Questions
5 questions per paper
Difficulty
Medium-Hard
Importance
High yield for IBPS/SBI PO and SSC CGL
Overview
Floor and box puzzles form the core of the reasoning section in competitive exams, testing an aspirant's ability to process multi-variable information under constraints. Mastery of these puzzles requires systematic representation of data to avoid time wastage and ensure accurate logical deduction.
Floor-Based Puzzles
In these problems, items or people are placed on specific floors of a building. The key is to establish a fixed skeleton based on the highest and lowest floors, filling in details based on relative position constraints.
- Use a fixed template starting from Floor 1 at the bottom to the highest floor.
- Differentiate clearly between 'immediately above' and 'somewhere above'.
- Maintain a secondary list of variables that do not have immediate floor placements.
- Always use a multi-case approach if the initial constraint leads to two distinct possibilities.
Box/Stack Puzzles
These are conceptually similar to floor puzzles but lack the implicit numbering of floors, requiring the solver to track the relative vertical order of items. Aspirants must focus on 'between' constraints and 'count' constraints to finalize the stack sequence.
- Draw a vertical line to track the stack position dynamically.
- Use placeholder symbols for unknown items to represent gaps.
- Pay attention to 'top' and 'bottom' references specifically.
- Verify all negative constraints (e.g., A is not next to B) after placing all variables.
Speed-Solving Techniques
To excel in competitive exams like SBI PO or SSC CGL, speed is as critical as accuracy. Utilizing shorthand notation and eliminating invalid scenarios early prevents backtracking and saves precious seconds.
- Use abbreviated initials for names or items to minimize writing time.
- Implement a 'Case 1/Case 2' strategy immediately when encountering an 'either-or' statement.
- Cross-reference variable constraints to identify 'anchor' facts that limit options.
- Do not re-read the paragraph; extract all data into a table format during the first pass.
Exam Tip
Always note down all negative constraints in the margins before filling your grid to ensure no rule is violated during the placement process.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming that 'above' implies 'immediately above' without explicit confirmation.
- Neglecting negative information (e.g., 'A does not sit on an even floor') which acts as a filter for possible scenarios.
- Spending too much time on a single puzzle without switching to a different section if a dead end is reached.
More Revision Notes
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