Row Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Sanjay, Nikhil, Tarun, Isha, Imran
The puzzle
Sanjay, Nikhil, Tarun, Isha, Imran — 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.
- Isha sits somewhere to the left of Nikhil.
- Imran sits somewhere to the right of Tarun.
- Sanjay sits immediately to the right of Imran.
- Nikhil sits immediately to the left of Tarun.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Isha, Nikhil, Tarun, Imran, Sanjay (left to right).
- Start: 120 possible left-to-right orders of 5 people.
- Clue 1 — "Isha sits somewhere to the left of Nikhil." leaves 60 possibilities.
- Clue 2 — "Imran sits somewhere to the right of Tarun." leaves 30 possibilities.
- Clue 3 — "Sanjay sits immediately to the right of Imran." leaves 6 possibilities.
- Clue 4 — "Nikhil sits immediately to the left of Tarun." leaves 1 possibility. The surviving order is Isha, Nikhil, Tarun, Imran, Sanjay (left to right).
- Exactly one order survives every clue: Isha, Nikhil, Tarun, Imran, Sanjay (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?
Tarun sits in seat 3. The full order: Isha, Nikhil, Tarun, Imran, Sanjay (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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