Box Puzzle Questions for Bank Exams: The Short Answer
A box puzzle describes boxes kept one above another (like a stack) and gives clues such as "two boxes are kept between R and T" or "P is immediately below T". You must find the full order, and sometimes each box's colour or contents, then answer 5 questions. The fastest method is to number the positions from bottom (1) to top, place the fixed clues first (exact positions like "R is in the middle"), then use gap and "immediately above/below" clues, and split into cases only when a clue gives two choices.
Key takeaway for bank exams: IBPS PO, SBI PO and RRB PO prelims regularly include a box or floor-type stacking puzzle of 5 questions, and Clerk exams ask easier 5 to 7 box versions. A gap of "two boxes between" means the positions differ by 3. Every puzzle on this page was checked by a program that tried all possible orders and found exactly one answer.
Box puzzles use the same logic as floor puzzles, so read our floor puzzle questions for bank exams and linear seating arrangement questions too.
What Is a Box Puzzle in Reasoning?
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bottom / lowermost | Position 1 |
| Top / topmost | Highest position (7 in a 7-box stack) |
| Middle | Position 4 in 7 boxes, position 3 in 5 boxes |
| Immediately above X | The position just one above X |
| Above X | Any position higher than X |
| "Two boxes between A and B" | Positions of A and B differ by 3 |
| "As many boxes above A as below B" | Count both and set them equal |
Most box puzzles have 5 to 9 boxes and may add one more attribute: colour, weight, number of items, or the month in which each box was packed.
Box Puzzle Tricks for IBPS PO and SBI PO (Step-by-Step)
- Draw the stack as a column of numbered slots, 1 at the bottom.
- Place definite clues first: "X is at the top", "Y is third from bottom", "Z is in the middle".
- Use links to placed boxes: "immediately above", "two boxes between", "above" or "below".
- When a clue allows two positions, make two cases and continue both until one breaks a rule.
- Fill the remaining boxes with leftover clues ("not adjacent", "above S").
- Verify every clue against the final stack before answering.
Box Puzzle Gap Rules (How to Count Boxes Between)
| Clue | Position difference |
|---|---|
| A is immediately above B | A = B + 1 |
| One box between A and B | Difference 2 |
| Two boxes between A and B | Difference 3 |
| k boxes between A and B | Difference k + 1 |
| A is third above B | A = B + 3 |
| As many boxes above A as below B (7 boxes) | (7 − A) = (B − 1) |
Trap: "A is third above B" means A = B + 3, which leaves two boxes in between, not three.
Box Puzzle Questions with Answers (Solved Example 1: Seven Boxes)
Seven boxes P, Q, R, S, T, U and V are kept one above another. Position 1 is the bottom.
- R is kept in the middle of the stack.
- Two boxes are kept between R and T, and T is above R.
- P is kept immediately below T.
- Only one box is kept between Q and R, and Q is below R.
- U is kept immediately below Q.
- V is kept above S.
Solution:
- Clue 1: R = 4.
- Clue 2: T is 3 positions above R → T = 7.
- Clue 3: P = 6.
- Clue 4: Q is 2 positions below R → Q = 2.
- Clue 5: U = 1.
- Remaining positions 3 and 5 for S and V. Clue 6 (V above S) → S = 3, V = 5.
| Position | Box |
|---|---|
| 7 (top) | T |
| 6 | P |
| 5 | V |
| 4 | R |
| 3 | S |
| 2 | Q |
| 1 (bottom) | U |
Only this order satisfies all six clues (checked by trying all 5,040 orders).
Questions on this stack:
- Which box is at the bottom? U
- How many boxes are between Q and P? 3 (S, R, V)
- Which box is immediately above R? V
- Which box is third from the top? V (T, P, V)
- Which pair is adjacent? S and R (positions 3 and 4)
Box Puzzle with Colours (Solved Example 2: Two Attributes)
Five boxes A, B, C, D and E are kept one above another (1 = bottom). Each has a different colour: red, blue, green, yellow and white.
- C is in the middle and is yellow.
- A is kept immediately above C.
- E is at the bottom.
- B is blue.
- The red box is adjacent to A but is not C.
- E is neither white nor yellow.
Solution:
- C = 3 (yellow), A = 4, E = 1.
- Positions 2 and 5 are left for B and D.
- The red box is next to A and is not C, so red is at position 5. B is blue, so D = 5 (red) and B = 2 (blue).
- Colours left: green and white for A and E. E is not white → E green, A white.
| Position | Box | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| 5 (top) | D | Red |
| 4 | A | White |
| 3 | C | Yellow |
| 2 | B | Blue |
| 1 (bottom) | E | Green |
Exactly one arrangement fits (checked by trying all 120 orders × 120 colour assignments).
Box Puzzle with Unknown Number of Boxes (New Pattern)
Newer SBI PO and IBPS PO puzzles do not tell you how many boxes there are. Find the total from a chain of clues that reaches both ends of the stack.
Example 3: Some boxes are kept one above another. K is at the top. M is third from the bottom. Only two boxes are kept between K and M. How many boxes are there?
M is at position 3. K is 3 positions above M (two boxes between), so K = 6. K is at the top, so there are 6 boxes.
If a clue gives two options (for example, K could be above or below M), test both: here K at the top forces K above M, so only one total works.
Common Box Puzzle Clue Types in Bank Exams
| Clue type | Example | How to use |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed position | "M is at the top" | Place at once |
| Relative with gap | "Three boxes between K and N" | Difference 4; check both directions unless told |
| Immediately above/below | "L is immediately below M" | Adjacent; direction fixed |
| Even/odd position | "G is at an even position" | Narrows to 2, 4, 6 … |
| Count clue | "Only two boxes above J" | J = top − 2 |
| Negative clue | "H is not adjacent to K" | Use last, to break ties |
| Attribute link | "The green box is just above F" | Combine with the colour column |
Box Puzzle Tricks: Common Mistakes
- Reading "k boxes between" as a difference of k. It is k + 1.
- Numbering from the top when the puzzle says position 1 is the bottom.
- Dropping a case too early. Keep both cases until one actually breaks a clue.
- Forgetting direction. "Two boxes between R and T" without "above" allows both T above and T below R.
- Skipping the final check. Re-read each clue against the finished table.
Box Puzzle Questions for Bank Exams (Practice Set with Answers)
Use Example 1 (seven boxes) for questions 1–5 and Example 2 (five boxes) for questions 6–10.
- How many boxes are kept above S? Answer: 4 (R, V, P, T).
- Which box is kept second from the bottom? Answer: Q.
- How many boxes are kept between U and V? Answer: 3 (Q, S, R).
- If all boxes are arranged in alphabetical order from bottom to top, how many boxes stay in the same position? Answer: 1. Alphabetical order bottom to top: P, Q, R, S, T, U, V. Only Q (position 2) matches.
- Which box is exactly in the middle between U and T? Answer: R (position 4).
- Which box is red? Answer: D.
- What is the colour of the box kept immediately below C? Answer: Blue (B).
- How many boxes are kept above the green box? Answer: 4. Green E is at the bottom.
- Which box is white? Answer: A.
- Which box is kept between the blue box and the white box? Answer: C (yellow).
For timed practice, take the SBI PO Puzzle and Seating Arrangement Test 03 and the IBPS PO Puzzle and Seating Arrangement Test 03.
Box Puzzle FAQs
What is a box puzzle in bank exams?
It is a reasoning puzzle where boxes are stacked one above another and clues describe their positions and attributes. You build the stack and answer around 5 questions on it.
How do you solve box puzzles quickly?
Number the stack from bottom to top, place the fixed-position clues first, then the "immediately above/below" and gap clues, and branch into cases only when needed. Verify all clues at the end.
What does "two boxes between A and B" mean?
It means two boxes sit between A and B, so their positions differ by 3. If A is at 2, B is at 5 (or at −1, which is impossible, so only 5).
How many box puzzle questions come in IBPS PO?
When a box puzzle is set, it carries 5 questions. IBPS PO and SBI PO prelims usually have 2 to 3 puzzles in total, and a box or floor puzzle is one of the most common types.
What is the difference between a box puzzle and a floor puzzle?
They use the same logic. A box puzzle stacks boxes; a floor puzzle places people on floors of a building. In both, position 1 is usually the bottom.
Can box puzzles have more than one solution?
A correctly set exam puzzle has exactly one final arrangement. If you find two, one clue has been misread, often a gap clue or an above/below direction.
Practice Next
- New puzzle tests with a box puzzle (stacked boxes with items) plus floor and day sets: IBPS RRB PO Puzzle Mock Test 04 and IBPS RRB Clerk Puzzle Mock Test 03.
- Mock tests: SBI PO Puzzle and Seating Arrangement Test 03, IBPS PO Puzzle and Seating Arrangement Test 03, SBI Clerk Puzzle and Seating Arrangement Test 03 and IBPS Clerk Reasoning Mini Mock Test 04, plus IBPS PO Puzzle & Seating Mock Test 05.
- Puzzle sets with box, floor and seating puzzles: SBI PO Puzzle & Seating Mock Test 06 and SBI Clerk Puzzle & Seating Mock Test 06.
- Related notes: floor puzzle questions for bank exams, linear seating arrangement questions for bank exams, circular seating arrangement tricks and order and ranking questions for bank exams, plus blood relation questions for bank exams.
- Exam details: SBI Clerk 2026 notification.
- Browse all study notes.