Puzzles and seating arrangements are the part of bank-exam reasoning that decides who finishes comfortably and who runs out of time. Aspirants who struggle here rarely lack intelligence. They lack a method: they read the clues in the order given, try to hold everything in their head, and erase half the diagram when the third clue contradicts the first.
This guide gives you one repeatable method that works for every arrangement type, then applies it to 13 original worked examples. Each has a unique answer and every deduction has been checked step by step. Read the method first, then work each example on paper before reading the solution.
What these questions test and where they appear
In bank prelims (IBPS PO, SBI PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI Clerk and similar), the reasoning section is usually built around one or two large puzzle or seating sets plus a handful of smaller topics such as inequality, syllogism, coding-decoding and blood relations. The mains papers lean even more heavily on multi-variable puzzles. The exact number of questions, time limit and sectional timing change between exams and years, so check the latest notification of the exam you are preparing for.
SSC reasoning papers (CGL, CHSL and others) tend to use shorter, standalone questions. Full 5-question puzzle sets are less common there, but small arrangement questions, ranking, direction and order-based items still appear. The same method below works for them; you will simply apply it faster, on smaller data.
The universal method in six steps
- Read the whole set once, including the questions. Spend about ten seconds scanning the questions. If a question gives an extra condition (an "if" question), you will treat it separately later, so do not force it into the main diagram.
- Draw the empty structure first. A row of boxes, a circle with numbered seats, a table with columns, a six-line building. Label the fixed directions (north, south, top, bottom) before you place a single name.
- Sort the clues by strength. Process clues in this order: fixed facts ("A sits at the north end"), exact relations ("B is third to the right of A"), chain relations (A is above B, B is above C), negative clues ("C is not at an end") and either-or or conditional clues last.
- Place what is certain; pencil what is not. Use a small marker (a lightly written letter or a bracket) for possibilities. Never erase a possibility until a clue kills it.
- Re-scan the unused clues after every placement. A clue that was useless five minutes ago often becomes decisive after one new placement.
- Verify the finished arrangement against every clue. This takes about fifteen seconds and prevents the most common error: one misread clue that spoils the whole set.
Direction rules you must know cold
Almost every wrong answer in seating questions comes from left and right confusion. Memorise this small table.
| Situation | Left of a person is | Right of a person is |
|---|---|---|
| Person in a row facing north | West (the left end of your diagram) | East |
| Person in a row facing south | East | West |
| Circle, facing the centre | Clockwise side | Anticlockwise side |
| Circle, facing outside | Anticlockwise side | Clockwise side |
Also remember that "second to the right of X" means two seats away, and that in a two-row arrangement the rows face opposite ways, so their lefts and rights are mirror images.
Linear and double-row arrangements
A single row is the simplest type and the best place to learn the discipline of drawing positions first. Number the positions 1 to N from the left end of your diagram and use arithmetic: "second to the right of X" is position X + 2 when everyone faces north.
Example 1: single row
Six friends A, B, C, D, E and F sit in a row facing north. B sits immediately to the right of A. C sits second to the right of B. D sits third to the left of F. E sits somewhere between B and F. Who sits at position 4 from the left?
Solution. Number positions 1 to 6 from the left. Facing north, right means higher numbers. B is at A + 1, and C is at B + 2, so the chain is A, B, then one seat, then C: A(x), B(x+1), C(x+3). D is at F minus 3, so F is at 4 or higher: F is 4, 5 or 6. E lies strictly between B and F.
The block A, B, _, C needs four consecutive positions, so A is at 1, 2 or 3. Try A = 1: A1, B2, C4, leaving 3, 5, 6 for D, E, F. F at 6 gives D at 3, which leaves E at 5, between B (2) and F (6). That works. Try A = 2: A2, B3, C5; free seats are 1, 4, 6. F at 4 would put D at 1, but E must be between B (3) and F (4), with no seat between them. F at 6 puts D at 3, which is taken. No solution. Try A = 3: A3, B4, C6; free seats 1, 2, 5, and F must be at 4 or higher, so F = 5, D = 2, but E needs to be between B (4) and F (5): no seat. No solution.
The only arrangement is A, B, D, C, E, F. The person at position 4 is C. Check: B is right of A (positions 1, 2). C (4) is second to the right of B (2). D (3) is third to the left of F (6). E (5) lies between B (2) and F (6). All four clues hold.
Double-row arrangements add one idea: the two rows face each other, so one faces north and the other faces south. Fix one reference frame (west to east on your page) and write the facing rule for each row beside it.
Example 2: double row
Eight people sit in two rows of four. Row 1 has A, B, C and D, all facing south. Row 2 has E, F, G and H, all facing north. A sits at the east end of Row 1. B sits second to the right of A. C sits immediate right of A. E faces B. H sits immediate right of E. F faces A. Who sits opposite C, and who sits second to the right of G?
Solution. Use positions 1 to 4 from west to east. Row 1 faces south, so right means west (lower numbers). A is at 4. B, second to the right of A, is at 2. C, immediate right of A, is at 3. By elimination D is at 1.
Row 2 faces north, so right means east. E faces B, so E is at 2. H is immediate right of E, so H is at 3. F faces A, so F is at 4. By elimination G is at 1.
West to east, Row 1 is D, B, C, A and Row 2 is G, E, H, F. The person opposite C (position 3) is H. Second to the right of G (facing north, so east) is position 3, which is also H. Both answers being H is a coincidence, not an error.
Circular, square and rectangular tables
For circles, number the seats 0 to N minus 1 going clockwise. When everyone faces the centre, left is clockwise (the plus direction) and right is anticlockwise (the minus direction). Opposite seats differ by half the total.
Example 3: circle, facing centre
Eight people A to H sit around a circular table facing the centre. B sits third to the right of A. C sits opposite B. D sits immediate left of C. E sits second to the left of D. H sits immediate right of A. G is a neighbour of B. Who sits opposite A, and who sits between B and H when counted the short way round?
Solution. Put A at seat 0. Right is anticlockwise, so B is at 0 minus 3, which is seat 5. C is opposite B: seat 1. D is immediate left of C: seat 2. E is second to the left of D: seat 4. H is immediate right of A: seat 7. G is a neighbour of B (seat 5), so G is at 4 or 6; seat 4 is E, so G is at seat 6. F gets the last seat, 3. Clockwise from A: A, C, D, F, E, B, G, H.
The person opposite A (seat 0) is at seat 4: E. Between B (5) and H (7) the short way round is seat 6, so G sits between them. Always read whether a question means the shorter arc or a specific arc.
Example 4: circle with mixed facing
Six people P, Q, R, S, T and U sit around a circle. P faces the centre. Q sits immediate left of P and faces outside. R sits second to the right of P and faces the same direction as P. S sits opposite P and faces outside. T sits immediate left of R and faces outside. U sits between Q and S and faces the centre. Who sits second to the right of T?
Solution. Seats 0 to 5 clockwise; P at 0 facing in. P faces the centre, so left is clockwise: Q is at 1, facing out. R is second to the right of P, so anticlockwise by two: seat 4, facing in. S is opposite P: seat 3, facing out. R faces the centre, so its left is clockwise: T is at seat 5, facing out. U sits between Q (1) and S (3): seat 2, facing in.
T faces outside, so its right is the clockwise side: seat 5, then 0, then 1. Second to the right of T is seat 1, which is Q. Note that Q faces outside, so Q's left is P, and P's left is Q: two neighbours facing opposite ways can each be on the other's left.
Example 5: square table
Eight people A to H sit around a square table. Four sit at the corners facing outside and four at the middle of the sides facing the centre. A sits at the north-west corner. B sits second to the right of A. C sits immediate left of B and faces the centre. D sits opposite B. E sits immediate left of D. F sits second to the right of E. H faces the centre. Who sits immediate right of G?
Solution. Seats clockwise from the north-west corner: 0 NW corner, 1 north side, 2 NE corner, 3 east side, 4 SE corner, 5 south side, 6 SW corner, 7 west side. A is at seat 0 facing outside, so right is clockwise. B, second to the right, is at seat 2 (NE corner). C is immediate left of B; B faces outside, so left is anticlockwise: seat 1, which is a side seat, matching "faces the centre".
D is opposite B: seat 6. E is immediate left of D (D faces outside): seat 5. E faces the centre, so its right is anticlockwise: F, second to the right, is at seat 3. Seats 4 and 7 remain for G and H. H faces the centre, so H takes the side seat 7 and G the corner seat 4. G faces outside, so its right is clockwise: seat 5, which is E. Clockwise order: A, C, B, F, G, E, D, H.
Example 6: rectangular table
Six people A to F sit around a rectangular table, two on each long side and one at each short end, all facing the centre. C sits at the east end. F sits opposite C. B sits immediate right of C. A sits immediate right of B. E faces A. D sits immediate left of C. Who sits at the south-east position, and who faces D?
Solution. Label seats clockwise: 0 north-west, 1 north-east, 2 east end, 3 south-east, 4 south-west, 5 west end. C is at seat 2. F is opposite C: seat 5. C faces west, so its right is north: B is at seat 1. B faces south, so its right is west: A is at seat 0. E faces A, so E is at seat 4. C's left is south: D is at seat 3.
The south-east seat holds D, and seat 3 faces seat 1, so B faces D. Facing pairs: A with E, B with D, C with F.
Floor, box and schedule puzzles
These are linear arrangements in disguise. Floors: draw the building with floor 1 at the bottom. Boxes: position 1 is the top. Schedules: write Mon to Sat across the page. Watch "above" versus "directly above", and note that "exactly two floors between P and Q" means the numbers differ by 3.
Example 7: one person per floor
Six people P, Q, R, S, T and U live on six floors numbered 1 (bottom) to 6 (top), one per floor. T lives on the top floor. R lives immediately above U. Exactly two floors are between P and Q. S lives below P. Q lives above R. Who lives on the third floor?
Solution. T is on floor 6. P and Q differ by 3, so (P, Q) is (1, 4), (2, 5), (4, 1) or (5, 2). Q is above R, and R is above U, so Q is on floor 3 or higher; that removes (4, 1) and (5, 2). In (1, 4), P is on floor 1, but S must live below P, which is impossible. So Q is on 5, P on 2 and S on 1. U and R take floors 3 and 4 with R immediately above U: U on 3, R on 4. Q (5) is above R (4), as required. From the bottom: S, P, U, R, Q, T. The third floor is U.
Example 8: stack of six boxes
Six boxes A to F are stacked. C is at the bottom. B is immediately above A. Exactly one box lies between A and D, and D is below A. F is above B. E is not directly above C. Which box is at the top, and which is third from the top?
Solution. Number positions 1 (top) to 6 (bottom). C is at 6. B is at A minus 1. D is at A + 2, and D cannot be below position 5 because C is at 6, so A is at most 3. F is above B, so B is at 2 or lower, which makes A at 3 or lower. So A is at 3, B at 2, D at 5 and F at 1. Only position 4 is left, so E is there, which is not directly above C (6), as required. From the top: F, B, A, E, D, C. The top box is F; the third from the top is A.
Example 9: six speakers on six days
Six speakers P, Q, R, S, T and U give one talk each from Monday to Saturday. Q speaks two days after P. S speaks before P. T speaks on a day between P and Q. U speaks after Q. R speaks the day immediately after U. Who speaks on Wednesday?
Solution. Number Monday = 1 to Saturday = 6. Q is two days after P and T is between them, so P, T, Q fall on consecutive days. U is after Q, and R is immediately after U, so Q is at day 4 or earlier. S is before P, so P is day 2 or later. With Q = P + 2 at most 4, P is day 2, T day 3, Q day 4, and S day 1. U and R take days 5 and 6, with R right after U. Schedule: Mon S, Tue P, Wed T, Thu Q, Fri U, Sat R. Wednesday belongs to T.
Comparison and multi-variable puzzles
For ranking clues, merge statements into one line of letters by matching common letters. If two chains share no letter, their ends cannot be compared, and the answer is "cannot be determined". For puzzles with two or three attributes, build a grid with people down the side and attributes across the top, ticking certainties and crossing out exclusions.
Example 10: ranking and definite conclusions
P is taller than Q. Q is taller than or equal in height to R. S has the same height as R. T is shorter than S. Which conclusions must be true? I. P is taller than T. II. Q is taller than S. III. Q is taller than T. IV. P is taller than S.
Solution. Merge into one line: P > Q ≥ R = S > T. I: the chain contains a strict sign from P to Q, so P > T is true. II: Q ≥ R = S gives Q ≥ S only, so Q may equal S; not definite. III: Q ≥ S and S > T give Q > T, true. IV: P > Q ≥ R = S gives P > S, true. Conclusions I, III and IV follow; II does not.
Example 11: people, colours and cities
Four friends A, B, C and D each like a different colour (red, green, blue, yellow) and each live in a different city (Delhi, Goa, Patna, Surat). A does not like red. The person who likes green lives in Goa. B lives in Delhi. C likes yellow. A does not live in Patna. D does not like blue. A does not live in Surat. C does not live in Surat. Find each person's colour and city.
Solution. Cities first. B is in Delhi. A is not in Patna or Surat, and Delhi is taken, so A lives in Goa. The green-lover lives in Goa and only A lives there, so A likes green. C is not in Surat, and Delhi and Goa are taken, so C is in Patna and D is in Surat. C likes yellow and A likes green; D does not like blue, so D likes red and B likes blue. Final: A, green, Goa. B, blue, Delhi. C, yellow, Patna. D, red, Surat. Every clue checks.
Conditional and if-then clues
"If P is selected, then Q is selected" is equivalent to "if Q is not selected, then P is not selected" (the contrapositive). It is not equivalent to "if Q is selected, then P is selected". Many wrong answers come from reversing the arrow. The cleanest method is to split into cases on the person who appears in the most conditions.
Example 12: selecting a committee
A committee of exactly three is chosen from P, Q, R, S, T and U. (1) If P is chosen, Q must also be chosen. (2) R and S cannot both be chosen. (3) T and U cannot both be chosen. (4) Q can be chosen only if at least one of R and T is also chosen. List all valid committees, then decide who must be chosen if S is, and which pair can never be together.
Solution. Split on Q. Q not chosen: rule 1 removes P, so the three come from R, S, T and U. Every triple from these four contains R and S (RST, RSU) or T and U (RTU, STU), so all fail. Q chosen: rule 4 needs R or T. With P: P, Q and one of R, S, T, U. R works, S fails rule 4, T works, U fails rule 4: PQR and PQT. Without P: Q plus two from R, S, T, U. RS and TU are out. RT works, RU works (R satisfies rule 4), ST works (T satisfies rule 4), SU fails rule 4: QRT, QRU, QST.
Valid committees: PQR, PQT, QRT, QRU, QST. If S is chosen, the only committee is QST, so Q and T must also be chosen. Q is in all five. P and U never appear together.
Either-or and case-based clues
When a clue says "either A or B sits at the left end", run both cases to the end of the clue list. Usually one case collides with a later clue and dies. If both survive, the question will ask only about things common to both.
Example 13: two cases, one survivor
Seven people A to G sit in a row facing north. Either A or B sits at the left end. D sits third to the right of A. C sits immediately to the left of B. E sits immediately to the right of D. F sits to the left of G, and G sits to the left of C. B sits to the right of E. Who sits at the right end?
Solution. Number positions 1 to 7. Case 1: B at position 1. B must be right of E, so E would need a position left of 1. This fails. Case 2: A at position 1. D is at 4 and E at 5. B is right of E, so B is at 6 or 7. C is immediately left of B; if B were at 6, C would be at 5, which is E's seat. So B is at 7 and C at 6. F and G take 2 and 3, with F left of G: F at 2, G at 3, and G (3) is left of C (6). Order: A, F, G, D, E, C, B. The right end is B.
Which set to attempt first
The paper does not reward heroics on one hard puzzle. Use a thirty-second triage.
- Look for an anchor, a clue that fixes someone to an exact place ("T lives on the top floor"). Sets without one are slower.
- Count the variables. Names in a row are easier than name plus city plus colour.
- Check the question types. Five direct questions are worth more than a set where four begin with "if", because each "if" needs a redraw.
Attempt inequality and ranking items first, then anchored single-structure sets, circles facing one way and schedules. Leave multi-variable, mixed-facing and heavy conditional sets for last.
Time targets (a planning suggestion)
These are targets for your own practice, not official figures. Confirm sectional timing in the latest notification.
| Set type | Rough target for a 5-question set |
|---|---|
| Single row, floors or boxes with an anchor | 4 to 5 minutes |
| Circle, square or rectangle | 5 to 6 minutes |
| Schedule or comparison | 4 to 5 minutes |
| Two variables with a table | 7 to 9 minutes |
| Conditional or either-or set | 8 to 10 minutes |
If a set runs about a minute and a half past its target, move on and come back if time remains.
Common traps
- Left and right reversal. The most frequent error. Re-read the facing direction each time you use left or right, especially in double rows and mixed-facing circles.
- Reversed conditions. "If P then Q" says nothing about Q chosen without P.
- "Between" versus "adjacent". In a row, "between A and B" can be any seat in the gap. In a circle, ask which arc is meant.
- Over-reading a negative clue. "C is not at an end" does not say where C is. Keep a list of possible positions.
- Erasing early. Pencil possibilities lightly and delete only when a clue rules them out.
- Treating an "if" question as permanent. The extra condition applies to that question only. Redraw from the base diagram for the next one.
- Skipping the final check. Verifying the finished arrangement against all clues takes about fifteen seconds and catches most misreads.
A practice routine that works
- Week 1, structure drills. Solve single-row, floor and box sets with the six-step method until it feels automatic. Accuracy first; do not time yourself yet.
- Week 2, circles and tables. Practise circular, square and rectangular sets. Write the left/right table on top of every page.
- Week 3, schedules, tables and conditions. Redo each missed set on a fresh sheet.
- Week 4, timed sets. Keep an error log with three columns: set type, mistake (misread, direction, arithmetic, gave up) and what you will do differently.
- After that, mixed practice. Take sectional tests, pick sets by the triage rule, and review the sets you skipped as well as the ones you got wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Are puzzles and seating arrangement important for both bank and SSC exams? They matter most in bank prelims and mains, where large puzzle sets are standard. SSC papers use shorter arrangement and order questions. Check recent papers and the latest notification for your exam.
What should I do first when I see a puzzle? Read all clues and questions once, draw the empty structure, and place the fixed clues before the relative ones.
How do I decide left and right in a circle? Facing the centre, left is clockwise and right is anticlockwise. Facing outside, it flips. In mixed-facing circles, apply the rule person by person.
How do I handle either-or clues? Work both cases to the end of the clue list. Normally one case contradicts a later clue.
How do I know which set to leave? Leave sets with no anchor, many variables, several "if" questions or mixed facing until the end.
What does "if P then Q" tell me when Q is selected but P is not? Nothing. The rule works forward from P, and through its contrapositive: if Q is not selected, P is not selected.
How many sets should I practise per day? Two or three sets with full review beat ten sets with none.
Do I need to verify every answer? At least check the final arrangement against all clues once per set.
Where to go from here
Puzzle speed is a trained skill, so build it with deliberate practice rather than more theory. Take sectional tests on Pareeksha to drill each arrangement type, then move to full-length mocks to practise set selection under real time pressure, and review each attempt with your error log.
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