# Circular Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Anjali, Zoya, Manish, Nikhil, Omkar, Esha, Arjun

> 7-person circular seating arrangement (2026-08-09) — Anjali, Zoya, Manish, Nikhil, Omkar. 8 logic clues, one provable answer. Free IBPS PO & SSC practice.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-08-09-circular-seating-puzzle

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Published: 2026-08-09 · Difficulty: hard · 8 clues · 7 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI PO · RBI Grade B

## The puzzle

Anjali, Zoya, Manish, Nikhil, Omkar, Esha, Arjun — sit around a round table, all facing the centre — work out the seating order clockwise. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Zoya does NOT sit next to Omkar.
2. Anjali does NOT sit next to Arjun.
3. Nikhil does NOT sit next to Esha.
4. Omkar does NOT sit next to Arjun.
5. Nikhil does NOT sit next to Omkar.
6. Manish does NOT sit next to Arjun.
7. Zoya does NOT sit next to Manish.
8. Zoya sits 3rd to the right of Nikhil (all facing the centre).

## Answer

Anjali, Zoya, Esha, Arjun, Nikhil, Manish, Omkar (clockwise around the table).

Pos 1: Anjali · Pos 2: Zoya · Pos 3: Esha · Pos 4: Arjun · Pos 5: Nikhil · Pos 6: Manish · Pos 7: Omkar

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 720 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 7 people around the table. Fix Anjali at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ.
2. Clue 8 — "Zoya sits 3rd to the right of Nikhil (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 120 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Anjali): Anjali · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 1 — "Zoya does NOT sit next to Omkar." narrows it to 72 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Anjali): Anjali · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 2 — "Anjali does NOT sit next to Arjun." narrows it to 52 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Anjali): Anjali · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 3 — "Nikhil does NOT sit next to Esha." narrows it to 34 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Anjali): Anjali · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
6. Clue 4 — "Omkar does NOT sit next to Arjun." narrows it to 21 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Anjali): Anjali · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
7. Clue 5 — "Nikhil does NOT sit next to Omkar." narrows it to 4 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Anjali): Anjali · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
8. Clue 6 — "Manish does NOT sit next to Arjun." narrows it to 2 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Anjali): Anjali · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
9. Clue 7 — "Zoya does NOT sit next to Manish." ⇒ Zoya → seat 2, Manish → seat 6, Nikhil → seat 5, Omkar → seat 7, Esha → seat 3, Arjun → seat 4 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Anjali): Anjali · Zoya · Esha · Arjun · Nikhil · Manish · Omkar
10. Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Anjali, Zoya, Esha, Arjun, Nikhil, Manish, Omkar clockwise.

## How to crack circular seating puzzles faster

- Circular seating has **no fixed start** — anchor any person first, then place others relative to them.
- "Immediately to the left" in a circle means **clockwise-adjacent** (when facing the centre).
- "Opposite" in an even-N circle means **exactly halfway** around the table.
- Draw a rough circle and mark positions as you deduce — visual elimination is faster than mental tracking.

## FAQ

### What is the seating order in this circular arrangement?

The order clockwise is: Anjali, Zoya, Esha, Arjun, Nikhil, Manish, Omkar. In circular seating, all relative positions are preserved regardless of where you start — the relationship between neighbours is what matters.

### How do you solve circular seating arrangement puzzles?

Start by fixing one person, then place others using relative clues (immediately left, opposite, between). In a circle, 'left' means clockwise-adjacent when facing the centre. Work outward from the anchored person.

## Learn the method

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

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