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

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

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-05-17-seating-arrangement-reasoning-colleagues-in-a-row

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Published: 2026-05-17 · Difficulty: easy · 4 clues · 4 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI Clerk · SSC

## The puzzle

Gauri, Divya, Harsh, Farhan — 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 Gauri and Divya.
2. Divya sits somewhere to the left of Harsh.
3. Gauri sits at the far-left (extreme) end of the row.
4. Farhan sits somewhere to the left of Divya.

## Answer

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

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

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 24 possible left-to-right orders of 4 people.
2. Clue 3 — "Gauri sits at the far-left (extreme) end of the row." ⇒ Gauri → seat 1 (6 possibilities left). Board (left → right): Gauri · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 1 — "Exactly 1 person sits between Gauri and Divya." ⇒ Divya → seat 3 (2 possibilities left). Board (left → right): Gauri · _ · Divya · _
4. Clue 2 — "Divya sits somewhere to the left of Harsh." ⇒ Harsh → seat 4, Farhan → seat 2 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Gauri · Farhan · Divya · Harsh
5. Exactly one order survives every clue: Gauri, Farhan, Divya, Harsh (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?

Farhan sits in seat 2. The full order: Gauri, Farhan, Divya, Harsh (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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