Pariksha SaathiMatrix Puzzle Solved Questions
A matrix puzzle links two (or more) separate attributes to the same group of people — here, each person’s city AND profession — so every clue narrows down one grid while the other stays open, and the two grids only lock together once enough clues combine. Here’s the approach, one shared puzzle with six fully worked questions, and a few more to try yourself.
Written by Mahesh Srivastava, Founder of Pariksha Saathi. Published: 2026-10-05. Editorial standards & corrections
The approach, quickly
- Draw two grids (or one combined table): people down the side, cities across the top, professions across the top again — mark a clue with a tick (confirmed) or a cross (ruled out) in the matching cell as soon as you read it.
- A clue naming a person directly ("X lives in Delhi") fills a cell immediately. A clue linking two attributes ("the Doctor lives in Delhi") only fills a cell once you also know which person holds one of those two attributes.
- Work the direct clues first, then use elimination — once a person has one city ruled out, then another, then another, the last city left is confirmed, even without a clue stating it directly.
- Finish every grid with a count: four people, four cities, four professions — each used exactly once. If a city or profession is left unassigned at the end, a clue was misread.
- Treat both grids as connected, not separate puzzles — fixing one person’s city often rules out an option in the profession grid for a different person (via a clue linking the two), so re-scan both grids after every new fact rather than solving one grid fully before touching the other.
Worked examples
1. Four people — P, Q, R and S — each live in a different city (Delhi, Mumbai, Pune or Jaipur) and have a different profession (Doctor, Engineer, Teacher or Banker). The Doctor lives in Delhi. Q is the Engineer. R lives in Pune. S is not the Doctor and does not live in Delhi or Mumbai. The Teacher does not live in Jaipur. Who is the Doctor, and which city do they live in?
Solution
- Q is the Engineer (given directly), and R lives in Pune (given directly) — so R is not the Doctor, since the Doctor lives in Delhi.
- S is not the Doctor (given directly). That leaves only P who can be the Doctor.
- Since the Doctor lives in Delhi and P is the Doctor, P lives in Delhi.
Answer: P, Delhi
2. Using the same puzzle, which city does S live in?
Solution
- The four cities are Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Jaipur. Delhi is P’s and Pune is R’s.
- S does not live in Delhi or Mumbai, so of the two cities left for Q and S (Mumbai and Jaipur), S must take Jaipur.
- That leaves Mumbai for Q.
Answer: Jaipur
3. Using the same puzzle, what is R’s profession?
Solution
- The four professions are Doctor, Engineer, Teacher and Banker. P is the Doctor and Q is the Engineer, leaving Teacher and Banker for R and S.
- The Teacher does not live in Jaipur, and S lives in Jaipur — so S cannot be the Teacher, which makes S the Banker.
- That leaves Teacher for R.
Answer: Teacher
4. Using the same puzzle, which profession is paired with Mumbai?
Solution
- Mumbai belongs to Q.
- Q is the Engineer.
Answer: Engineer
5. Using the same puzzle, which profession is paired with Jaipur?
Solution
- Jaipur belongs to S.
- S is the Banker.
Answer: Banker
6. Using the same puzzle, how many people live in a city other than Delhi or Pune?
Solution
- Delhi is P’s city and Pune is R’s. The remaining cities, Mumbai and Jaipur, belong to Q and S — two people.
Answer: 2
Try these yourself
Using the same puzzle above, answer these, then check against the answer.
1. Using the same puzzle, what is P’s profession?
Answer: Doctor
2. Using the same puzzle, who is the Banker?
Answer: S
3. Using the same puzzle, which city is paired with the Teacher?
Answer: Pune
4. Using the same puzzle, which city is paired with the Engineer?
Answer: Mumbai
5. Using the same puzzle, who lives in Jaipur?
Answer: S
All 11 practice questions on Matrix Puzzle, with answers →
Where this comes up
Matrix Puzzle is a regular Reasoning topic in exams Pariksha Saathi covers — SSC CGL, SSC MTS, SSC CHSL, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO and SBI Clerk — often combined with seating arrangement as one of the tougher puzzle sets in the section.
Keep practising
Solve the questions above before opening the answers. Explain each step in your own words, then revisit any mistakes.
Go to practice questions →