# Seating Arrangement Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Gauri, Jaya, Divya, Kiran, Uma

> Solve this 5-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/2026-06-18-seating-arrangement-reasoning-bank-exam-daily-puzzle

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Published: 2026-06-18 · Difficulty: medium · 5 clues · 5 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI Clerk · SSC

## The puzzle

Gauri, Jaya, Divya, Kiran, Uma — 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. Uma sits immediately to the right of Kiran.
2. Exactly 1 person sits between Gauri and Uma.
3. Gauri sits somewhere to the left of Jaya.
4. Gauri sits somewhere to the right of Uma.
5. Divya sits immediately to the left of Gauri.

## Answer

Kiran, Uma, Divya, Gauri, Jaya (left to right).

Seat 1: Kiran · Seat 2: Uma · Seat 3: Divya · Seat 4: Gauri · Seat 5: Jaya

## Step-by-step solution

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

Divya sits in seat 3. The full order: Kiran, Uma, Divya, Gauri, Jaya (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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