# Seating Arrangement Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Isha, Gauri, Bhavna, Chetan, Divya, Harsh

> Solve this 6-person linear seating arrangement puzzle for IBPS PO, SBI Clerk, SSC exam practice. 5 logic clues, one answer. Free daily reasoning puzzle.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-06-07-seating-arrangement-reasoning-neighbours-in-a-row

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Published: 2026-06-07 · Difficulty: hard · 5 clues · 6 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI PO · SSC CGL

## The puzzle

Isha, Gauri, Bhavna, Chetan, Divya, Harsh — sit in a single row, all facing north — seat 1 is the far-left end and seat 6 is the far-right end. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Chetan sits at the far-left (extreme) end of the row.
2. Divya sits somewhere to the left of Harsh.
3. Exactly 2 people sit between Isha and Bhavna.
4. Isha sits somewhere to the left of Bhavna.
5. Exactly 3 people sit between Gauri and Chetan.

## Answer

Chetan, Divya, Isha, Harsh, Gauri, Bhavna (left to right).

Seat 1: Chetan · Seat 2: Divya · Seat 3: Isha · Seat 4: Harsh · Seat 5: Gauri · Seat 6: Bhavna

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 720 possible left-to-right orders of 6 people.
2. Clue 1 — "Chetan sits at the far-left (extreme) end of the row." ⇒ Chetan → seat 1 (120 possibilities left). Board (left → right): Chetan · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 3 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Isha and Bhavna." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Board (left → right): Chetan · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 5 — "Exactly 3 people sit between Gauri and Chetan." ⇒ Gauri → seat 5 (4 possibilities left). Board (left → right): Chetan · _ · _ · _ · Gauri · _
5. Clue 2 — "Divya sits somewhere to the left of Harsh." ⇒ Divya → seat 2, Harsh → seat 4 (2 possibilities left). Board (left → right): Chetan · Divya · _ · Harsh · Gauri · _
6. Clue 4 — "Isha sits somewhere to the left of Bhavna." ⇒ Isha → seat 3, Bhavna → seat 6 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Chetan · Divya · Isha · Harsh · Gauri · Bhavna
7. Exactly one order survives every clue: Chetan, Divya, Isha, Harsh, Gauri, Bhavna (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 3) in this seating arrangement?

Isha sits in seat 3. The full order: Chetan, Divya, Isha, Harsh, Gauri, Bhavna (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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