Study Material — 9 PYQs (2024–2024) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
RRB NTPC Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle is a frequently tested subtopic — 9 previous year questions from 2024–2024 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
RRB NTPC Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle — Past Exam Questions
9 questions from actual RRB NTPC papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12024Previous Year Pattern
Three events—A, B, and C—are scheduled on three different days of the week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Using the clues below, on which day is event B scheduled?
1. Event A is not on Monday.
2. Event B is scheduled 2 days after event C.
3. Event C is not on Friday.
Exam Q 22024Previous Year Pattern
Six tasks—P, Q, R, S, T, U—must be completed on six consecutive days starting Monday. Each task takes exactly one day. Using the clues below, on which day is task R scheduled?
1. Task P is scheduled 3 days before task T.
2. Task Q is scheduled on Wednesday.
3. Task R is scheduled 1 day after task Q.
4. Task S is scheduled on Monday.
Exam Q 32024Previous Year Pattern
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, who works on Wednesday?
1. Arun works two days after Bhavna.
2. Chitra works on Friday.
3. Deepak works on Monday.
4. Esha works one day before Arun.
Exam Q 42024Previous Year Pattern
Seven tasks—P, Q, R, S, T, U, V—are scheduled across a week (Monday to Sunday). Each task is assigned exactly one day. The constraints are:
1. P is scheduled on Monday.
2. Q is scheduled 2 days after R.
3. S is scheduled on Friday.
4. T is scheduled on the day immediately before U.
5. V is scheduled on Sunday.
6. R is not scheduled on Wednesday.
On which day is R scheduled?
Exam Q 52024Previous Year Pattern
Five employees — Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, and Esha — are scheduled to work on five consecutive days: Monday through Friday. Each works exactly one day. The following constraints apply:
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 Wednesday.
4. Esha works on Friday.
5. The person working on Tuesday is not Deepak.
On which day does Chitra work?
Exam Q 62024Previous Year Pattern
Five employees—Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, and Esha—are scheduled to work on five consecutive days: Monday to Friday. Each works exactly one day. The following conditions apply:
1. Arun works on Wednesday.
2. Bhavna works the day immediately before Chitra.
3. Deepak works on Friday.
4. Esha does not work on Monday.
On which day does Chitra work?
Exam Q 72024Previous Year Pattern
A company schedules meetings for six months: January to June. Each month has exactly one meeting. The following constraints apply:
1. The February meeting is 2 weeks before the March meeting.
2. The April meeting is 3 weeks after the March meeting.
3. The January meeting is on the 15th.
4. The May meeting is on the 10th.
5. The June meeting is 1 week after the May meeting.
On which date does the April meeting occur?
Exam Q 82024Previous Year Pattern
A company plans a 6-month project (January to June) with six milestones—M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6—each assigned to exactly one month. The constraints are:
1. M1 is in January.
2. M3 is 2 months after M2.
3. M4 is in April.
4. M5 is in the month immediately before M6.
5. M2 is not in February.
6. M6 is not in June.
In which month is M2 scheduled?
Exam Q 92024Previous Year Pattern
A library schedules book releases for eight consecutive weeks (Week 1 to Week 8). Eight authors—A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H—each have their book released in exactly one week. The constraints are:
1. A's book is released in Week 1.
2. B's book is released 3 weeks after C's book.
3. D's book is released in Week 5.
4. E's book is released on the week immediately before F's book.
5. G's book is released in Week 8.
6. H's book is released in an even-numbered week.
7. C's book is not released in Week 2.
In which week is C's book released?
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