saturday
🔑Check condition 3
D must be between C and A, so D = Friday. This works!
Step 5: Remaining person goes to remaining day. So the arrangement is: Monday = (remaining), Tuesday = F, Wednesday = B, Thursday = C, Friday = D, Saturday = A, Sunday = E
✏️Worked Example 2
1
P = April (given).
2
Since S meets immediately after R, and S meets in a 30-day month, possible months for S are April, June, September, November.
3
S cannot be April (P is there). If S = June, then R = May
🔑Check
Q meets two months before R means Q = March. This works!
Step 4: Final arrangement: Q = March, P = April, R = May, S = June.
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Shortcuts
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⚠️Most Common Mistake
Students confuse 'after' and 'before'. If A meets 2 days after B, it means A's day comes later than B's day. Many students reverse this relationship. Always draw a timeline to avoid confusion.
Another frequent error is miscounting gaps. 'Two days after Monday' means Wednesday, not Tuesday
→Count carefully
Monday (start) → Tuesday (1 day after) → Wednesday (2 days after).
Test Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle under exam conditions
Three tasks—Alpha, Beta, Gamma—are scheduled on three different days within a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Consider the clues:
1. Alpha is scheduled before Wednesday.
2. Gamma is scheduled on Friday.
3. Beta is not scheduled on Monday.
On which day is Beta scheduled?
Practice 2easy
Six items—P, Q, R, S, T, U—are to be delivered on six consecutive days: Monday through Saturday. Each item is delivered exactly once. Study the clues:
1. P is delivered on Thursday.
2. Q is delivered exactly two days before S.
3. R is delivered on Saturday.
4. T is delivered on Tuesday.
5. U is delivered before Q.
On which day is S delivered?
Practice 3easy
Five employees—Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, and Esha—are scheduled to work on five consecutive days: Monday through Friday. Each works exactly one day. Based on the following clues, on which day does Chitra work?
1. Arun works on Wednesday.
2. Bhavna works the day immediately before Deepak.
3. Esha works on Friday.
4. Chitra does not work on Monday or Tuesday.
Practice 4hard
Six events—V, W, X, Y, Z, and K—are scheduled over six consecutive days: Monday to Saturday. Each event is assigned to exactly one day. Based on the clues below, on which day is event X scheduled?
1. Event V is scheduled on Wednesday.
2. Event W is scheduled exactly 3 days after event Z.
3. Event X is scheduled on an earlier day than event Y.
4. Event Y is scheduled on Friday or Saturday.
5. Event K is scheduled on Monday.
6. Event Z is not scheduled on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
Practice 5hard
Seven people—Aman, Bina, Chetan, Diya, Eshan, Fiona, Gyan—are born in seven different months from January to July. Each person is born in exactly one month. Based on the clues below, in which month is Chetan born?
1. Aman is born in March.
2. Bina is born exactly 2 months after Eshan.
3. Chetan is born in an earlier month than Diya.
4. Fiona is born in May.
5. Gyan is born in July.
6. Eshan is born in January or February.