Top 25 Puzzles Asked in Interviews

Puzzles aren’t just a brain workout - they’re a staple in interview rooms, exam halls, and competitive placements. From tech companies like Google and Amazon to exams like CAT, UPSC, and SSC, logic puzzles are used to test:

  • Your reasoning ability
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Presence of mind under pressure

So, we curated the 25 most popular and frequently asked puzzles, complete with clean visuals that are easy to share, understand, and use.

Puzzles for Interviews and Exams

No.PuzzleDescription
1The River Crossing PuzzleA farmer needs to transport a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across a river. He has a boat that can carry only him and one other item at a time. How can he do it without leaving the wolf alone with the goat or the goat alone with the cabbage?
2The Two Jug ProblemYou have a 3-liter jug and a 5-liter jug. How can you measure exactly 4 liters of water using these two jugs?
3The Missing Dollar RiddleThree people check into a hotel room that costs $30. They each contribute $10. Later, the hotel realizes the room was only $25 and gives $5 back. The bellboy can't split the $5 evenly, so he gives $1 to each person and keeps $2 for himself. Each person paid $9, totaling $27. Adding the $2 kept by the bellboy makes $29. Where is the missing dollar?
4The Light Switch PuzzleYou are in a room with three light switches that correspond to three light bulbs in another room. You can only go into the other room once. How do you determine which switch corresponds to which bulb?
5The Coin Weighing PuzzleYou have 12 coins, and one of them is fake (heavier or lighter). You have a balance scale and can use it three times. How do you identify the fake coin?
6The Chessboard PuzzleYou have a standard 8x8 chessboard with two diagonally opposite corners removed. Can you cover the remaining board with 31 dominoes (each covering two squares)?
7The Frog and the WellA frog is at the bottom of a 20-meter well. It can jump 3 meters up but slides back 2 meters after each jump. How many jumps does it take for the frog to reach the top?
8The Monty Hall ProblemYou're on a game show with three doors: behind one is a car, and behind the others are goats. You choose a door, and the host, who knows what's behind the doors, opens another door revealing a goat. You are then given a chance to switch your choice. Should you switch, and why?
9The Birthday ParadoxIn a room of 23 people, what is the probability that at least two people share the same birthday?
10The Crossing Bridge PuzzleFour people need to cross a bridge at night with one flashlight. They can only cross two at a time, and they take 1, 2, 5, and 10 minutes respectively to cross. When two people cross, they must go at the slower person's pace. How do they all get across in 17 minutes?
11The Three Switches PuzzleYou are in a room with three switches. One of the switches controls a light bulb in another room. You can only check the bulb once. How can you determine which switch controls the bulb?
12The Camel and Bananas PuzzleA camel must transport 3000 bananas across a 1000-mile desert. The camel can carry a maximum of 1000 bananas at a time and eats one banana every mile it walks. What is the maximum number of bananas the camel can transport across the desert?
13The Handshake PuzzleAt a party, everyone shook hands with everybody else. There were 66 handshakes. How many people were at the party?
14The Hourglass PuzzleYou have a 4-minute hourglass and a 7-minute hourglass. How can you measure exactly 9 minutes?
15The Apple Basket PuzzleYou have 10 baskets, each with 10 apples. Each apple weighs 1 kg, except one basket where each apple weighs 0.9 kg. How do you find the basket with the lighter apples using a digital scale only once?
16The Egg Drop PuzzleYou have two identical eggs and access to a 100-story building. The eggs break if dropped from a certain floor and above. How do you find the highest floor from which you can drop an egg without breaking it, using the fewest drops?
17The Wolf, Goat, and Cabbage PuzzleA farmer needs to get a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across a river. He has a boat that can carry only him and one other item at a time. How does he do it without leaving the wolf alone with the goat or the goat alone with the cabbage?
18The Rope Burning PuzzleYou have two ropes and a lighter. Each rope takes exactly one hour to burn, but they do not burn at a constant rate. How do you measure exactly 45 minutes?
19The Manhole Cover PuzzleWhy are manhole covers round?
20The Chicken and Egg ProblemWhich came first, the chicken or the egg?
21The Fish Weighing PuzzleYou have a fish that weighs 12 grams plus half of its own weight. How much does the fish weigh?
22The Two Sons RiddleA man is looking at a picture of someone. His friend asks, "Who is it you are looking at?" The man replies, "Brothers and sisters I have none, but that man's father is my father's son." Who is in the picture?
23The Frog and Stones PuzzleThere are 10 stones in a row. A frog can jump over one or two stones. How many different ways can the frog reach the 10th stone?
24The Light Bulbs in a Row PuzzleYou have 100 light bulbs in a row, all initially turned off. You toggle every second bulb, then every third bulb, and so on until you toggle the 100th bulb. How many bulbs are left on?
25The Farmer and the Three Sons PuzzleA farmer wants to divide his 17 horses among his three sons. He wants to give half to the first son, one-third to the second son, and one-ninth to the third son. How does he do it without cutting any horses?

FAQs about Puzzles

Q. What are the most asked puzzles in interviews?
Top puzzles include the Egg Dropping Puzzle, Monty Hall Problem, Bridge and Torch Puzzle, and the 100 Light Bulbs Puzzle.

Q. Are puzzles asked in coding interviews or government exams?
Yes. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon love to use puzzles. Exams like CAT, UPSC, and SSC use them to test logical reasoning and aptitude.

Q. Where can I practice puzzles with visuals and answers?
Right here on Scholar247.org! We provide clean visual puzzles with answers coming soon. Bookmark this list.

Puzzles

6342

824

Related Articles