4 questions from actual RRB NTPC papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
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.
Each person/object occupies exactly one floor
No two people can live on the same floor
Ground floor is numbered 1, then 2, 3, etc.
Top floor means highest numbered floor
'Above' means higher numbered floor, 'Below' means lower numbered floor
Patterns:
Middle floor calculation: (n+1)/2 for odd floors, n/2 or (n/2)+1 for even floors
immediate neighbors, floor positions, counting floors between people, and who lives above/below whom
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%.
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)
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)
Since E=4, and we need A on 5,6, or 7, let's test each case
From 'C immediately below D', they occupy consecutive floors
'F above G but below C' means G < F < C < D (consecutive)
Testing B=2, A=5, E=4: Remaining floors 1,3,6,7 for C,D,F,G
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:
U=3 (given)
Q on even floor: 2, 4, or 6
P is 2 floors below R: (P=1,R=3), (P=2,R=4), (P=3,R=5), (P=4,R=6)
Since U=3, (P=1,R=3) impossible. Test remaining pairs
T < S < Q (from condition 3)
If P=2, R=4, U=3, Q=6: Remaining floors 1,5 for S,T
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!