# Seating Arrangement Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Harsh, Divya, Gauri, Karan

> Solve this 4-person linear seating arrangement puzzle for IBPS PO, SBI Clerk, SSC exam practice. 3 logic clues, one answer. Free daily reasoning puzzle.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-05-16-seating-arrangement-reasoning-colleagues-in-a-row

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Published: 2026-05-16 · Difficulty: easy · 3 clues · 4 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI Clerk · SSC

## The puzzle

Harsh, Divya, Gauri, Karan — sit in a single row, all facing north — seat 1 is the far-left end and seat 4 is the far-right end. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Exactly 1 person sits between Divya and Gauri.
2. Harsh sits somewhere to the left of Karan.
3. Karan sits somewhere to the left of Divya.

## Answer

Harsh, Gauri, Karan, Divya (left to right).

Seat 1: Harsh · Seat 2: Gauri · Seat 3: Karan · Seat 4: Divya

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 24 possible left-to-right orders of 4 people.
2. Clue 1 — "Exactly 1 person sits between Divya and Gauri." narrows it to 8 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 2 — "Harsh sits somewhere to the left of Karan." narrows it to 4 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 3 — "Karan sits somewhere to the left of Divya." ⇒ Harsh → seat 1, Divya → seat 4, Gauri → seat 2, Karan → seat 3 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Harsh · Gauri · Karan · Divya
5. Exactly one order survives every clue: Harsh, Gauri, Karan, Divya (left to right).

## How to crack row seating puzzles faster

- Lock the **ends first** — any "far-left / far-right" clue fixes a seat instantly.
- Convert "immediately to the left/right" into **adjacent pairs** and slide them along.
- "Exactly _k_ people between" gives a **fixed gap** — try it at each valid position.
- Eliminate, don't guess: each clue should cut the possibilities until one order remains.

## FAQ

### Who sits in the middle (seat 2) in this seating arrangement?

Gauri sits in seat 2. The full order: Harsh, Gauri, Karan, Divya (left to right).

### How do you solve linear seating arrangement puzzles for bank exams?

Fix direct positions first (far-left / far-right ends), then apply relative clues (left of, immediately left, exactly k between). Eliminate impossible orders until a single arrangement satisfies every clue.

## Learn the method

This post is one worked example. The topic page for linear seating arrangement carries the full method,
the clue-wording table and the mistakes that cost marks: https://deducepuzzles.com/reasoning/seating-arrangement

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