Seating Arrangement Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Divya, Meera, Gauri, Jaya, Zoya
The puzzle
Divya, Meera, Gauri, Jaya, Zoya — 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.
- Meera sits immediately to the left of Zoya.
- Divya sits somewhere to the right of Zoya.
- Jaya sits somewhere to the right of Gauri.
- Divya sits immediately to the left of Gauri.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Meera, Zoya, Divya, Gauri, Jaya (left to right).
- Start: 120 possible left-to-right orders of 5 people.
- Clue 1 — "Meera sits immediately to the left of Zoya." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 4 — "Divya sits immediately to the left of Gauri." narrows it to 6 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 2 — "Divya sits somewhere to the right of Zoya." narrows it to 3 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 3 — "Jaya sits somewhere to the right of Gauri." ⇒ Divya → seat 3, Meera → seat 1, Gauri → seat 4, Jaya → seat 5, Zoya → seat 2 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Meera · Zoya · Divya · Gauri · Jaya
- Exactly one order survives every clue: Meera, Zoya, 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: Meera, Zoya, 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 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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