# Row Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 31 Jul 2026

> Solve this 6-person linear row seating arrangement for IBPS PO, SBI Clerk, SSC exam practice. 11 logic clues, one answer. Free daily reasoning puzzle with step-by-step walkthrough.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-07-31-row-seating-row-seating-puzzle

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Published: 2026-07-31 · Difficulty: hard · 11 clues · 6 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI PO · SSC CGL

## 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.

1. Nikhil and Rahul do NOT sit next to each other.
2. Isha and Gauri do NOT sit next to each other.
3. Farhan and Isha do NOT sit next to each other.
4. Isha and Imran do NOT sit next to each other.
5. Farhan does NOT sit at either extreme end of the row.
6. Farhan and Rahul do NOT sit next to each other.
7. Gauri does NOT sit at either extreme end of the row.
8. Farhan and Nikhil do NOT sit next to each other.
9. Nikhil and Gauri do NOT sit next to each other.
10. Nikhil and Imran do NOT sit next to each other.
11. Isha sits somewhere to the left of Gauri.

## Answer

Nikhil, Isha, Rahul, Gauri, Farhan, Imran (left to right).

Seat 1: Nikhil · Seat 2: Isha · Seat 3: Rahul · Seat 4: Gauri · Seat 5: Farhan · Seat 6: Imran

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 720 possible left-to-right orders of 6 people.
2. Clue 11 — "Isha sits somewhere to the left of Gauri." narrows it to 360 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 5 — "Farhan does NOT sit at either extreme end of the row." narrows it to 240 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 7 — "Gauri does NOT sit at either extreme end of the row." narrows it to 144 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 1 — "Nikhil and Rahul do NOT sit next to each other." narrows it to 108 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
6. Clue 2 — "Isha and Gauri do NOT sit next to each other." narrows it to 70 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
7. Clue 3 — "Farhan and Isha do NOT sit next to each other." narrows it to 40 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
8. Clue 4 — "Isha and Imran do NOT sit next to each other." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
9. Clue 6 — "Farhan and Rahul do NOT sit next to each other." narrows it to 14 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
10. Clue 8 — "Farhan and Nikhil do NOT sit next to each other." narrows it to 6 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
11. Clue 9 — "Nikhil and Gauri do NOT sit next to each other." narrows it to 3 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
12. Clue 10 — "Nikhil and Imran do NOT sit next to each other." ⇒ Farhan → seat 5, Nikhil → seat 1, Isha → seat 2, Imran → seat 6, Gauri → seat 4, Rahul → seat 3 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Nikhil · Isha · Rahul · Gauri · Farhan · Imran
13. 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.

## 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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