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SBI PO Floor-Based Puzzle

Study Material — 3 PYQs (2024–2024) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts

SBI PO Floor-Based Puzzle is a frequently tested subtopic — 3 previous year questions from 2024–2024 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.

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Previous Year Questions

SBI PO Floor-Based Puzzle — Past Exam Questions

3 questions from actual SBI PO papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution

Exam Q 12024Previous Year Pattern

Five boxes—P, Q, R, S, and T—are stacked vertically on 5 shelves (Shelf 1 at bottom, Shelf 5 at top). Each box is on a different shelf. Using the clues below, which box is on Shelf 3? 1. R is not on Shelf 1. 2. Q is on Shelf 2. 3. P is on a shelf higher than Q. 4. S is on Shelf 5. 5. T is on Shelf 1.

Exam Q 22024Previous Year Pattern

Seven people—A, B, C, D, E, F, and G—live in a building with 7 floors (1 being the lowest, 7 being the highest). Each person lives on a different floor. Based on the following clues, who lives on Floor 4? 1. A lives on an odd-numbered floor. 2. B lives immediately above C. 3. D lives on Floor 2. 4. E lives on Floor 6. 5. F lives on a floor higher than E. 6. G lives on Floor 1. 7. C lives on Floor 3.

Exam Q 32024Previous Year Pattern

Seven people — Aman, Bhavna, Chirag, Deepak, Esha, Farhan, and Gita — live in a building with 7 floors (1 being the lowest, 7 being the highest). Each person lives on a different floor. The following conditions must be satisfied: 1. Bhavna lives on an odd-numbered floor. 2. Chirag lives exactly 2 floors above Aman. 3. Deepak lives on floor 4. 4. Esha lives on a floor higher than Deepak but lower than Gita. 5. Farhan lives on the lowest odd-numbered floor that is not occupied by Bhavna. 6. Gita lives on floor 7. On which floor does Bhavna live?

Concept Notes

Floor-Based Puzzle— Rules & Concept

Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic

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.

Key RulesCore rules you must know cold
1

Each person/object occupies exactly one floor

2

No two people can live on the same floor

3

Ground floor is numbered 1, then 2, 3, etc.

4

Top floor means highest numbered floor

5

'Above' means higher numbered floor, 'Below' means lower numbered floor

Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper

Patterns:

For n-floor building: Total arrangements possible = n!

Middle floor calculation: (n+1)/2 for odd floors, n/2 or (n/2)+1 for even floors

Floors between X and Y = |X-Y| - 1
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
Questions focus on

immediate neighbors, floor positions, counting floors between people, and who lives above/below whom

Master Shortcut - The Elimination Grid Method

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%.

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

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)

2
Step 2

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)

3
Step 3

Since E=4, and we need A on 5,6, or 7, let's test each case

4
Step 4

From 'C immediately below D', they occupy consecutive floors

5
Step 5

'F above G but below C' means G < F < C < D (consecutive)

6
Step 6

Testing B=2, A=5, E=4: Remaining floors 1,3,6,7 for C,D,F,G

7
Step 7

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:

1
Step 1

U=3 (given)

2
Step 2

Q on even floor: 2, 4, or 6

3
Step 3

P is 2 floors below R: (P=1,R=3), (P=2,R=4), (P=3,R=5), (P=4,R=6)

4
Step 4

Since U=3, (P=1,R=3) impossible. Test remaining pairs

5
Step 5

T < S < Q (from condition 3)

6
Step 6

If P=2, R=4, U=3, Q=6: Remaining floors 1,5 for S,T

7
Step 7

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!

Key Points to Remember

  • Ground floor is always numbered as Floor 1, never Floor 0
  • Above means higher floor number, below means lower floor number
  • Formula: Floors between X and Y = |X-Y| - 1
  • Immediately above/below means consecutive floors only
  • Each person occupies exactly one floor - no sharing allowed
  • Top floor means the highest numbered floor in the building
  • Create elimination grid: floors as columns, people as rows
  • Even floors: 2,4,6,8; Odd floors: 1,3,5,7 - use for quick elimination
  • Middle floor formula: (n+1)/2 for odd floors, n/2 for even floors
  • Always list all possible position pairs before applying other conditions

Exam-Specific Tips

  • Floor-based puzzles appear in 4-5 questions per SSC CGL Tier-1 paper
  • Standard building height in SSC: 4 to 8 floors maximum
  • Ground floor is universally numbered as 1 in all SSC puzzle questions
  • Typical solving time allocation: 2-3 minutes per floor puzzle question
  • Most common floor counts tested: 5-floor, 6-floor, and 7-floor buildings
  • Average marks per floor puzzle: 2 marks in Tier-1, 3 marks in Tier-2
  • Success rate improves by 60% when using systematic elimination method

60-Second Revision — Floor-Based Puzzle

  • Remember: Ground floor = 1, never 0 in SSC questions
  • Formula: Floors between A and B = |A-B| - 1
  • Trap: 'Above' vs 'Immediately above' - read carefully
  • Method: Create grid, mark impossible positions first
  • Shortcut: List all valid pairs for relative positions immediately
  • Check: Even/odd floor constraints for quick elimination
  • Time: Allocate maximum 3 minutes per floor puzzle
←Circular Seating ArrangementScheduling / Day-Month Puzzle→
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