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
Practice MCQs
Floor-Based Puzzle — Practice Questions
10graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis
Six people—A, B, C, D, E, and F—live in a building with 6 floors (1 to 6, where 1 is the ground floor). Each person lives on a different floor. Based on the following clues, who lives on Floor 3?
Clue 1: A lives on an odd-numbered floor.
Clue 2: B lives immediately above C.
Clue 3: D lives on Floor 5.
Clue 4: E lives on Floor 1.
Clue 5: F lives on an even-numbered floor, but not Floor 2.
Clue 6: C lives on Floor 3.
Practice 2easy
Four people—M, N, O, and P—live on 4 different floors (1 to 4). Based on the clues below, who lives on Floor 4?
Clue 1: M does not live on Floor 1.
Clue 2: N lives on an even-numbered floor.
Clue 3: O lives on Floor 2.
Clue 4: P lives on a floor higher than O but lower than M.
Practice 3easy
Six people—Aman, Bhavna, Chirag, Diya, Eshan, and Fiona—live in a 6-floor building (floors 1–6, with 1 being the ground floor). Each person lives on a different floor. Based on the following clues, who lives on floor 3?
Clue 1: Aman lives on an even-numbered floor.
Clue 2: Bhavna lives immediately above Chirag.
Clue 3: Diya lives on floor 1.
Clue 4: Eshan lives on floor 5.
Clue 5: Fiona lives on a floor higher than Aman's floor.
Practice 4easy
Six items—W, X, Y, Z, P, Q—are placed on shelves 1–6 (one item per shelf). Using the clues, which item is on shelf 4?
Clue 1: Item W is on shelf 2.
Clue 2: Item X is on a shelf with a number greater than W's shelf number.
Clue 3: Item Y is on shelf 5.
Clue 4: Item Z is exactly 1 shelf below Item P.
Practice 5easy
Five people—P, Q, R, S, and T—live on 5 consecutive floors (1 to 5). Each person lives on a different floor. Based on the clues below, who lives on Floor 2?
Clue 1: P lives on Floor 1.
Clue 2: Q lives exactly 2 floors above P.
Clue 3: R lives immediately below Q.
Clue 4: S and T occupy the remaining floors.
Practice 6easy
Six people—A, B, C, D, E, and F—live on 6 floors (1 to 6). Based on the clues below, who lives on Floor 5?
Clue 1: A lives on Floor 1.
Clue 2: B lives 2 floors above A.
Clue 3: C lives immediately above B.
Clue 4: D lives on Floor 6.
Clue 5: E and F live on the remaining floors, with E on a lower floor than F.
Practice 7easy
Five people—W, X, Y, Z, and V—live on 5 floors (1 to 5). Based on the clues below, who lives on Floor 1?
Clue 1: Z lives on Floor 5.
Clue 2: W lives on Floor 3.
Clue 3: Y lives immediately below W.
Clue 4: X and V live on the remaining floors, with X on a higher floor than V.
Practice 8medium
Five boxes—P, Q, R, S, T—are stacked on five different floors (1 to 5, bottom to top). (1) R is not on floor 1. (2) Q is exactly one floor below S. (3) P is on a floor higher than R. (4) T is on the topmost floor. (5) S is not on floor 5. Which box is on floor 3?
Practice 9hard
Six employees—P, Q, R, S, T, U—work on three floors (Ground, First, Second) with exactly two employees per floor. Each has a unique designation: Manager, Assistant, Clerk, Technician, Supervisor, Coordinator.
Conditions:
1. P and Q are on the same floor.
2. R is on a higher floor than S.
3. T is the Manager and lives on the Ground floor.
4. U is the Coordinator and lives on the Second floor.
5. S is the Clerk and lives on the Ground floor.
6. The Assistant lives on the First floor.
7. R is the Technician.
What is R's designation and floor?
Practice 10hard
Six boxes—Box1, Box2, Box3, Box4, Box5, Box6—are stacked on six shelves (Shelf 1 at bottom to Shelf 6 at top). Each box contains a unique item: Gold, Silver, Bronze, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby.
Conditions:
1. Gold is not on Shelf 1 or Shelf 6.
2. Silver is on a shelf higher than Gold.
3. Bronze is on Shelf 3.
4. Diamond is on a shelf lower than Bronze.
5. Emerald is on a shelf higher than Silver.
6. Ruby is on Shelf 1.
7. The item on Shelf 5 is not Emerald.
Which item is on Shelf 5?
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