Flat and Floor Puzzle for Bank Exams: Practice Questions with Solutions

Flat and Floor Puzzle for Bank Exams: Basics, Tricks & Practice Questions is an important topic in the reasoning section of competitive banking exams like IBPS, SBI, and RBI. These puzzles test a candidate’s logical thinking, analytical ability, and attention to detail. In this type of puzzle, you are required to arrange people on different floors of a building, usually with two flats on each floor, based on several given conditions. 

The questions may also include additional variables such as professions, brands, or hobbies, which increase the level of difficulty. To solve flat and floor puzzles quickly and accurately, candidates must understand the basic structure and apply smart tricks

Flat and Floor Puzzles

Flat and floor puzzles are a significant component of logical reasoning sections in competitive exams like bank PO and clerk. These puzzles involve arranging people in a multi-story building, where each floor typically contains two flats (e.g., Flat A and Flat B, or Flat X and Flat Y).

 The objective is to deduce the exact floor and flat of each person, along with any associated variables, by carefully interpreting a set of given conditions. Mastering these puzzles requires a systematic approach, logical deduction, and precise condition application.

Puzzle 1: 3-Floor, 2-Flat Arrangement

This puzzle features a building with 3 floors (Floor 3 is top, Floor 1 is bottom). Each floor has Flat A (West) and Flat B (East).

Conditions

1. Rinki lives on the top floor (Floor 3).

2. Raj lives in Flat A, but not on the first floor. Raj lives alone in his flat.

3. Rini lives in the flat immediately below Riya's flat.

4. Ram and Riya live on an odd-numbered floor.

5. Rasho lives to the east of Ram.

6. Raju lives on an even-numbered floor (Floor 2).

7. Raju does not live immediately below Rinki's flat or Raj's flat.

Solution Walkthrough

Solving this puzzle involves a systematic placement based on the conditions:

1. Initial Placement of Rinki, Ram, and Riya: Rinki is on the 3rd floor. Ram and Riya are on an odd floor (1 or 3). If they were on Floor 1, Rini couldn't be immediately below Riya. Thus, Ram and Riya must be on the 3rd floor.

2. Ram and Rasho Placement: The condition "Rasho lives to the East of Ram" means Ram must be in Flat A and Rasho in Flat B on the same floor. Since Ram is on an odd floor, and Floor 3 is occupied by Rinki and Riya, Ram must be on Floor 1. So, Ram is in 1A and Rasho is in 1B.

3. Rinki and Riya on Floor 3: As Ram is now on Floor 1, Riya must be on Floor 3. For Rini to be immediately below Riya, Riya must be in a specific flat. Given that Rinki is on the top floor, we can place Rinki in 3A and Riya in 3B.

4. Rini's Placement: Rini lives immediately below Riya. Since Riya is in 3B, Rini is in 2B.

5. Raj's Placement: Raj lives in Flat A, but not on the first floor. The only Flat A available is Floor 2. So, Raj is in 2A. This satisfies "Raj lives alone in his flat".

6. Raju's Placement (Acknowledging Puzzle Complexity): Raju lives on an even-numbered floor (Floor 2) and not immediately below Rinki's (3A) or Raj's (2A) flat. With Raj in 2A and Rini in 2B, no flat on Floor 2 remains for Raju, indicating a potential inconsistency within the puzzle conditions or the number of people. However, the solution for the primary question remains deducible from the other conditions.

Final Arrangement (Based on primary conditions leading to the answer)

• Floor 3: Rinki (Flat A), Riya (Flat B)

• Floor 2: Raj (Flat A), Rini (Flat B)

• Floor 1: Ram (Flat A), Rasho (Flat B)

Question: Who lives in Flat A of the topmost floor?

Answer: Based on the arrangement, Rinki lives in Flat A of the topmost floor (Floor 3).

Puzzle 2: 5-Floor, 2-Flat Arrangement with Special Conditions

This puzzle involves a building with 5 floors (Floor 5 is top, Floor 1 is bottom). Each floor has Flat X (West) and Flat Y (East). This puzzle introduces special interpretation rules:

• Adjacency: If person A is "adjacent" to person B, they live on the same floor (unless specified).

• Verticality: If person A lives "one/two floors above/below" person B, they live in the same flat type (unless specified).

Conditions

1. J lives one floor below I.

2. G lives two floors below D, but not in the same flat type.

3. I lives in Flat X.

4. H lives adjacent to A. H lives two floors above C.

5. C and H live in the same flat type.

6. C and I live in the same flat type. (This confirms C, H, and I are all in Flat X).

7. E lives on one of the floors above F.

8. B does not live adjacent to J.

Solution Walkthrough

1. Deduction of C, H, I, J in Flat X: Conditions 3, 5, and 6 establish that C, H, and I are all in Flat X.

• H is two floors above C.

• I is immediately above J.

• To accommodate both the H-C pair (two floors apart) and the I-J pair (consecutive floors) within Flat X, the only valid placement is C in 3X and H in 5X. This leaves Floors 1 and 2 in Flat X for I and J. Thus, I is in 2X and J is in 1X.

2. Placement of A: H lives adjacent to A. Since H is in 5X, A must be in 5Y.

3. Placement of D and G: G lives two floors below D, but not in the same flat type.

• We need two slots with two floors in between, and different flat types.

• Given the already occupied slots in Flat X, the only viable placement is D in 4Y and G in 2Y.

4. Placement of E and F: E lives on one of the floors above F. The lecturer's interpretation and final solution place E and F in a specific arrangement.

5. Final Checks (Acknowledging inconsistencies): The full derivation encountered contradictions, particularly with "B does not live adjacent to J". The lecturer then presented a final arrangement.

Question: Who does NOT live in Flat X?

Answer: Based on the final arrangement provided, A, D, F, B, and G do not live in Flat X. Among typical multiple-choice options, D is often the highlighted answer.

Puzzle 3: 4-Floor, 2-Flat with a Variable (Laptop Brands)

This puzzle involves a building with 4 floors (Floor 4 is top, Floor 1 is bottom). Each floor has Flat P (West) and Flat Q (East). Eight residents each like a different laptop brand.

Conditions

1. A lives adjacent to H. H likes Nokia.

2. E likes Lenovo and lives on an even-numbered floor (2 or 4).

3. F lives adjacent to E.

4. C likes Apple and does not live in Flat P (i.e., C lives in Flat Q).

5. Neither A nor the person who likes HP lives in Flat P.

6. D lives one floor below A (immediately below, same flat type).

7. A lives below G. G likes Samsung.

8. The person with the Dell lives one floor below the person with the Asus (immediately below, same flat type).

9. B lives in Flat Q and one floor below F (immediately below, same flat type).

Solution Walkthrough

1. Placement of E, F, B:

• B is in Flat Q and immediately below F, so F must also be in Flat Q.

• E is adjacent to F. Since F is in Flat Q, E must be in Flat P.

• E lives on an even floor (2 or 4).

• If E is on Floor 4, F is in 4Q, B is in 3Q. The G-A-D block (3 consecutive vertical slots) cannot fit. Thus, E is on Floor 2.

• So, E (Lenovo) is in 2P. F is adjacent, so F is in 2Q. B is immediately below F in Flat Q, so B is in 1Q.

2. Placement of G, A, D:

• A lives below G, and D lives one floor below A (G-A-D forms a vertical block of 3 in the same flat type).

• The only three consecutive vertical slots available in Flat P are 4P, 3P, 1P. So, G is in 4P, A is in 3P, and D is in 1P.

• G likes Samsung, so G (Samsung) is in 4P.

3. Placement of C and H:

• C likes Apple and lives in Flat Q. The only remaining empty slot in Flat Q is 4Q. So, C (Apple) is in 4Q.

• A lives adjacent to H. A is in 3P, so H must be in 3Q.

• H likes Nokia, so H (Nokia) is in 3Q.

4. Placement of Laptop Brands (Asus, Dell, HP, HCL):

• The person with Dell lives immediately below the person with Asus (same flat type). The only remaining vertical slots for unassigned brands are for F (2Q) and B (1Q). So, F gets Asus (2Q) and B gets Dell (1Q).

• Condition: "Neither A nor the person who likes HP lives in Flat P." This implies A does not like HP. The lecturer places HP with D. So, D likes HP.

• The last remaining brand is HCL. So, A likes HCL.

Final Arrangement

Question: Which statement is definitely correct?

1. D likes Dell.

2. G lives in Flat P on the third floor.

3. The one who likes HP lives on the first floor.

Answer: Based on our final arrangement:

1. D likes Dell: False (D likes HP).

2. G lives in Flat P on the third floor: False (G lives in Flat P on the fourth floor).

3. The one who likes HP lives on the first floor: True (D, who likes HP, lives on the first floor).

Puzzle 4: 3-Floor, 2-Flat with a Variable (Car Brands)

This puzzle features a building with 3 floors (Floor 3 is top, Floor 1 is bottom). Each floor has Flat X (West) and Flat Y (East). Six residents each own a different car.

Conditions

1. D and the one who owns Tata live in the same flat type.

2. E owns Skoda and does not live on the same floor as D.

3. A lives somewhere above C.

4. Neither D nor A owns a Fiat.

5. The one who owns Kia lives in a flat to the East of B's flat.

6. The one who owns Tata lives to the South-West of K.

7. B lives on an even-numbered floor (Floor 2).

8. F and E live on the same floor.

9. The one who owns Honda and K live in different flat types.

Solution Walkthrough

1. Placement of B and Kia Owner: B lives on an even floor (Floor 2). The Kia owner is to the East of B's flat. So, B is in 2X and the Kia owner is in 2Y. Therefore, A owns Kia (as A is the only person left to be assigned to 2Y).

2. Placement of Tata Owner, D, and K:

• The Tata owner lives to the South-West of K. This means K must be on a higher floor and in a more Eastern flat.

• D and the Tata owner live in the same flat type (X). The lecturer implies D owns Tata. So, D (Tata) is in 1X and K is in 3Y.

3. Placement of F and E:

• F and E live on the same floor. E owns Skoda.

• They cannot be on Floor 2 (occupied by B and A) or Floor 1 (D is in 1X).

• Thus, F and E are on Floor 3.

• With K in 3Y (Flat Y), F must be in 3Y. So, F is in 3Y.

• This leaves 3X for E. So, E (Skoda) is in 3X.

• Check: E and D do not live on the same floor (E on Floor 3, D on Floor 1). This is correct.

4. Placement of C and Car Brands:

• A lives somewhere above C. A is in 2Y, so C must be in 1Y.

• Cars assigned so far: Skoda (E), Tata (D), Kia (A).

• Neither D nor A owns Fiat. The only person left without a car is B. So, B owns Fiat.

• Remaining cars: Honda, Ford. Remaining person: F, C.

• Condition: The one who owns Honda and K live in different flat types. We deduced K is in 3Y (Flat Y). Therefore, the Honda owner must be in Flat X. However, E (Skoda), D (Tata), and B (Fiat) are all in Flat X and have assigned cars. This points to an inconsistency, as noted in the lecture. The lecturer proceeds to a final arrangement to answer the question.