Floor Arrangement Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 13 Oct 2026
The puzzle
Neha, Lata, Nikhil, Tanvi, Meera — live on different floors — floor 1 is the lowest, floor 5 is the topmost. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.
- Neha lives on a floor somewhere above Meera.
- Lata lives on the topmost floor.
- Tanvi lives on an odd-numbered floor.
- There are exactly 3 floors between Lata and Nikhil.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Floor 5: Lata (top) down to Floor 1: Nikhil (lowest).
- Start: 120 possible arrangements of 5 people.
- Clue 2 — "Lata lives on the topmost floor." ⇒ Lata → floor 5 (24 possibilities left). Board (top → bottom): Lata · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 4 — "There are exactly 3 floors between Lata and Nikhil." ⇒ Nikhil → floor 1 (6 possibilities left). Board (top → bottom): Lata · _ · _ · _ · Nikhil
- Clue 3 — "Tanvi lives on an odd-numbered floor." ⇒ Tanvi → floor 3 (2 possibilities left). Board (top → bottom): Lata · _ · Tanvi · _ · Nikhil
- Clue 1 — "Neha lives on a floor somewhere above Meera." ⇒ Neha → floor 4, Meera → floor 2 (1 possibility left). Board (top → bottom): Lata · Neha · Tanvi · Meera · Nikhil
- Exactly one arrangement survives every clue — that is the answer.
How to crack floor arrangement puzzles faster
- Floor puzzles are vertical rows — treat floor 1 as "leftmost" and floor N as "rightmost" in your mental model.
- "Lives above" means a higher floor number. "Immediately above" means exactly one floor apart.
- "Exactly k floors between" gives a fixed vertical gap — try it at each valid pair of floors.
- Write the floor numbers 1 to N on paper and fill names as you lock positions — the visual stack prevents errors.
FAQ
Who lives on the top floor?
Lata lives on the top floor. The full arrangement from top to bottom: Lata, Neha, Tanvi, Meera, Nikhil.
How do you solve floor arrangement puzzles for bank exams?
Treat floors as a vertical stack: lock the topmost and lowest first, then place intermediate floors using 'above/below' clues. Transfer the stack to paper numbered 1 to N and fill names as each clue eliminates possibilities.
Learn the method for this puzzle type
This post is one worked example. The topic page for floor puzzles carries the full method, the clue-wording table, the mistakes that cost marks and more practice questions.
Solve a fresh one every day
Deduce gives you a new server-validated reasoning puzzle daily — timed, with streaks and a leaderboard.
Play today's puzzle