# Row Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 15 Jul 2026

> Solve this 5-person linear row seating arrangement for IBPS PO, SBI Clerk, SSC exam practice. 4 logic clues, one answer. Free daily reasoning puzzle with step-by-step walkthrough.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-07-15-row-seating-row-seating-puzzle

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Published: 2026-07-15 · Difficulty: medium · 4 clues · 5 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI Clerk · SSC

## 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.

1. Isha sits somewhere to the left of Nikhil.
2. Imran sits somewhere to the right of Tarun.
3. Sanjay sits immediately to the right of Imran.
4. Nikhil sits immediately to the left of Tarun.

## Answer

Isha, Nikhil, Tarun, Imran, Sanjay (left to right).

Seat 1: Isha · Seat 2: Nikhil · Seat 3: Tarun · Seat 4: Imran · Seat 5: Sanjay

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 120 possible left-to-right orders of 5 people.
2. Clue 3 — "Sanjay sits immediately to the right of Imran." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 4 — "Nikhil sits immediately to the left of Tarun." narrows it to 6 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 1 — "Isha sits somewhere to the left of Nikhil." narrows it to 3 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 2 — "Imran sits somewhere to the right of Tarun." ⇒ Sanjay → seat 5, Nikhil → seat 2, Tarun → seat 3, Isha → seat 1, Imran → seat 4 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Isha · Nikhil · Tarun · Imran · Sanjay
6. 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.

## Learn the method

This post is one worked example. The topic page for linear seating arrangement carries the full method,
the clue-wording table and the mistakes that cost marks: https://deducepuzzles.com/reasoning/seating-arrangement

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