Row Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Farhan, Nikhil, Isha, Imran, Gauri, Rahul
The puzzle
Farhan, Nikhil, Isha, Imran, Gauri, Rahul — 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.
- Nikhil and Rahul do NOT sit next to each other.
- Isha and Gauri do NOT sit next to each other.
- Farhan and Isha do NOT sit next to each other.
- Isha and Imran do NOT sit next to each other.
- Farhan does NOT sit at either extreme end of the row.
- Farhan and Rahul do NOT sit next to each other.
- Gauri does NOT sit at either extreme end of the row.
- Farhan and Nikhil do NOT sit next to each other.
- Nikhil and Gauri do NOT sit next to each other.
- Nikhil and Imran do NOT sit next to each other.
- Isha sits somewhere to the left of Gauri.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Nikhil, Isha, Rahul, Gauri, Farhan, Imran (left to right).
- Start: 720 possible left-to-right orders of 6 people.
- Clue 1 — "Nikhil and Rahul do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 480 possibilities.
- Clue 2 — "Isha and Gauri do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 336 possibilities.
- Clue 3 — "Farhan and Isha do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 216 possibilities.
- Clue 4 — "Isha and Imran do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 120 possibilities.
- Clue 5 — "Farhan does NOT sit at either extreme end of the row." leaves 80 possibilities.
- Clue 6 — "Farhan and Rahul do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 44 possibilities.
- Clue 7 — "Gauri does NOT sit at either extreme end of the row." leaves 28 possibilities.
- Clue 8 — "Farhan and Nikhil do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 12 possibilities.
- Clue 9 — "Nikhil and Gauri do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 6 possibilities.
- Clue 10 — "Nikhil and Imran do NOT sit next to each other." leaves 2 possibilities.
- Clue 11 — "Isha sits somewhere to the left of Gauri." leaves 1 possibility. The surviving order is Nikhil, Isha, Rahul, Gauri, Farhan, Imran (left to right).
- Exactly one order survives every clue: Nikhil, Isha, Rahul, Gauri, Farhan, Imran (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?
Rahul sits in seat 3. The full order: Nikhil, Isha, Rahul, Gauri, Farhan, Imran (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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