Study Material — 1 PYQs (2022–2022) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
RRB Group D Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle is a frequently tested subtopic — 1 previous year questions from 2022–2022 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
RRB Group D Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle — Past Exam Questions
1 questions from actual RRB Group D papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12022Previous Year Pattern
Five employees — Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, and Esha — work on different days of a week (Monday to Friday, one per day). Based on the following clues, determine on which day does Chitra work?
Clues:
1. Arun works two days after Bhavna.
2. Chitra works on Wednesday.
3. Deepak works on the day immediately before Esha.
4. Bhavna does not work on Monday or Friday.
5. Esha does not work on Monday.
Concept Notes
Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle— Rules & Concept
Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
Scheduling/Day-Month puzzles are arrangement problems where you place people or items in specific time slots. These puzzles test your logical thinking and data organization skills. You get clues about who meets whom on which day or month, then arrange them correctly.
Key RulesCore rules you must know cold
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.
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
SSC CGL typically asks 2-3 questions from scheduling puzzles. Common formats include 'On which day does X meet?', 'Who meets on Friday?', 'How many people meet between A and B?'. Most puzzles involve 6-8 people and 6-8 time slots.
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 ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1
Place direct clues. B = Wednesday, E = Sunday (last day).
2
Step 2
F meets immediately before B, so F = Tuesday.
3
Step 3
From condition 1, if C = Monday, then A = Wednesday. But B is already on Wednesday. So C cannot be Monday.
4
Step 4
If C = Thursday, then A = Saturday. Check condition 3: D must be between C and A, so D = Friday. This works!
5
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: Four people meet in different months. P meets in April. Q meets two months before R. S meets in the month having 30 days, immediately after R.
1
Step 1
P = April (given).
2
Step 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
Step 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!
4
Step 4
Final arrangement: Q = March, P = April, R = May, S = June.
Top
ShortcutsUse these to save 30–60 seconds per question
(1) Always solve step-by-step, don't jump to conclusions. (2) Use the 'assume and check' method when stuck. (3) Remember months with 30 days: April, June, September, November.
Most
Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these
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).
Key Points to Remember
Read all conditions first before attempting to place anyone
Use elimination method - mark impossible positions with 'NO'
Formula: If X is 'n' days after Y on day 'd', then X is on day 'd+n'
Create possibility charts with people vs days/months grid
Direct clues (A meets Monday) are easier than indirect clues (A meets after B)
For circular weeks, use modulo 7 for date calculations
Months with 30 days: April, June, September, November
Count gaps carefully - 'two days after Monday' means Wednesday
Use assume-and-check method when multiple possibilities exist
Always verify final arrangement satisfies all given conditions
Exam-Specific Tips
Months with 31 days: January, March, May, July, August, October, December
Months with 30 days: April, June, September, November
February has 28 days in normal year, 29 days in leap year
Days of week cycle: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
First quarter months: January, February, March
Second quarter months: April, May, June
SSC CGL typically includes 2-3 scheduling puzzle questions per paper
Most common puzzle size involves 6-8 people and 6-8 time slots
Practice MCQs
Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle — Practice Questions
3graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis
Five friends—Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, and Esha—are scheduled to give presentations on five consecutive days: Monday through Friday. The following conditions must be satisfied:
1. Arun presents on Wednesday.
2. Bhavna presents the day after Chitra.
3. Deepak does not present on Monday or Friday.
4. Esha presents on Friday.
On which day does Deepak present?
Practice 2medium
Five employees — Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, and Esha — are scheduled to work shifts across five consecutive days: Monday through Friday. Each employee works exactly one day, and each day has exactly one employee assigned.
Constraints:
1. Arun works on an even-numbered day (counting Monday = 1, Tuesday = 2, etc.).
2. Bhavna works the day immediately after Chitra.
3. Deepak does not work on Friday.
4. Esha works on a day before Chitra.
5. The employee on Wednesday is not Arun.
On which day does Deepak work?
Practice 3hard
Five employees—Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, and Esha—are scheduled to work shifts across five consecutive days: Monday through Friday. Each employee works exactly one day, and each day has exactly one employee assigned.
Constraints:
1. Arun works on an even-numbered day (counting Monday = 1, Tuesday = 2, etc.).
2. Bhavna works immediately after Chitra (on the next day).
3. Deepak does not work on Tuesday or Thursday.
4. Esha works on Friday.
5. Chitra does not work on Monday.
On which day does Deepak work?