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Constraint puzzles solved by ticking and crossing a grid. Each one gives you a small cast, a set of attributes, and clues that never state the whole answer, so you close the board by elimination, negative inference, and, at the top of the ladder, a hypothesis you deliberately break.
Constraint tracking
Systematic elimination
Negative inference
Grid notation
25 puzzles · about 70 minutes end to end, as a guide only · untimed
OFFLINE PRACTICE
25 items25 authored hints
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The puzzles below run in difficulty order, easiest first. Each one checks on its own and shows its explanation straight away, so you get the method for one rung before you attempt the next.
Work through the ladder in order. The early puzzles teach the notation the later ones assume. Sketch the grid, tick a cell when a clue confirms a pairing, and cross the rest of that cell's row and column straight away; most of the work in a logic grid is done by the crosses, not the ticks. Nothing here is timed, and checking an answer shows you the method, so read the explanation even when you were right.
Your selections and mode are saved on this device so a reload can resume this category.
Iris and Owen each collect one drink from the counter. Which pairing satisfies both clues?
| Row | Tea | Coffee |
|---|---|---|
| Iris | blank | blank |
| Owen | blank | blank |
Clues
Start from the clue that rules something out. With only two drinks on the board, it settles everything.
Two houses on the same lane are repainted, one in green and one in cream. Which pairing fits the clues?
| Row | Green | Cream |
|---|---|---|
| House 4 | blank | blank |
| House 6 | blank | blank |
Clues
One clue fills a cell on its own. Place that tick first, then see what it removes from the rest of the grid.
Two runners finish a short race. Using the clues, which pairing of runners to places is correct?
| Row | First | Second |
|---|---|---|
| Priya | blank | blank |
| Ravi | blank | blank |
Clues
Turn the comparison into a plain ordering, who is ahead of whom, before you touch the grid.
A striped box and a plain box sit on a shelf. One holds a ribbon and the other holds buttons. Which pairing is correct?
| Row | Ribbon | Buttons |
|---|---|---|
| Striped box | blank | blank |
| Plain box | blank | blank |
Clues
Rewrite the negative clue as a positive statement about the other box before you fill anything in.
A shop runs an early shift starting at 7am and a late shift starting at 2pm. Hana and Marek cover one shift each. Which rota fits the clues?
| Row | Early shift (7am) | Late shift (2pm) |
|---|---|---|
| Hana | blank | blank |
| Marek | blank | blank |
Clues
Convert the sentence about when Hana can start into a cross in one cell, then read the grid.
Bea, Callum and Dilan each take one piece of fruit from a bowl holding an apple, a pear and a plum. Which set of pairings is correct?
| Row | Apple | Pear | Plum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bea | blank | blank | blank |
| Callum | blank | blank | blank |
| Dilan | blank | blank | blank |
Clues
Two of the three fruits are handed out directly. Count what is left rather than reasoning about it.
A hire firm keeps a hatchback, an estate and a van, each a different colour: silver, navy or red. Which set of pairings is correct?
| Row | Silver | Navy | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchback | blank | blank | blank |
| Estate | blank | blank | blank |
| Van | blank | blank | blank |
Clues
Place the vehicle whose colour is stated outright, then re-read the exclusion against what remains.
Books, plants and tiles are delivered to a workshop on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, one delivery a day. Which set of pairings is correct?
| Row | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Books | blank | blank | blank |
| Plants | blank | blank | blank |
| Tiles | blank | blank | blank |
Clues
Fix the delivery whose day is stated, then apply the ordering clue only to the days still open.
Eve, Femi and Grace each own one of a cat, a rabbit and a parrot. Every clue below is a denial. Which set of pairings is correct?
| Row | Cat | Rabbit | Parrot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eve | blank | blank | blank |
| Femi | blank | blank | blank |
| Grace | blank | blank | blank |
Clues
Two clues talk about the same pet. Read down that column and count how many owners are ruled out.
Ines, Jonah and Kemi have desks on the first, second and third floors of the same building, one desk to a floor. Which set of pairings is correct?
| Row | First floor | Second floor | Third floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ines | blank | blank | blank |
| Jonah | blank | blank | blank |
| Kemi | blank | blank | blank |
Clues
Place the desk whose floor is stated first; the comparison then has only two floors to sort out.
The Larks, the Otters and the Swifts scored 12, 18 and 24 points in a quiz, in some order. Which set of pairings is correct?
| Row | 12 points | 18 points | 24 points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larks | blank | blank | blank |
| Otters | blank | blank | blank |
| Swifts | blank | blank | blank |
Clues
Superlatives name a single cell. Work out what scoring the most can only mean before reading on.
Amara, Bo and Cleo each study one subject and each attend on one day. Which subject does Bo study, and on which day does Bo attend?
| Row | Subject | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Amara | blank | blank |
| Bo | blank | blank |
| Cleo | blank | blank |
Clues
No clue here links a subject to a day. Solve the two attributes as separate grids, then read them together.
Dara, Esme and Frank each run one shop selling one product on one street. What does Dara sell, and on which street does that shop stand?
| Row | Product | Street |
|---|---|---|
| Dara | blank | blank |
| Esme | blank | blank |
| Frank | blank | blank |
Clues
One clue crosses out a product-and-street pairing. Work out which shopkeeper stands on that street.
Rosa, Sami and Tomas each play one instrument and each live in one town. Which instrument does Sami play, and in which town does Sami live?
| Row | Instrument | Town |
|---|---|---|
| Rosa | blank | blank |
| Sami | blank | blank |
| Tomas | blank | blank |
Clues
One clue names an instrument and a town but no person. Work out who plays that instrument first.
Three trains leave a station at 09:10, 09:25 and 09:40, each from a different platform and each to a different town. From which platform does the 09:40 leave, and where is it going?
| Row | Platform | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| 09:10 | blank | blank |
| 09:25 | blank | blank |
| 09:40 | blank | blank |
Clues
Work out which two platforms are still in play before you use the higher-and-lower comparison.
Iva, Jae and Kit each use one of lockers 1, 2 and 3, and each locker holds one item. Which locker does Jae use, and what is inside it?
| Row | Locker | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Iva | blank | blank |
| Jae | blank | blank |
| Kit | blank | blank |
Clues
One clue rules the same person out of two lockers. Mark both crosses before you read anything else.
Lena, Mo and Nils have appointments at 10:00, 10:30 and 11:00, one each. Who is seen at 10:30, and who is seen at 11:00?
| Row | 10:00 | 10:30 | 11:00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lena | blank | blank | blank |
| Mo | blank | blank | blank |
| Nils | blank | blank | blank |
Clues
Treat the two consecutive appointments as one block and list every position that block could occupy.
A block has one flat on each of floors 1 to 4, and Priya, Quinn, Rafe and Suki live one to a flat. Who lives on the top floor?
| Row | Priya | Quinn | Rafe | Suki |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor 4 (top) | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Floor 3 | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Floor 2 | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Floor 1 | blank | blank | blank | blank |
Clues
The person on the top floor is never named by any clue. Place everyone who is named and see who is left over.
Tara, Ubaid, Vera and Wren each took one role and each scored 61, 68, 74 or 80 on a shared exercise. Which role did Vera take, and what did she score?
| Row | Score | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Tara | blank | blank |
| Ubaid | blank | blank |
| Vera | blank | blank |
| Wren | blank | blank |
Clues
That comparison carries two restrictions at once. Write both of them down before you place any score.
Four books (Salt Road, Winter Ledger, Paper Kites and Quiet Fen) each have a different author and a different genre. Who wrote the romance, and which book is it?
| Row | Author | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Salt Road | blank | blank |
| Winter Ledger | blank | blank |
| Paper Kites | blank | blank |
| Quiet Fen | blank | blank |
Clues
Split the neither-nor clue into two separate crosses and see which title is left holding history.
Four market stalls stand in a row at positions 1 to 4, counting from the entrance. Which stall is at position 2?
| Row | Bread | Cheese | Flowers | Honey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position 1 | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Position 2 | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Position 3 | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Position 4 | blank | blank | blank | blank |
Clues
Two stalls must stand side by side. List every place that pair could sit, then test each against the rest.
A team runs a survey, a rebuild, an audit and a launch. Each has a different lead and is due in a different month. Which project does Nia lead, and when is it due?
| Row | Lead | Due month |
|---|---|---|
| Survey | blank | blank |
| Rebuild | blank | blank |
| Audit | blank | blank |
| Launch | blank | blank |
Clues
One clue closes two months for the same project. Shrink that project's row first, then test what remains.
Anya, Boris, Cato and Dena each work in one of labs 1 to 4 and each study one topic. Which topic does Boris study, and in which lab?
| Row | Lab | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Anya | blank | blank |
| Boris | blank | blank |
| Cato | blank | blank |
| Dena | blank | blank |
Clues
One clue is an if-then. Check whether its second half is already false before you try to use its first half.
Four flights each leave from a different gate at a different time. The timetable below has exactly one solution, and exactly one of the last four clues can be deleted without making it ambiguous. Which clue is that?
| Row | Gate | Departure |
|---|---|---|
| Ardal flight | blank | blank |
| Brenn flight | blank | blank |
| Corve flight | blank | blank |
| Duns flight | blank | blank |
Clues
Delete one clue at a time and ask whether the timetable still has exactly one solution without it.
Four households each live on a different street and keep a different vehicle. Which household keeps the bicycle, and on which street do they live?
| Row | Street | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| Ahern | blank | blank |
| Brill | blank | blank |
| Cowan | blank | blank |
| Dray | blank | blank |
Clues
Nothing is placed outright. Take one half of the either-or clue as true and follow it until something breaks.
Each category maps onto the shared aptitude constructs, so a puzzle that interests you has a lesson and a larger practice bank behind it:
Applying stated rules and constraints to reach valid conclusions.
Conditional logic, syllogisms, ordering, grouping, argument structure, and constraint problems.
Selecting methods, combining information, troubleshooting, and reaching practical solutions.
Planning and scheduling exercises
Resources, dependencies, deadlines, constraints, and contingency planning.
Evaluating evidence, assumptions, arguments, credibility, and alternative explanations.
Synthesizing multiple documents and making a reasoned recommendation.