Seating Arrangement Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Arjun, Isha, Harsh, Chetan, Bhavna, Esha
The puzzle
Arjun, Isha, Harsh, Chetan, Bhavna, Esha — 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.
- Bhavna sits somewhere to the left of Chetan.
- Exactly 2 people sit between Chetan and Esha.
- Harsh sits at the far-left (extreme) end of the row.
- Exactly 4 people sit between Arjun and Harsh.
- Exactly 1 person sits between Harsh and Bhavna.
- Isha sits somewhere to the left of Chetan.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Harsh, Esha, Bhavna, Isha, Chetan, Arjun (left to right).
- Start: 720 possible left-to-right orders of 6 people.
- Clue 1 — "Bhavna sits somewhere to the left of Chetan." leaves 360 possibilities.
- Clue 2 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Chetan and Esha." leaves 72 possibilities.
- Clue 3 — "Harsh sits at the far-left (extreme) end of the row." leaves 12 possibilities.
- Clue 4 — "Exactly 4 people sit between Arjun and Harsh." leaves 2 possibilities.
- Clue 5 — "Exactly 1 person sits between Harsh and Bhavna." leaves 1 possibility. The surviving order is Harsh, Esha, Bhavna, Isha, Chetan, Arjun (left to right).
- Clue 6 — "Isha sits somewhere to the left of Chetan." leaves 1 possibility. The surviving order is Harsh, Esha, Bhavna, Isha, Chetan, Arjun (left to right).
- Exactly one order survives every clue: Harsh, Esha, Bhavna, Isha, Chetan, Arjun (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?
Bhavna sits in seat 3. The full order: Harsh, Esha, Bhavna, Isha, Chetan, Arjun (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 for this puzzle type
This post is one worked example. The topic page for linear seating arrangement carries the full method, the clue-wording table, the mistakes that cost marks and more practice questions.
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