Order and Ranking Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Farhan, Deepak, Tanvi, Harsh, Rohan, Arjun
The puzzle
Farhan, Deepak, Tanvi, Harsh, Rohan, Arjun — are ranked from 1 (highest) to 6 (lowest) — work out each person's exact rank. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.
- Harsh and Arjun are NOT ranked next to each other.
- Tanvi and Harsh are NOT ranked next to each other.
- Tanvi is ranked neither FIRST nor LAST.
- Farhan and Arjun are NOT ranked next to each other.
- Farhan and Deepak are NOT ranked next to each other.
- Farhan and Harsh are NOT ranked next to each other.
- Deepak and Tanvi are NOT ranked next to each other.
- Rohan and Arjun are NOT ranked next to each other.
- Tanvi and Arjun are NOT ranked next to each other.
- Arjun is ranked higher than Farhan.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Arjun, Deepak, Harsh, Rohan, Tanvi, Farhan (rank 1 = highest, down to rank 6 = lowest).
- Start: 720 possible rankings of 6 people.
- Clue 10 — "Arjun is ranked higher than Farhan." narrows it to 360 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 3 — "Tanvi is ranked neither FIRST nor LAST." narrows it to 240 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 1 — "Harsh and Arjun are NOT ranked next to each other." narrows it to 168 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 2 — "Tanvi and Harsh are NOT ranked next to each other." narrows it to 90 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 4 — "Farhan and Arjun are NOT ranked next to each other." narrows it to 62 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 5 — "Farhan and Deepak are NOT ranked next to each other." narrows it to 45 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 6 — "Farhan and Harsh are NOT ranked next to each other." narrows it to 17 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 7 — "Deepak and Tanvi are NOT ranked next to each other." narrows it to 11 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 8 — "Rohan and Arjun are NOT ranked next to each other." narrows it to 8 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 9 — "Tanvi and Arjun are NOT ranked next to each other." ⇒ Farhan → rank 6 (bottom), Deepak → rank 2 (2nd from top), Tanvi → rank 5 (5th from top), Harsh → rank 3 (3rd from top), Rohan → rank 4 (4th from top), Arjun → rank 1 (top) (1 possibility left). Board (rank 1 → 6): Arjun · Deepak · Harsh · Rohan · Tanvi · Farhan
- Exactly one ranking survives every clue — that is the answer.
How to crack order & ranking puzzles faster
- "Ranked higher" means a smaller rank number — rank 1 outranks rank 2. Fix that direction before anything else.
- Lock the anchors first — "exactly k-th from the top/bottom" fixes a rank instantly.
- "Exactly k people between" gives a fixed gap — try it at each valid pair of ranks.
- Treat it as a row: write ranks 1 to N on paper and fill names as each clue eliminates possibilities.
FAQ
Who is ranked highest in this puzzle?
Arjun holds rank 1 (highest). The full order from rank 1 to rank 6: Arjun, Deepak, Harsh, Rohan, Tanvi, Farhan.
How do you solve order and ranking puzzles for bank exams?
Fix direct rank anchors first (k-th from the top/bottom), then apply relative clues (higher/lower, immediately above, exactly k between). Remember rank 1 is the highest — 'higher than' means a smaller rank number. Eliminate until one order satisfies every clue.
Learn the method for this puzzle type
This post is one worked example. The topic page for order and ranking carries the full method, the clue-wording table, the mistakes that cost marks and more practice questions.
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