Seating Arrangement Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Varun, Sanjay, Divya, Uma, Meera, Sneha
The puzzle
Varun, Sanjay, Divya, Uma, Meera, Sneha — 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.
- Uma sits somewhere to the left of Divya.
- Uma sits somewhere to the right of Sneha.
- Exactly 2 people sit between Varun and Uma.
- Sneha sits somewhere to the right of Meera.
- Varun sits immediately to the left of Meera.
- Exactly 2 people sit between Divya and Sneha.
- Uma sits somewhere to the left of Sanjay.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Varun, Meera, Sneha, Uma, Sanjay, Divya (left to right).
- Start: 720 possible left-to-right orders of 6 people.
- Clue 5 — "Varun sits immediately to the left of Meera." narrows it to 120 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 3 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Varun and Uma." narrows it to 30 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 6 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Divya and Sneha." narrows it to 10 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 1 — "Uma sits somewhere to the left of Divya." narrows it to 4 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 2 — "Uma sits somewhere to the right of Sneha." narrows it to 2 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 4 — "Sneha sits somewhere to the right of Meera." ⇒ Varun → seat 1, Sanjay → seat 5, Divya → seat 6, Uma → seat 4, Meera → seat 2, Sneha → seat 3 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Varun · Meera · Sneha · Uma · Sanjay · Divya
- Exactly one order survives every clue: Varun, Meera, Sneha, Uma, Sanjay, Divya (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?
Sneha sits in seat 3. The full order: Varun, Meera, Sneha, Uma, Sanjay, Divya (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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