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SSC CGL Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle

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This page covers SSC CGL Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle with complete concept notes, 20 graded practice MCQs, key points and exam-specific tips. Free to study.

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Concept Notes

Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle— Rules & Concept

1.Core Concept

Read this first — the foundation of the topic

SCHEDULING / DAY-MONTH PUZZLE — COMPLETE GUIDE CORE CONCEPT

A Scheduling or Day-Month Puzzle gives you a group of people. Each person is linked to a day of the week OR a month of the year (or both). You get clues. You must figure out WHO is scheduled on WHICH day or month. Think of it like building a timetable from hints. This type appears in almost every SSC CGL paper — usually 3 to 5 questions in a set. Master this and you gain 10–15 marks easily.

--- KEY RULES TO REMEMBER

1. Every person gets exactly ONE slot (day or month). No sharing. 2. Every slot gets exactly ONE person. No two people share a slot.

3. Clues are linked. Solve one clue → it unlocks the next. 4. Always start with the MOST SPECIFIC clue — the one that gives a direct answer.

5. Use elimination — once a person is placed, remove them from all other slots. ---

2.Formula Block

Memorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
Total People = Total Slots (always equal in a well-formed puzzle)
If N people are given → N slots are given
Direct Clue → Place immediately
Relative Clue (before/after, adjacent) → Place after fixing a direct clue
Elimination Rule: Placed person = removed from all other options

---

3.Exam Patterns

What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

— WHAT GETS ASKED • Who is scheduled on Wednesday? • How many people are scheduled between A and B? • Which month does C belong to? • Who is scheduled immediately before/after D? • If E is shifted to Monday, who takes E's original slot? Clue types you will see: → Direct: 'A is scheduled on Monday' → Relative: 'B is scheduled two days after A' → Negative: 'C is not scheduled on Friday' → Adjacent: 'D is scheduled immediately before E' → Group: 'F and G are scheduled in the same week' ---

4.Shortcuts

Use these to save 30–60 seconds per question

TRICK 1 — THE ANCHOR METHOD Always find the ANCHOR clue first. An anchor is a clue that fixes one person to one exact slot. Build your entire solution outward from this anchor.

Example: 'A meets on Monday' — A is your anchor. Now apply all relative clues using A as the base. TRICK 2 — COUNT THE GAPS FORMULA For 'B is 3 days after A' type clues: B's position = A's position + 3 For months: January = 1, February = 2... December = 12 If A is in March (3), and B is 4 months after A → B is in July (7) TRICK 3 — DRAW A LINEAR TABLE IMMEDIATELY Draw boxes on paper the moment you read the puzzle.

Label boxes as Mon, Tue, Wed... or Jan, Feb, Mar... Fill directly into boxes as you solve. Do NOT try to solve in your head.

Visual table = 40% faster solving. ---

5.Worked Example

Solve this step-by-step before moving on

— DAYS PUZZLE Problem: Six people — A, B, C, D, E, F — are scheduled from Monday to Saturday (one per day). Clues: 1. A is scheduled on Wednesday. 2. B is scheduled two days before D. 3.

C is scheduled immediately after F. 4. E is not scheduled on Monday or Tuesday. 5. F is scheduled on Monday. Step 1 — Find anchors.

Clue 1 gives A = Wednesday. Clue 5 gives F = Monday. Step 2 — Use Clue 3: C is immediately after F. F = Monday → C = Tuesday. Step 3 — Remaining slots: Thursday, Friday, Saturday for B, D, E. Step 4 — Use Clue 2: B is two days before D. Try B = Thursday → D = Saturday.

That works. That leaves E = Friday. Step 5 — Check Clue 4: E is not on Monday or Tuesday. E = Friday. CORRECT. FINAL ANSWER: Monday=F, Tuesday=C, Wednesday=A, Thursday=B, Friday=E, Saturday=D --- WORKED EXAMPLE 2 — MONTH PUZZLE Problem: Four people — P, Q, R, S — have birthdays in January, March, July, October. Clues: 1.

P's birthday is before July. 2. Q's birthday is in the second half of the year. 3. R's birthday is in March. 4.

S is not in January. Step 1 — Clue 3 is direct: R = March. Step 2 — Clue 2: Q is in second half (July onwards). Options for Q: July or October. Step 3 — Clue 4: S is not January. Remaining months for P and S: January and one of July/October. Step 4 — Clue 1: P's birthday is before July.

So P cannot be July or October → P = January. Step 5 — S is not January (confirmed P=January). So S gets one of July/October. Step 6 — Q takes the other of July/October. Both July and October are in second half, so both work for Q. Since S must be placed: S = July or October, Q gets the remaining one. No further clue differentiates → both arrangements are valid UNLESS a question asks specifically. FINAL ANSWER: R=March, P=January, Q and S share July/October. ---

6.Exam Traps

Common mistakes students make — avoid these

— THE NUMBER ONE TRAP Students read 'B is scheduled 2 days AFTER A' and place B just 1 day after A. Always count carefully. If A = Monday (Day 1), then 2 days AFTER = Wednesday (Day 3), NOT Tuesday. Also, students forget to ELIMINATE placed persons. If A = Wednesday, stop considering A for Thursday or Friday.

This single mistake causes wrong chain reactions and wastes 5 minutes.

Key Points to Remember

  • Each person gets exactly ONE slot; each slot gets exactly ONE person — no sharing ever.
  • Always start with the DIRECT clue (anchor) — it fixes one person to one slot immediately.
  • ANCHOR METHOD: Fix one person first, then build all relative clues outward from that anchor.
  • SHORTCUT — Gap Formula: B is N days/months after A → B's slot number = A's slot number + N.
  • Draw a linear table on paper instantly — Mon to Sat or Jan to Dec — fill as you solve.
  • Elimination Rule: Once a person is placed, cross them out from all remaining empty slots.
  • For month puzzles, memorise month numbers: Jan=1, Feb=2, Mar=3 ... Dec=12 for fast calculation.
  • SHORTCUT — Second half of year means July (7) to December (12); first half means January to June.
  • Negative clues ('C is NOT on Friday') do NOT place a person — use them only to eliminate options.
  • TRAP: 'B is 2 days after A' means skip 1 day, not move 1 day — always count the gap carefully.

Exam-Specific Tips

  • In SSC CGL Tier-1, Scheduling/Day-Month puzzles typically appear in sets of 3 to 5 questions sharing one common data set.
  • A standard day puzzle uses 5 to 7 people mapped to Monday–Friday, Monday–Saturday, or Monday–Sunday slots.
  • A standard month puzzle uses 6 to 12 people mapped to specific months; quarters are Jan–Mar, Apr–Jun, Jul–Sep, Oct–Dec.
  • The phrase 'immediately before' means exactly 1 slot before — not 2 or more; 'immediately after' means exactly 1 slot after.
  • If 8 people are scheduled across 2 months per quarter, and 4 quarters are given, total slots = 8 (2 people per month × 4 months).
  • In puzzles using weeks, Monday is conventionally Day 1 and Sunday is Day 7 unless the puzzle states otherwise.
  • The term 'between' in scheduling means the count of people/days in the middle — it does NOT include the two endpoints themselves.
Practice MCQs

Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle — Practice Questions

20graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis

All MCQs →
Practice 1easy

Five friends—Aman, Bhavna, Chetan, Deepa, and Esha—are scheduled to give presentations on five consecutive days: Monday to Friday. The following conditions apply: 1. Aman presents on Wednesday. 2. Bhavna presents the day after Chetan. 3. Deepa does not present on Monday or Friday. 4. Esha presents on Friday. On which day does Bhavna present?

Practice 2easy

Six events—P, Q, R, S, T, U—are scheduled over six months: January to June. The following conditions apply: 1. Event P is in January. 2. Event Q is exactly two months after Event R. 3. Event S is not in January, February, or June. 4. Event T is in May. 5. Event U is in June. In which month is Event R scheduled?

Practice 3easy

Six events—A, B, C, D, E, and F—are scheduled on six consecutive days: Monday through Saturday. Each event occurs exactly once. Based on the clues below, which event is scheduled on Friday? Clue 1: Event A is scheduled on Monday. Clue 2: Event C is scheduled exactly two days after Event B. Clue 3: Event E is scheduled on Saturday. Clue 4: Event D is scheduled on Wednesday.

Practice 4easy

Four friends—Priya, Qasim, Ravi, and Sana—are born in four different months: February, May, August, and November. Based on the clues below, in which month is Ravi born? Clue 1: Priya is born in February. Clue 2: Qasim is born in a month that comes before August. Clue 3: Sana is born in November. Clue 4: Ravi is born in a month that comes after May.

Practice 5easy

Four tasks—A, B, C, D—must be completed on four consecutive days: Day 1 to Day 4. The following conditions apply: 1. Task A is completed before Task C. 2. Task B is completed on Day 2. 3. Task D is completed on Day 4. 4. Task C is not completed on Day 1. On which day is Task A completed?

Practice 6easy

A project has four milestones scheduled across four months: January, February, March, and April. Each milestone is assigned to exactly one month. The milestones are: Design, Development, Testing, and Deployment. Based on the clues below, in which month is Testing scheduled? Clue 1: Design is scheduled before Development. Clue 2: Testing is scheduled after Development. Clue 3: Deployment is scheduled in April. Clue 4: Development is not scheduled in January.

Practice 7easy

Five friends—Arun, Bhavna, Chetan, Deepa, and Eira—are scheduled to present on five consecutive days: Monday to Friday. Each person presents exactly once. Based on the following clues, who presents on Wednesday? 1. Arun presents two days before Chetan. 2. Bhavna presents on Friday. 3. Deepa presents on Monday. 4. Eira presents one day after Arun. Who presents on Wednesday?

Practice 8easy

Six friends — A, B, C, D, E, and F — each have a birthday in a different month: January, February, March, April, May, and June (not necessarily in that order). A's birthday is in April. B's birthday is two months after A's. C's birthday is in January. D's birthday is one month before C's — but since there is no month before January in this list, D's birthday is in February. E's birthday is in March. Which month is F's birthday in?

Practice 9easy

Four tasks—P, Q, R, S—must be completed on four different days of the same week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Each task is done exactly once. Consider the clues: 1. Task R is completed on Wednesday. 2. Task P is completed one day before Task Q. 3. Task S is completed on Thursday. On which day is Task Q completed?

Practice 10medium

Six tasks—P, Q, R, S, T, U—must be completed on six consecutive days: Monday to Saturday. Each task is assigned to exactly one day. Using the clues below, which task is scheduled for Thursday? 1. Task P is scheduled before Task Q. 2. Task R is scheduled exactly three days before Task T. 3. Task S is scheduled on Tuesday or Wednesday. 4. Task U is scheduled on Friday or Saturday. 5. Task Q is not scheduled on Saturday.

Practice 11medium

Five projects—P1, P2, P3, P4, P5—are scheduled across five months: January, February, March, April, and May. Each project is assigned to exactly one month. Based on the clues below, in which month is project P3 scheduled? 1. Project P1 is scheduled in January. 2. Project P4 is scheduled in May. 3. Project P2 is scheduled exactly one month before project P5. 4. Project P3 is scheduled after project P2 but before project P5.

Practice 12medium

Five doctors—Vikram, Wanda, Xavier, Yuki, Zara—have appointments on five consecutive days: Monday to Friday. Each doctor has exactly one appointment. Using the clues, who has an appointment on Wednesday? 1. Vikram's appointment is on Monday or Tuesday. 2. Wanda's appointment is exactly one day after Xavier's. 3. Yuki's appointment is not on Friday. 4. Zara's appointment is on Thursday or Friday. 5. Xavier's appointment is not on Monday.

Practice 13medium

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 14medium

Five employees—Aman, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, and Esha—are scheduled for meetings on five consecutive days: Monday through Friday. Each person meets exactly once. Based on the following clues, who meets on Wednesday? 1. Aman meets on Monday or Tuesday. 2. Bhavna meets exactly two days after Chitra. 3. Deepak does not meet on Friday. 4. Esha meets on Thursday or Friday. 5. Chitra does not meet on Monday.

Practice 15medium

Seven meetings—A, B, C, D, E, F, G—are scheduled across seven days: Monday to Sunday. Each meeting occurs exactly once. Determine which meeting is on Saturday using these clues: 1. Meeting A is on Monday. 2. Meeting C is exactly two days after Meeting B. 3. Meeting E is on Wednesday or Thursday. 4. Meeting F is on Friday or Saturday. 5. Meeting D is not on Sunday. 6. Meeting G is on Sunday.

Practice 16medium

Six events—Event 1, Event 2, Event 3, Event 4, Event 5, Event 6—are scheduled over six consecutive days: Monday to Saturday. Each event occurs exactly once per day. Based on the following clues, which event is scheduled for Friday? 1. Event 1 is scheduled on Monday. 2. Event 3 is scheduled exactly two days after Event 2. 3. Event 4 is scheduled on Tuesday or Wednesday. 4. Event 5 is scheduled on Thursday or Friday. 5. Event 6 is not scheduled on Saturday.

Practice 17medium

Six events—P, Q, R, S, T, U—are scheduled across six months: January through June. Each event occurs in exactly one month. Using the clues below, in which month is event R scheduled? 1. Event P occurs in January. 2. Event Q occurs exactly two months after event T. 3. Event S occurs in June. 4. Event U occurs in March. 5. Event R occurs before event Q.

Practice 18medium

Four friends—Priya, Qasim, Ravi, and Sana—plan to visit four cities—Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, and Jaipur—on four consecutive days: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4. Each friend visits exactly one city on exactly one day. Based on the clues below, on which day does Ravi visit Hyderabad? 1. Priya visits Delhi on Day 1. 2. Qasim visits Goa on Day 2. 3. Sana visits Jaipur, and this visit occurs after Ravi's visit to Hyderabad. 4. Ravi does not visit on Day 1 or Day 2.

Practice 19medium

Seven tasks—A, B, C, D, E, F, G—are assigned to seven days of a week (Monday through Sunday). Each task is assigned to exactly one day. Based on the following clues, on which day is task E assigned? 1. Task A is assigned on Monday. 2. Task C is assigned on Friday. 3. Task B is assigned exactly two days after task D. 4. Task G is assigned on Sunday. 5. Task E is assigned before task F.

Practice 20hard

Six employees—Anil, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, Esha, and Farhan—are scheduled to work shifts across three days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), with exactly two employees per day. The following constraints apply: 1. Anil works on Monday or Tuesday, but not Wednesday. 2. Bhavna works the day immediately after Chitra (if Chitra works on Monday, Bhavna works on Tuesday; if Chitra works on Tuesday, Bhavna works on Wednesday). 3. Deepak and Esha do not work on the same day. 4. Farhan works on Wednesday. 5. If Anil works on Monday, then Deepak works on Tuesday. 6. Chitra does not work on Wednesday. Who works with Farhan on Wednesday?

60-Second Revision — Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle

  • Remember: Total people = Total slots always. If 6 people → 6 slots. Never leave a slot empty or double-fill.
  • Step Order: Find DIRECT clue first → place anchor → apply RELATIVE clues → use NEGATIVE clues to eliminate → fill remaining by logic.
  • Formula: 'B is N positions after A' → B's slot = A's slot number + N. Count carefully — do NOT just move 1 step.
  • Trap: 'Immediately before/after' = exactly 1 slot gap. '2 days after Monday' = Wednesday, NOT Tuesday. This is the #1 student error.
  • Draw the table FIRST — label all slots (Mon–Sat or Jan–Dec) before reading clues. Fill as you go. Never solve mentally.
  • Negative clues only ELIMINATE — they never directly place a person. Use them last, after all positive clues are applied.
  • Month shortcut: First half = Jan to Jun (months 1–6); Second half = Jul to Dec (months 7–12). Memorise for instant clue processing.
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