Double-Row Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Sanjay, Anjali, Manish, Imran, Farhan, Nikhil
The puzzle
Sanjay, Anjali, Manish, Imran, Farhan, Nikhil — sit in two rows facing each other — Row 1 faces south, Row 2 faces north, with 3 seats per row. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.
- Imran does NOT sit at either extreme end of their row.
- Sanjay does NOT sit directly opposite Nikhil.
- Farhan sits immediately to the left of Nikhil (both facing north).
- Exactly 1 person sits between Manish and Nikhil in the same row.
- Sanjay faces south.
- Anjali does NOT sit directly opposite Imran.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Row 1 (facing south): Manish, Farhan, Nikhil. Row 2 (facing north): Sanjay, Imran, Anjali.
- Start: 720 ways to seat 6 people in two facing rows of 3.
- Clue 1 — "Imran does NOT sit at either extreme end of their row." leaves 240 possibilities.
- Clue 2 — "Sanjay does NOT sit directly opposite Nikhil." leaves 192 possibilities.
- Clue 3 — "Farhan sits immediately to the left of Nikhil (both facing north)." leaves 20 possibilities.
- Clue 4 — "Exactly 1 person sits between Manish and Nikhil in the same row." leaves 2 possibilities.
- Clue 5 — "Sanjay faces south." leaves 1 possibility. The surviving seating is north row: Manish, Farhan, Nikhil; south row: Sanjay, Imran, Anjali.
- Clue 6 — "Anjali does NOT sit directly opposite Imran." leaves 1 possibility. The surviving seating is north row: Manish, Farhan, Nikhil; south row: Sanjay, Imran, Anjali.
- Exactly one seating survives every clue — north row: Manish, Farhan, Nikhil; south row: Sanjay, Imran, Anjali.
How to crack double-row seating puzzles faster
- Treat each row as an independent linear arrangement, then apply the cross-row clues last.
- "Faces" means the person opposite — use these clues as cross-row constraints to lock both rows at once.
- Draw two parallel rows on paper, fill each row independently, then check which cross-row pairs satisfy the remaining clues.
- "Immediately to the left/right of" applies within the same row only — cross-row facing is a different relationship.
FAQ
Who sits in the first seat of each row?
Manish, Farhan, Nikhil sit in Row 1, and Sanjay, Imran, Anjali sit in Row 2. Cross-reference with the facing clues to validate.
How do you solve double-row seating arrangement puzzles?
Solve each row independently first using linear-seating techniques, then apply cross-row constraints (facing, diagonally opposite) to find valid pairs. Draw two parallel rows and eliminate combinations that violate any clue.
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