Puzzles — Prelims Strategy

Prelims Strategy

Read the question's requested conclusion before solving the full arrangement. If it asks which statement could be true, one verified witness may be enough; if it asks what must be true, compare all remaining valid cases. Do not spend time completing unrelated parts of a grid when the requested relation is already fixed.

Record fixed positions and required adjacent blocks first. Place exclusions visibly beside the relevant slots. When branching is necessary, label the cases and keep their deductions separate. Reject a branch by naming the clue it violates, rather than by its failure to resemble an expected answer. Recheck all original clues after completing any candidate arrangement.

Treat direction and quantifier words precisely. Before does not mean immediately before; at least does not mean exactly; a person's left depends on their facing direction. In a circle, fixing a reference person removes rotational duplicates but does not erase reflection differences when left and right matter. Use answer options to test propositions against the clues, not as permission to add an unstated condition.