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

> Solve this 5-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/2026-06-09-seating-arrangement-reasoning-ibps-po-practice-set

---

Published: 2026-06-09 · Difficulty: medium · 4 clues · 5 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI Clerk · SSC

## The puzzle

Gauri, Isha, Divya, Karan, Esha — sit in a single row, all facing north — seat 1 is the far-left end and seat 5 is the far-right end. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Karan sits immediately to the left of Gauri.
2. Exactly 1 person sits between Isha and Esha.
3. Exactly 3 people sit between Isha and Karan.
4. Esha sits immediately to the left of Divya.

## Answer

Karan, Gauri, Esha, Divya, Isha (left to right).

Seat 1: Karan · Seat 2: Gauri · Seat 3: Esha · Seat 4: Divya · Seat 5: Isha

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 120 possible left-to-right orders of 5 people.
2. Clue 1 — "Karan sits immediately to the left of Gauri." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 4 — "Esha sits immediately to the left of Divya." narrows it to 6 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 2 — "Exactly 1 person sits between Isha and Esha." narrows it to 2 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 3 — "Exactly 3 people sit between Isha and Karan." ⇒ Gauri → seat 2, Isha → seat 5, Divya → seat 4, Karan → seat 1, Esha → seat 3 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Karan · Gauri · Esha · Divya · Isha
6. Exactly one order survives every clue: Karan, Gauri, Esha, Divya, Isha (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?

Esha sits in seat 3. The full order: Karan, Gauri, Esha, Divya, Isha (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