Ordering, Ranking and Floor Puzzles
Turn comparison clues into one picture: a ranking line, a row of seats, a stack of floors or a time line. Mark what is confirmed, what is logically determined and what cannot be determined.
What it is
An ordering puzzle gives you a few people or things and clues that compare them: taller than, sits to the left of, lives above, comes before. You build the full order from the clues, then answer questions about it.
The exam uses four kinds:
- Ranking: age, height, score, years of service.
- Seating in a row: left, right, next to, between.
- Floors: above, below, directly above.
- Time order: before, after, first, last.
All four are solved the same way: draw a line, place the sure things first, and never place anything the clues do not force.
Why it matters on the exam
Ordering sets appear in the logic part of the Professional exam, usually as a short puzzle with two to four questions. One correct diagram answers every question in the set, and one wrong placement can cost you the whole set.
The same skill helps at work: ranking applicants, scheduling tasks in order, or assigning offices to floors.
- Abe
- Bea
- Cris
- Ella
The rest of this lesson, and every other lesson, is part of ReviewTayo.
Read moreIn the full lesson
- How to recognize it on the test
- What to look for (5 checks)
- All 5 rules and tools
- 4 worked examples, every step explained
- 6 common mistakes and how to fix them
- 3 exam techniques
- Remember: 5 key points
- Practice questions with explanations, and your progress saved
More Analytical Ability lessons
ReviewTayo has 47 lessons that follow the official scope of the exam, each with rules, worked examples, common mistakes and practice. Open one and read the first part.