IBPS PO prelims exam is around the corner. It will not be an understatement to claim that puzzles dominate reasoning section in the IBPS exam. In this blog, let us take a look at some must solve reasoning puzzles for IBPS PO.
The toughness of puzzles has been increasing drastically in the IBPS PO examination. Aspirants can take a look at previous year papers of IBPS PO to have an idea about how they should prepare reasoning puzzles for IBPS PO.
Aspirants can opt for IBPS PO online preparation to prepare in a structured way. Solve as many template questions to improve the thought process.
Once you get comfortable in tackling puzzles, take IBPS PO mock tests to gauge your level of preparedness in a timed environment. Set selection is a crucial aspect and it can be mastered only by taking plenty of mocks.
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Some must solve puzzles for IBPS PO:
Einstein puzzle:
This is one of the most widely asked puzzles in any competitive examination. A typical example is 4 persons having 4 watches of different brands and colours. The key to solve this puzzle is to construct a table and fixing the available information. The other things will fall into place eventually.
Eg) 4 brothers, A, B, C and D own 4 cars – XF, Veyron, GTR and Golf not necessarily in the same order. The eldest one owns Golf. C owns a GTR. The person who owns Veyron is the youngest in the family. D is not the youngest. B has twice as many
persons younger to him as he has elder to him.
D is not the youngest. Hence, he does not own Veyron. B has twice as many persons younger to him as older to him. Hence, B is the second oldest brother. He cannot own Veyron. C owns a GTR. Hence, A is the youngest person and owns a Veyron.
C owns a GTR and B is the second oldest brother. Hence, D must be the oldest person ( The oldest one owns Golf). B must own the XF. The final arrangement is as follows.
| A | B | C | D |
| Veyron | XF | GTR | Golf |
| 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
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Arrangement/ranking puzzles for IBPS PO:
This is a modified version of Einstein’s puzzle. Here, the floor arrangement, ranking or any other parameter is given, and the aspirants must find out the right order. Again, fixing the absolute position of any one of the members help big time.
Eg) A, B, C, D and E live on 5 floors of a building. 2 persons are living between A and E. B has as many persons living above him as below him. C lives above D. D lives in one of the floors below A.
2 persons are living between A and E. Hence, A and E can live on floors (1,4) or (2,5) in any order. B has an equal number of persons living above and below him. Hence, B lives on floor number 3. C lives above D, who in turn lives above A.
This implies that A is the one living in the lower floor among A and E.
Had A been living on floor 2, then E will be living on the fifth floor. B will live on the third floor. There is only 1 vacant space above A i.e floor number 4. But C and D both live above A. Hence, this cannot be the case.
Hence, the right arrangement is A-1, D-2, B-3, E-4 and C-5.
Linear arrangement puzzles for IBPS PO:
Here, information is given about persons and their relative positions ( sitting to the left of/ right of). Aspirants must use this information to solve the set.
One must be careful when 2 sets of people facing north/ south are given as the right and left sides of persons sitting on the different sides will differ.
Eg)
Eight persons – A, B, C, D, P, Q, R and S are divided into 2 groups. A, B, C, D are facing the north while others are facing the south. They are made to sit in a way such that each person is exactly opposite to another person.
A is sitting second to the left of D. P is facing the person sitting in between A and D. Q is sitting second to the left of P. Q faces B and A does not face R. D is not sitting at one of the ends.
Since D is not at one of the ends and A is second to his left, A must take the left end position. P is facing the person between A and D.
Q is sitting second to the left of P. This implies that Q is sitting at the right extreme of the top row. B is facing Q. A does not face R. Hence, A faces S and D faces R. The final arrangement will be as shown in the figure.
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Circular arrangement Puzzles for IBPS PO:
Again, one of the most commonly asked reasoning puzzles in various examinations. Usually, to make them tough, they are asked in conjunction with blood relations. Also, certain reasoning puzzles for IBPS PO have some persons facing inside and some persons facing outside.
Let us take a look at an easier example to understand these reasoning puzzles for IBPS PO.
Eg) Six persons A, B, C, D, E, and F are sitting around a circular table. Three of them are facing inside (towards the centre) while the other 3 are facing outside. No two persons facing inside sit adjacent to each other.
A and E are diametrically opposite to each other. A is facing the centre. D is second to the left of E. C is a neighbour of A. F sits to the immediate left of C.
From the given condition that no two persons facing inside sit adjacent to each other, we can infer that persons sitting adjacent to each other and opposite to each other cannot both be facing the centre.
Letters in red colour represent persons facing the centre. Letters in green colour represent persons facing away from the centre.
Since A faces the centre, E must be facing outside. D is second to the right of E. Hence, D sits to the left of A and is a neighbour of A.
C is a neighbour of A too. Hence, C must sit to the right of A.
F sits to the immediate left of C. Hence, B must be sitting near D. The final arrangement will be as follows.
Other reasoning puzzles for IBPS PO:
Apart from these standard puzzles, other puzzles on input-output, blood relations usually appear in the exam. But these puzzles carry 2 or 3 questions each and are generally very easy to solve.
The puzzles discussed above are made way more complicated by adding more members, leaving vacant floors, increasing the number of parameters, not giving the absolute position of any of the members as an anchor point, etc. The method and approach for solving the reasoning puzzle for IBPS remain the same.
To have an overall view of the section, read data sufficiency for IBPS PO and syllogism questions and answers for IBPS PO.
