Row Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Meera, Bhavna, Jaya, Anjali, Esha, Lata
The puzzle
Meera, Bhavna, Jaya, Anjali, Esha, Lata — 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.
- Jaya and Esha do NOT sit next to each other.
- Anjali and Lata do NOT sit next to each other.
- Anjali and Esha do NOT sit next to each other.
- Meera and Anjali do NOT sit next to each other.
- Bhavna and Jaya do NOT sit next to each other.
- Bhavna and Esha do NOT sit next to each other.
- Jaya and Anjali do NOT sit next to each other.
- Jaya and Lata do NOT sit next to each other.
- Bhavna sits somewhere to the right of Meera.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Jaya, Meera, Esha, Lata, Bhavna, Anjali (left to right).
- Start: 720 possible left-to-right orders of 6 people.
- Clue 1 — "Jaya and Esha do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 480 possibilities.
- Clue 2 — "Anjali and Lata do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 336 possibilities.
- Clue 3 — "Anjali and Esha do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 180 possibilities.
- Clue 4 — "Meera and Anjali do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 96 possibilities.
- Clue 5 — "Bhavna and Jaya do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 76 possibilities.
- Clue 6 — "Bhavna and Esha do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 40 possibilities.
- Clue 7 — "Jaya and Anjali do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 8 possibilities.
- Clue 8 — "Jaya and Lata do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 2 possibilities.
- Clue 9 — "Bhavna sits somewhere to the right of Meera." leaves 1 possibility. The surviving order is Jaya, Meera, Esha, Lata, Bhavna, Anjali (left to right).
- Exactly one order survives every clue: Jaya, Meera, Esha, Lata, Bhavna, Anjali (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: Jaya, Meera, Esha, Lata, Bhavna, Anjali (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.
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