Logic Grid Puzzles for CLAT | Ticks, Crosses, Squeeze

📑 On this page

⚡ The 20-second answer

A grid puzzle pairs people with things, days or places. Draw one grid, put a ✓ for every fact and an ✗ for every impossibility, and remember that one ✓ crosses out the rest of its row and column. Linked clues carry facts between groups. The #1 trap: treating 'not stated' as 'false'.

🎬 The 30-second story

The canteen order mix-up

“Four orders, four rooms, and the slips blew away.”

🛵

Kabir

Kabir's delivery boy reaches Meher's hostel with no names.

“Room 12 always orders Maggi. Guess the rest.”

🍜

Aarav

Aarav, helpful as ever.

“Room 9 is veg: no chicken roll. Maggi is Room 12's. That leaves…”

📝

Meher

Meher draws a grid on a tissue.

“Three crosses in a row? The fourth cell is a tick.”

✅

Zoya

All four orders delivered, nothing guessed.

Tara's verdict: You rarely get told the answer; you get told what's impossible. The ✗s squeeze out the ✓s.

How does CLAT word grid puzzle questions?

A grid set gives a cast, lists to match and five or six clues. Every question then reads your finished grid.

Stem you'll see	What it really asks	First move
"Who gifted the watch?" (2018 Q124)	One ✓ in that column.	Finish the grid, then read.
"Which day is Mathematics day?" (2019 Q24)	Days are another list.	Days as rows.
"…motor cycle, jeep and lorry but not bus?" (2019 Q8)	Many ✓ per person.	Tick skills, filter.
"Who can speak… English, Hindi and Bengali?" (2020 Q129)	Only what's proved.	Blank ≠ ✗.

→ scroll to see more

What is a logic grid and why does it work?

A grid lists every possible pairing: rows are people, each column group one list, each cell a yes-or-no question. If everyone gets one item, each row and column of that group ends with exactly one ✓.

🧮 The formula

The squeeze that solves every grid

✗

Three crosses in a row

in a 4-column group

🔒

One item each

one-to-one matching

✓

The fourth cell is a tick

and that tick crosses its column

📌 One ✓ writes up to eight ✗s

In a 5 × 5 group, one ✓ crosses 4 cells in its row and 4 in its column. Write the crosses with the tick: most stuck students simply haven't.

How do you solve a logic grid puzzle step by step?

1
Build the grid
People down the side, one column group per list.
2
Direct clues
'Avantika gifted the shirt' = ✓, then cross its row and column. 'Darshan did not gift a watch' = one ✗.
3
Linked clues
'The jacket giver received goggles' joins two groups. Hold it until one side is known.
4
Squeeze and branch
One empty cell left in a row or column? It's a ✓. Stuck? Try both sides of an either–or; one dies.
5
Answer from the grid
Check each clue once, then read every answer off the grid.

Which clue types and traps should you expect?

CLAT grids mix five clue types. Spot the type and you know the move.

🧩 At a glance

Five clue types

✓Direct yes

Tick, then cross the row and column.

✗Direct no

One cross. Weak alone, deadly in groups.

🔗Linked

'The jacket giver received goggles.' Join the groups.

🔀Either–or

'A diary or a bag.' Cross the rest; branch if needed.

📅Order

'Biology the day after Chemistry.' A block that slides.

The 'not stated' trap

A cell no clue touches stays blank, not ✗. CLAT 2020 tested exactly this: answer 'who can' from proved ticks only.

One-to-one vs many-to-many

'Each gifted a different article' means one ✓ per row and column, so the squeeze works. 'P and Q are good in driving motorcycle and jeep' lets anyone tick many columns: no squeeze, just list and filter.

⚠️ Two people, not one

'Neither Ritwik nor Darshan gifted the jacket but the person who did received goggles' gives two ✗s plus a link: Jacket ↔ Goggles.

Logic puzzles solved step by step

✍️ Worked example Warm-up ⏱ 30 sec

Three roommates, three snacks

Meher, Zoya and Tara each eat a different midnight snack: Maggi, samosa or momos. Meher hates samosa. Zoya eats neither Maggi nor momos. Tara never eats Maggi. Who eats what?

1
Build: 3 × 3 grid.
2
Direct: Zoya has two ✗, so Zoya = samosa ✓.
3
Squeeze: Tara: not Maggi, not samosa (Zoya's) = momos. Meher gets Maggi.

Answer: Meher Maggi, Zoya samosa, Tara momos

⚡ The exam-hall shortcut

Start with the person who has the most ✗s.

✍️ Worked example CLAT level ⏱ 75 sec

Fest week

Aarav, Kabir, Rohan and Zoya each perform one event (Debate, Quiz, Dance, Music) on a different day, Monday to Thursday. Zoya performs on Tuesday, not in Dance. Rohan performs the day after Kabir. Debate is on Thursday. Aarav does neither Music nor Debate. Quiz is on Monday. Who dances, and when?

1
Direct: Zoya = Tuesday.
2
Order: of Mon, Wed, Thu only Wed–Thu are back to back: Kabir Wed, Rohan Thu, Aarav Mon.
3
Linked: Debate (Thu) = Rohan; Quiz (Mon) = Aarav.
4
Squeeze: Zoya isn't Dance, so Music; Kabir dances.

Answer: Kabir, on Wednesday

⚡ The exam-hall shortcut

Order clues fix themselves once a day is taken.

🧩 Logic grid

Fest week: events and days

	Event				Day
	Debate	Quiz	Dance	Music	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu
Aarav		✓			✓
Kabir			✓				✓
Rohan	✓							✓
Zoya			✗	✓		✓

all 5 clues applied

1. Zoya: Tuesday, not Dance.
2. Kabir, then Rohan: only Wed–Thu are free and back to back.
3. Debate is on Thursday: Rohan.
4. Quiz is on Monday: Aarav.
5. Zoya isn't Dance: Music. Kabir dances.

Solved: Aarav Quiz Mon · Zoya Music Tue · Kabir Dance Wed · Rohan Debate Thu.

Ticks only: each tick rules out the rest of its row and column.

✍️ Worked example Tricky ⏱ 90 sec

Phone covers and home towns

Meher, Tara, Isha and Nidhi have different phone covers (red, blue, green, black) and come from different cities (Delhi, Pune, Jaipur, Patna). Either Meher or Isha has red. The Pune girl has blue. Tara is from Delhi and doesn't use black. Isha is from neither Pune nor Jaipur. The Jaipur girl doesn't use black. Who has black, and where is she from?

1
Direct: Tara (Delhi) isn't black, red or blue (Pune's): green. Isha = Patna.
2
Branch: if Isha has red, Meher and Nidhi split Pune–blue and Jaipur–black, but Jaipur can't be black. Dead.
3
Squeeze: Meher red, so not Pune: Jaipur. Nidhi = Pune, blue. Isha = black.

Answer: Isha, from Patna

⚡ The exam-hall shortcut

An either–or clue is a ready-made branch.

🧩 Logic grid

Phone covers and home towns

	Cover				From
	Red	Blue	Green	Black	Delhi	Pune	Jaipur	Patna
Meher	✓					✗	✓
Tara	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓
Isha				✓				✓
Nidhi	✗	✓				✓

all 5 clues applied

1. Tara: Delhi, not black. Red is Meher's or Isha's.
2. Blue belongs to Pune, so Tara has green.
3. Isha: not Pune, Jaipur or Delhi. Patna.
4. Branch: Isha red forces Jaipur–black. Dead. Meher red, so Jaipur.
5. Nidhi: Pune, blue. Isha: black.

Solved: Meher red, Jaipur · Tara green, Delhi · Isha black, Patna · Nidhi blue, Pune.

✓ = confirmed, ✗ = ruled out. Step through the clues to watch the grid fill.

How has CLAT asked grid puzzles?

2018 set a six-question gift grid; 2019 set a vehicles grid and a weekly schedule; 2020 slipped a language grid into a passage set.

📝 Asked in CLAT 2018 · Q124 One-to-one grid, two groups

Chetan invited five of his friends, namely Ritwik, Avantika, Darshan, Parul and Shweta to his birthday party. Each of the five friends gifted Chetan a different article – a jacket, a watch, a shirt, a video game and a headphone. As a return gift, Chetan gifted each of them a different article – goggles, a bag, a pen, a mobile case and a diary. i. Avantika gifted the shirt but did not receive a bag in return. ii. Shweta did not gift the headphone but received the mobile case in return. iii. Neither Ritwik nor Darshan gifted the jacket but the person who did gift it, received the goggles in return. iv. The person who gifted the video game received a diary or a bag. v. Darshan did not gift a watch but received a pen in return. vi. Neither Shweta gifted a video game nor did Ritwik received a diary in return.

Who gifted the watch?

AShweta

BDarshan

CRitwik

DParul

Reveal answer + reasoning

Answer: A

Step through the grid below. Parul gave the jacket (clue iii). Shweta can't give the shirt, headphone, game or jacket, so the watch. The same grid answers Q125–129 (key: Parul; Ritwik – game; Darshan; Avantika – diary; video game).

Why the others fail

B — Clue (v) says Darshan did not gift a watch.
C — Ritwik gave the video game: he's the only one left who could get a bag or diary.
D — Parul gave the jacket.

🧩 Logic grid

CLAT 2018 Q124–129: the birthday gifts, clue by clue

	Gifted					Received
	Jacket	Watch	Shirt	Game	Headphone	Goggles	Bag	Pen	Case	Diary
Ritwik	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗
Avantika	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓
Darshan	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
Parul	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
Shweta	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗

all 8 clues applied

1. (i) Avantika gifted the shirt, and got no bag.
2. (ii) Shweta got the mobile case and didn't gift the headphone.
3. (v) Darshan got the pen and didn't gift the watch.
4. (vi) Shweta didn't gift the game; Ritwik got no diary.
5. (iii) Jacket giver got goggles: not Ritwik, Darshan, Avantika (shirt) or Shweta (case). Parul.
6. Squeeze: Avantika gets the diary, Ritwik the bag.
7. Shweta's only gift left is the watch.
8. (iv) The game giver got a diary or bag, so not Darshan (pen). Darshan: headphone. Ritwik: game.

Solved: Ritwik: game, bag · Avantika: shirt, diary · Darshan: headphone, pen · Parul: jacket, goggles · Shweta: watch, case.

✓ = confirmed, ✗ = ruled out. Step through the clues to watch the grid fill.

📝 Asked in CLAT 2019 · Q21 Days as a grid

(i) Mohan's reading schedule consists of reading only subject on a given day of the week. (ii) The subjects are Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, and Social Science. (iii) Monday to Saturday are reading days including one day only for play. Sunday is a complete holiday for Mohan. (iv) Mathematics day is neither on the first day nor on the last day but earlier than the Chemistry day. (v) Biology day is on the immediate next day of Chemistry day. (vi) Physics day is on the immediate previous day of the play day. (vii) Biology day and Social Science day have a gap of two days between them. (viii) Social Science day is on the immediate next day of the play day.

Which of the following day is the play day?

AMonday

BTuesday

CWednesday

DThursday

Reveal answer + reasoning

Answer: B

Our solution (2019 has no official key). Physics–Play–Social Science is a three-day block; Chemistry–Biology a two-day block. Maths can't be Monday and Biology can't be, so Physics is Monday and Play Tuesday. Then Social Science Wednesday, Biology Saturday, Chemistry Friday, Maths Thursday (Q22–24).

Why the others fail

A — Play needs Physics the day before, so it can't be Monday.
C — Wednesday is Social Science.
D — Thursday is Maths.

🧩 Logic grid

CLAT 2019 Q21–25: Mohan's week (our solution)

	Day's slot
	Phy	Chem	Maths	Bio	SocSci	Play
Mon	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
Tue				✗	✗	✓
Wed					✓
Thu			✓
Fri	✗	✓
Sat	✗		✗	✓		✗

all 4 clues applied

1. (iv) Maths is not on the first or last day.
2. (vi) + (viii) Physics, Play, Social Science are a three-day block.
3. (iv) + (v) Chemistry follows Maths; Biology follows Chemistry. Monday can only be Physics.
4. (vii) Biology is three days after Wednesday: Saturday. Chemistry Friday, Maths Thursday.

Solved: Mon Physics · Tue Play · Wed Social Science · Thu Maths · Fri Chemistry · Sat Biology.

✓ = confirmed, ✗ = ruled out. Step through the clues to watch the grid fill.

📝 Asked in CLAT 2020 · Q129 Many-to-many grid

Ananya and Krishna can speak and follow English. Bulbul can write and speak Hindi as Archana does. Archana talks with Ananya also in Bengali. Krishna cannot follow Bengali. Bulbul talks with Ananya in Hindi.

Who can speak and follow English, Hindi and Bengali?

AArchana

BBulbul

CKrishna

DAnanya

Reveal answer + reasoning

Answer: D

Ananya has English (stated), Bengali (Archana talks to her in it) and Hindi (Bulbul talks to her in it). Nobody else gets all three ticks; Archana's English is never stated, so it stays blank, not ✓.

Why the others fail

A — Archana: Hindi and Bengali proved; English never stated.
B — Bulbul: only Hindi proved.
C — Krishna cannot follow Bengali.

Which grid myths cost marks?

💥 Myth vs fact

Myth vs fact: grid puzzles

🙅 Myth

Negative clues are weak.

Tap to bust it →

✅ Fact

Three ✗s in a row of four is a ✓. Most grids are solved by crosses.

🙅 Myth

Not mentioned means no.

Tap to bust it →

✅ Fact

Not mentioned means unknown. CLAT 2020 built its answer on that gap.

🙅 Myth

I can answer each question from the clues directly.

Tap to bust it →

✅ Fact

You can, slowly and with errors. Build the grid once; six questions become six lookups.

Can you crack these five grids?

🎯 Quick quiz

Grid puzzle quiz

0 / 5

Q1. In a one-to-one 4 × 4 group, Riya's row has ✗ in three columns. What goes in the fourth?

Meher, Zoya, Tara and Isha, four hostel roommates, each take a different mock test in the same week before CLAT, one per day from Monday to Thursday, in different subjects: Legal, GK, English and Quant. Zoya's test is on Wednesday. The Quant test is two days after Meher's. Tara takes Legal, but not on Monday. The English test is on Thursday.

Q2. Which subject does Meher take?

Four regulars at Kabir's café, Aarav, Rohan, Dev and Sia, come in every evening straight after their coaching class. Each orders a different drink (chai, coffee, lassi, shake) and a different snack (samosa, toast, Maggi, pakora). Sia orders lassi with pakora. The coffee drinker eats toast. Aarav eats neither toast nor samosa. Dev doesn't eat toast. The chai drinker eats Maggi.

Q3. Who orders the shake?

Q4. Either A or B has the red pen. B has the blue pen. Each has one pen. Who has the red pen?

Q5. P and Q play guitar and drums. Q and R play drums and flute. Who plays both guitar and flute?

🎯 Grid puzzles in a nutshell

One grid for the whole set; questions are lookups.
Every ✓ crosses its row and column in that group.
Linked clues wait until one side is known, then copy across.
Three ✗ in four = ✓. Stuck? Branch the either–or.
Blank means unknown, never ✗.

📎 Cheat sheet

"each… a different…" → one-to-one grid → squeeze rows and columns.
"P and Q are good in…" → many-to-many → tick skills, filter.
"the person who did X received Y" → linked clue → join the groups.
"either… or…" → branch → test both cases.
"the day after / earlier than" → order block → slide it along the days.

Frequently asked questions

What is a logic grid puzzle?

A matching puzzle: clues pair people with items, days or places. You draw a table of every possible pairing, tick what is proved, cross what is impossible, and squeeze until each person has one tick per list. CLAT set these in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

How do I start a grid puzzle in CLAT?

Put the people down the side and one column group per list. Enter the direct clues first and cross the row and column of every tick. Then use linked clues to carry facts between groups. A row or column with one empty cell left gets a tick.

What do I do when the grid gets stuck?

Find an either–or clue or a person with two possible items. Assume one option and follow it until it breaks a clue or fits every clue. If it breaks, the other option is true. One case usually dies within two or three steps.

Does 'not mentioned' mean the person can't do it?

No. A cell no clue touches is unknown. In a one-to-one grid the squeeze may still fill it; in a skills grid it stays blank. 'Who can speak all three languages' wants the person whose ticks are proved, as CLAT 2020 Q129 showed with Ananya.