Square Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 14 Jul 2026
The puzzle
Zoya, Farhan, Manish, Sneha, Harsh, Rahul, Pooja, Lata — sit around a square table — 4 at the corners, 4 at the middle of the sides; each clue states its own facing convention — work out the seating order clockwise. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.
- Farhan sits next to Lata.
- Rahul sits at one of the corners of the table.
- Zoya sits 2nd to the left of Manish (all facing the centre).
- Pooja sits at the middle of one of the sides.
- Lata sits immediately to the right of Manish (all facing the centre).
- Rahul sits immediately to the right of Farhan (all facing the centre).
- Harsh sits directly opposite Lata.
- Sneha sits immediately to the right of Zoya (all facing the centre).
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Rahul, Farhan, Lata, Manish, Sneha, Zoya, Harsh, Pooja (clockwise; position 1 is a corner, so odd positions are corners and even positions are side-middles).
- Start: 10080 distinct seatings (up to rotating the square frame) of 8 people — 4 at corners, 4 at the middle of the sides. Numbering clockwise from a corner, seats 1, 3, 5, 7 are the corners and 2, 4, 6, 8 the side-middles.
- Clue 2 — "Rahul sits at one of the corners of the table." narrows it to 5040 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 4 — "Pooja sits at the middle of one of the sides." narrows it to 2880 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 7 — "Harsh sits directly opposite Lata." narrows it to 384 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 1 — "Farhan sits next to Lata." narrows it to 144 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 3 — "Zoya sits 2nd to the left of Manish (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 16 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 5 — "Lata sits immediately to the right of Manish (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 4 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 6 — "Rahul sits immediately to the right of Farhan (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Zoya → seat 6 (a side-middle), Farhan → seat 2 (a side-middle), Manish → seat 4 (a side-middle), Sneha → seat 5 (a corner), Harsh → seat 7 (a corner), Rahul → seat 1 (a corner), Pooja → seat 8 (a side-middle), Lata → seat 3 (a corner) (1 possibility left). Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): Rahul · Farhan · Lata · Manish · Sneha · Zoya · Harsh · Pooja
- Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Rahul, Farhan, Lata, Manish, Sneha, Zoya, Harsh, Pooja clockwise, seat 1 being a corner.
How to crack square seating puzzles faster
- Draw the square with 8 marked seats — 4 corners, 4 side-middles — before reading a single clue.
- Place every "sits at a corner / middle of a side" clue first: each one halves the possibilities.
- Check WHO faces which way before any left/right clue — for an outward-facing sitter, left and right reverse.
- "Directly opposite" is always 4 seats away and never depends on facing — corner faces corner, middle faces middle.
FAQ
What is the seating order around this square table?
The order clockwise is: Rahul, Farhan, Lata, Manish, Sneha, Zoya, Harsh, Pooja, starting from a corner. Relative positions are what matter — any rotation of the square that keeps corners on corners is the same answer.
How do you solve square table seating arrangement puzzles?
Mark the 8 seats (4 corners, 4 side-middles) and place the corner/middle clues first. Then apply left/right clues, checking each person's facing direction — a person facing outward has left and right reversed compared to someone facing the centre.
Learn the method for this puzzle type
This post is one worked example. The topic page for circular and square seating carries the full method, the clue-wording table, the mistakes that cost marks and more practice questions.
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