# Row Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Divya, Karan, Neha, Sanjay, Rahul

> 5-person linear row seating arrangement (2026-08-08) — Divya, Karan, Neha, Sanjay, Rahul. 4 logic clues, one provable answer. Free IBPS PO & SSC practice.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-08-08-row-seating-row-seating-puzzle

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Published: 2026-08-08 · Difficulty: medium · 4 clues · 5 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI Clerk · SSC

## The puzzle

Divya, Karan, Neha, Sanjay, Rahul — 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. Neha sits immediately to the left of Divya.
2. Exactly 3 people sit between Divya and Sanjay.
3. Exactly 1 person sits between Karan and Neha.
4. Rahul sits somewhere to the left of Neha.

## Answer

Sanjay, Karan, Rahul, Neha, Divya (left to right).

Seat 1: Sanjay · Seat 2: Karan · Seat 3: Rahul · Seat 4: Neha · Seat 5: Divya

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 120 possible left-to-right orders of 5 people.
2. Clue 1 — "Neha sits immediately to the left of Divya." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 2 — "Exactly 3 people sit between Divya and Sanjay." ⇒ Divya → seat 5, Neha → seat 4, Sanjay → seat 1 (2 possibilities left). Board (left → right): Sanjay · _ · _ · Neha · Divya
4. Clue 3 — "Exactly 1 person sits between Karan and Neha." ⇒ Karan → seat 2, Rahul → seat 3 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Sanjay · Karan · Rahul · Neha · Divya
5. Exactly one order survives every clue: Sanjay, Karan, Rahul, Neha, Divya (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: Sanjay, Karan, Rahul, Neha, Divya (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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