Scheduling Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Vikram, Bhavna, Chetan, Imran
The puzzle
Vikram, Bhavna, Chetan, Imran — each have an appointment on a different day, Monday to Thursday — work out whose appointment falls on which day. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.
- Bhavna's appointment is on a later day of the week than Vikram's.
- There is exactly 1 day between Chetan's and Imran's appointments.
- Vikram's appointment is on a later day of the week than Chetan's.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Monday: Chetan, Tuesday: Vikram, Wednesday: Imran, Thursday: Bhavna.
- Start: 24 possible schedules of 4 people across Monday–Thursday.
- Clue 2 — "There is exactly 1 day between Chetan's and Imran's appointments." narrows it to 8 possibilities.
- Clue 1 — "Bhavna's appointment is on a later day of the week than Vikram's." narrows it to 4 possibilities.
- Clue 3 — "Vikram's appointment is on a later day of the week than Chetan's." ⇒ Vikram → Tuesday, Bhavna → Thursday, Chetan → Monday, Imran → Wednesday (1 possibility left).
- Exactly one schedule survives every clue — that is the answer.
How to crack scheduling puzzles faster
- Write the days in a column first — a fixed frame beats re-reading "Monday to Saturday" per clue.
- Lock every direct day anchor ("P's appointment is on Wednesday") before touching a relative clue.
- "Immediately before/after" is an adjacent pair — slide it along the free days like a block.
- "Exactly k days between" works in both directions — test the earlier AND the later placement.
FAQ
Whose appointment is on Monday in this puzzle?
Chetan's appointment is on Monday. The full schedule: Monday — Chetan, Tuesday — Vikram, Wednesday — Imran, Thursday — Bhavna.
How do you solve scheduling puzzles for bank exams?
Draw the days as a column (Monday downward), fix the direct day anchors first, then place immediately-before/after pairs and count 'days between' gaps in both directions. Eliminate until one schedule satisfies every clue.
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