# Seating Arrangement Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Karan, Gauri, Bhavna, Isha

> 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/2026-05-23-seating-arrangement-reasoning-colleagues-in-a-row

---

Published: 2026-05-23 · Difficulty: easy · 3 clues · 4 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI Clerk · SSC

## The puzzle

Karan, Gauri, Bhavna, Isha — 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. Isha sits immediately to the left of Gauri.
2. Exactly 2 people sit between Gauri and Bhavna.
3. Bhavna sits somewhere to the left of Karan.

## Answer

Bhavna, Karan, Isha, Gauri (left to right).

Seat 1: Bhavna · Seat 2: Karan · Seat 3: Isha · Seat 4: Gauri

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 24 possible left-to-right orders of 4 people.
2. Clue 1 — "Isha sits immediately to the left of Gauri." narrows it to 6 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 2 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Gauri and Bhavna." ⇒ Karan → seat 2, Gauri → seat 4, Bhavna → seat 1, Isha → seat 3 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Bhavna · Karan · Isha · Gauri
4. Exactly one order survives every clue: Bhavna, Karan, Isha, Gauri (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?

Karan sits in seat 2. The full order: Bhavna, Karan, Isha, Gauri (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

Play a fresh server-validated puzzle every day: https://deducepuzzles.com
