Study Material — 9 PYQs (2024–2024) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SSC MTS 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.
SSC MTS Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle — Past Exam Questions
9 questions from actual SSC MTS papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12024Previous Year Pattern
Raj has a schedule for the week. Monday he works, Tuesday he rests, Wednesday he works, Thursday he rests, Friday he works, Saturday he rests, and Sunday he works. How many days does Raj work in total?
Exam Q 22024Previous Year Pattern
In a month, if the 1st is a Monday, what day of the week is the 15th?
Exam Q 32024Previous Year Pattern
Four friends—Anil, Bina, Chetan, and Diya—are scheduled for appointments on four consecutive days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Anil's appointment is not on Monday. Bina's appointment is on Tuesday. Chetan's appointment is the day after Anil's. Diya's appointment is on Thursday. On which day is Anil's appointment?
Exam Q 42024Previous Year Pattern
Six tasks—P, Q, R, S, T, U—must be completed on six consecutive days. Task P is on Day 1. Task Q is on Day 3. Task R is on Day 5. Task S is two days after Task P. Task T is one day before Task Q. Task U is on the remaining day. On which day is Task U scheduled?
Exam Q 52024Previous Year Pattern
A store opens on Monday and closes on Sunday. On which day of the week does the store close if it operates for exactly 10 consecutive days starting from a Monday?
Exam Q 62024Previous Year Pattern
Eight workers—W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, W6, W7, W8—are assigned to work on eight consecutive days (Day 1 to Day 8). The constraints are:
1. W1 works on Day 1.
2. W2 works on Day 5.
3. W3 works exactly 2 days after W4.
4. W5 works on Day 8.
5. W6 and W7 work on consecutive days, with W6 before W7.
6. W8 does not work on Day 1, 5, or 8.
On which day does W4 work?
Exam Q 72024Previous Year Pattern
Five friends—Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, and Esha—are scheduled to present on five consecutive days (Monday to Friday). The following constraints apply:
1. Arun presents on Wednesday.
2. Bhavna presents the day after Chitra.
3. Deepak does not present on Monday or Friday.
4. Esha presents on Friday.
5. Chitra does not present on Wednesday.
On which day does Deepak present?
Exam Q 82024Previous Year Pattern
Seven events—A, B, C, D, E, F, G—are scheduled on seven consecutive days (Day 1 to Day 7). The constraints are:
1. Event A is on Day 1.
2. Event B is on Day 4.
3. Event C is scheduled exactly 3 days before Event E.
4. Event D is on Day 6.
5. Event F is scheduled on the day immediately after Event G.
6. Event G is not on Day 1, 4, or 6.
On which day is Event C scheduled?
Exam Q 92024Previous Year Pattern
Five meetings—M1, M2, M3, M4, M5—are scheduled on five consecutive days (Monday to Friday). The constraints are:
1. M1 is on Monday.
2. M3 is on Friday.
3. M2 is scheduled exactly 1 day after M4.
4. M5 is not on Monday or Friday.
5. M4 is not on Wednesday.
On which day is M4 scheduled?
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
Practice MCQs
Scheduling / Day-Month Puzzle — Practice Questions
1graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis
Six appointments—A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6—are scheduled on six consecutive days (Day 1 to Day 6). The constraints are:
1. A1 is on Day 1.
2. A4 is on Day 4.
3. A2 is scheduled exactly 2 days after A5.
4. A3 is on Day 6.
5. A6 is not on Day 1, 4, or 6.
6. A5 is not on Day 4 or Day 6.
On which day is A5 scheduled?