Month Based Puzzle Questions for Bank Exams: Quick Answer
A month based puzzle (also called a scheduling puzzle) asks you to place people or events in months of a year, sometimes with a date (such as the 10th or 25th) or a second variable (colour, city, subject). You solve it by drawing the months in order as a vertical table, placing the fixed clues first, then branching on the "between" and "before/after" clues, and finally using negative clues to kill the extra cases. Month puzzles were reported in several SBI PO Prelims 2026 shifts (1–2 August 2026), so they are a must-practise type for SBI and IBPS exams.
Key takeaway: Write months top to bottom in calendar order (January at the top). Months with 31 days: January, March, May, July, August, October, December (7 months). Months with 30 days: April, June, September, November (4 months). February has 28 days (29 in a leap year). "Between" counts only the slots in the puzzle's list, not every calendar month, unless the question says otherwise.
All four puzzles below were checked by computer against every possible arrangement, and each has exactly one solution.
Types of Month Based Puzzles Asked in Bank Exams
| Type | What you place | Typical size | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month only | Persons in consecutive months (Jan–Jun or Jan–Dec) | 6–8 persons | SBI Clerk, IBPS Clerk, RRB Clerk |
| Selected months | Persons in months with 31 days, or alternate months | 5–7 persons | IBPS PO, RRB PO |
| Month + date | Two dates in each month (e.g. 10th and 25th) | 8–12 persons | SBI PO, IBPS PO |
| Month + variable | Month plus colour, city, subject or profession | 5–7 persons | All bank exams |
| Year + month | Two years (e.g. 2025 and 2026) × months | 8–12 persons | SBI PO Mains, IBPS PO Mains |
Month Facts to Remember for Month Puzzles
| Fact | Months |
|---|---|
| 31 days | January, March, May, July, August, October, December |
| 30 days | April, June, September, November |
| 28/29 days | February |
| Months starting with J | January, June, July |
| Months starting with M | March, May |
| Months starting with A | April, August |
| Quarter 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 | Jan–Mar / Apr–Jun / Jul–Sep / Oct–Dec |
| Two consecutive 31-day months | July–August and December–January |
Trap: "the month just before August that has 31 days" is July, but "a month just before a 30-day month" could be March (before April), May (before June), August (before September) or October (before November).
How to Solve Month Based Puzzles: 5-Step Method
- Draw the table. One row per slot, months in calendar order; add a date column if two dates per month are given.
- Place definite clues first. "R goes in July", "D has a meeting on 25 June", "C has an exam in a month with 31 days" (this one narrows to a set).
- Branch on link clues. "Two persons between C and F" or "A is immediately after F" create 2–4 cases. Write each case as a separate column.
- Apply negatives. "B is not in January", "E does not go in June", "E and H are not in the same month" eliminate cases.
- Fill the rest and re-check every clue before answering. A single unchecked clue is the usual cause of a wrong answer.
Time target: 4–5 minutes for a 6-person Prelims puzzle (5 questions), 6–8 minutes for a 10–12 person Mains puzzle.
Solved Month Based Puzzle 1 (Month Only, 6 Persons)
Six persons A, B, C, D, E and F have exams in six different months from January to June of the same year.
- C has an exam in a month that has 31 days.
- Only two persons have exams between C and F.
- A has an exam immediately after F.
- B has an exam before D, but not in January.
- E does not have an exam in June.
- E has an exam in the month immediately before B's month.
Solution:
- Clue 1: C is in January, March or May.
- Clue 2: C–F pairs: Jan–Apr, Mar–Jun, May–Feb.
- Clue 3: A right after F rules out F in June, so F is April (C January) or February (C May).
- Case C May, F Feb, A Mar: left Jan, Apr, Jun for B, D, E. B not in January and before D → B Apr, D Jun, E Jan. But clue 6 needs E right before B (Jan is not right before Apr) → rejected.
- Case C Jan, F Apr, A May: left Feb, Mar, Jun. E not June; B before D → D Jun; clue 6 gives E Feb, B Mar. Valid.
| Month | Person |
|---|---|
| January | C |
| February | E |
| March | B |
| April | F |
| May | A |
| June | D |
Questions: (i) Who has the exam in March? B. (ii) How many persons have exams between E and D? Three (B, F, A). (iii) Who has the exam immediately after A? D.
Solved Month Based Puzzle 2 (Months with 31 Days, 7 Persons)
Seven persons P, Q, R, S, T, U and V go on trips in seven different months of the same year: January, March, May, July, August, October and December (only these months, in this order).
- R goes in July.
- Only one person goes between T and V, and T goes before V.
- V goes in the month immediately before or after R's month in the given list.
- P goes neither in the first nor in the last month of the list.
- Only one person goes between P and U, and U goes after P.
- Q does not go in January.
- Q goes before S.
Solution:
- R = July. V is May or August (clue 3).
- If V = August, T = May (one person between, T before V) and P, U must be one apart with U after P among Jan, Mar, Oct, Dec: P = March needs U = July (taken by R), and P = October has no slot two places later → rejected.
- So V = May, T = January. P must be March, August or October with U two places later: P = March → U = July (taken by R); P = August → U = December ✔; P = October → no slot left. So P = August, U = December.
- Left: March and October for Q and S; Q before S → Q March, S October.
| Month | Person |
|---|---|
| January | T |
| March | Q |
| May | V |
| July | R |
| August | P |
| October | S |
| December | U |
Questions: (i) Who goes in October? S. (ii) How many persons go between Q and P? Two (V, R). (iii) In which month does V go? May.
Solved Month Based Puzzle 3 (Month + Date, 8 Persons)
Eight persons A to H have meetings in March, June, September and December of the same year, on either the 10th or the 25th of each month. Only one person meets on each date.
- D has a meeting on 25 June.
- Only two persons meet between D and G.
- G meets on the 10th of a month.
- A meets in the same month as G.
- Only two persons meet between A and F, and F meets before A.
- B meets neither in March nor in December.
- C meets on the 25th of a month, after B.
- E meets before H.
Order of slots: Mar 10, Mar 25, Jun 10, Jun 25, Sep 10, Sep 25, Dec 10, Dec 25.
Solution:
- D = Jun 25 (slot 4). Two between D and G → G is slot 1 (Mar 10) or slot 7 (Dec 10); both are 10th dates.
- Clue 4: if G = Mar 10, A = Mar 25, but F must be before A with two persons between, impossible. So G = Dec 10, A = Dec 25, and F = slot 5 = Sep 10.
- B is in June or September: Jun 10 or Sep 25. C is on a 25th after B: if B = Sep 25, no 25th is left after it. So B = Jun 10, C = Sep 25.
- E and H take Mar 10 and Mar 25; E before H → E = Mar 10, H = Mar 25.
| Month | 10th | 25th |
|---|---|---|
| March | E | H |
| June | B | D |
| September | F | C |
| December | G | A |
Questions: (i) Who meets on 10 September? F. (ii) How many persons meet between H and C? Three (B, D, F). (iii) Who meets in the same month as B? D.
Solved Month Based Puzzle 4 (Month + Colour, 6 Persons)
Six persons J, K, L, M, N and O have birthdays in six different months from January to June. Each likes a different colour: Red, Blue, Green, Pink, White and Black.
- L's birthday is in April, and L likes Green.
- Only one person's birthday is between L and O.
- K's birthday is immediately before or immediately after O's.
- J's birthday is neither in January nor in June.
- N's birthday is after M's.
- O's birthday is not in February.
- The person who likes Red has a birthday in January.
- The person who likes Blue has a birthday in a month next to L's month, and O does not like Blue.
- The person who likes Black has a birthday in June.
- J likes Pink or White, and the Pink-lover's birthday is before the White-lover's.
- N likes White.
Solution (key steps):
- L = April → O is February or June; clue 6 → O = June, so O likes Black (clue 9).
- K is next to O → K = May. Blue is next to April (March or May) and not O; N likes White, so the Blue-lover is K (May) or the March person.
- Remaining months January, February, March for J, M, N. J is not January; N after M.
- If J = February: M = January, N = March.
- If J = March: M = January, N = February.
- N likes White and J likes Pink or White → J likes Pink, and Pink must be before White, so J is before N → J = February, N = March, M = January.
- January → Red (M). March person N likes White, so Blue is K (May).
| Month | Person | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| January | M | Red |
| February | J | Pink |
| March | N | White |
| April | L | Green |
| May | K | Blue |
| June | O | Black |
Questions: (i) Who likes Blue? K. (ii) Which colour does the person born in March like? White. (iii) How many persons have birthdays between J and O? Three (N, L, K).
Common Mistakes in Month Based Puzzles
- Counting calendar months instead of puzzle slots. In Puzzle 2, "one person between P and U" uses the given list (August → December has October between), not the calendar.
- Forgetting the date order inside a month. 10 June comes before 25 June; treat each date as its own slot.
- Stopping at the first valid-looking case. Always test every branch; Puzzle 1's rejected case satisfied five of six clues.
- Mixing "before" and "immediately before". "Before" allows any earlier slot; "immediately before" means the next slot only.
- Ignoring 30/31-day clues. Keep the month-facts table in your head.
Month Based Puzzle Practice Questions with Answers
Use the four solved puzzles above.
Q1. (Puzzle 1) Who has an exam in February? (a) B (b) E (c) F (d) C — Answer: (b)
Q2. (Puzzle 1) Which pair has exams in consecutive months? (a) C, B (b) A, D (c) E, F (d) B, D — Answer: (b) (May and June)
Q3. (Puzzle 1) Which of these persons has an exam in a 30-day month? (a) C (b) B (c) A (d) F — Answer: (d) (F is in April; C, B and A are in January, March and May, which have 31 days)
Q4. (Puzzle 2) Who goes immediately after R? (a) V (b) P (c) S (d) U — Answer: (b)
Q5. (Puzzle 2) Who goes in the first month of the list? (a) Q (b) T (c) V (d) P — Answer: (b)
Q6. (Puzzle 2) How many persons go after S? (a) None (b) One (c) Two (d) Three — Answer: (b) (U)
Q7. (Puzzle 3) Who meets on 25 December? (a) G (b) A (c) C (d) D — Answer: (b)
Q8. (Puzzle 3) Who meets immediately before D? (a) H (b) B (c) F (d) E — Answer: (b)
Q9. (Puzzle 3) How many persons meet on the 25th of a month in the second half of the year (July–December)? (a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4 — Answer: (b) (C on 25 September and A on 25 December)
Q10. (Puzzle 4) Whose birthday is in January? (a) J (b) K (c) M (d) N — Answer: (c)
Q11. (Puzzle 4) Which colour does O like? (a) Blue (b) Black (c) Pink (d) Red — Answer: (b)
Q12. (Puzzle 4) Who has a birthday immediately before L? (a) N (b) K (c) J (d) M — Answer: (a)
Month Based Puzzle FAQs
What is a month based puzzle in reasoning?
It is a scheduling puzzle where persons or events are placed in months of a year, sometimes with dates or another variable, using clues about order, gaps and month properties.
How do I solve month based puzzles quickly in bank exams?
Draw months top to bottom, place fixed clues first, branch on "between" clues, then use negative clues to eliminate cases. Aim for under 5 minutes per Prelims set.
Which months have 31 days?
January, March, May, July, August, October and December.
Were month based puzzles asked in SBI PO 2026?
Yes. Candidates reported month-based scheduling puzzles in SBI PO Prelims shifts on 1–2 August 2026, along with floor-flat, box and parallel-row puzzles.
How is a month + date puzzle different?
Each month has two (or more) dates, so every date is a separate slot. "Between" and "before" are counted across all date slots in order.
Practice Next
- Practise scheduling puzzles in the IBPS RRB PO Puzzle Mock Test 04 and IBPS RRB Clerk Puzzle Mock Test 03 (each has a day-of-week puzzle).
- Puzzle tests: SBI PO Puzzle and Seating Mock Test 08, IBPS PO Puzzle and Seating Mock Test 08, SBI Clerk Puzzle and Seating Mock Test 07, IBPS RRB PO Puzzle Mock Test 02.
- More puzzle methods: floor puzzle questions, box puzzle questions, linear seating arrangement, circular seating arrangement tricks, calendar odd days trick.
- Exam patterns: SBI PO syllabus and exam pattern.
- Browse all study notes.