# Circular Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 2 Sep 2026

> 7-person circular seating arrangement (2026-09-02) — Deepak, Divya, Arjun, Harsh, Nikhil. 6 logic clues, one provable answer. Free IBPS PO & SSC practice.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-09-02-circular-seating-puzzle

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Published: 2026-09-02 · Difficulty: hard · 6 clues · 7 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI PO · RBI Grade B

## The puzzle

Deepak, Divya, Arjun, Harsh, Nikhil, Meera, Tarun — sit around a round table, all facing the centre — work out the seating order clockwise. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Harsh sits next to Tarun.
2. Exactly 2 people sit between Deepak and Meera (the shorter way).
3. Exactly 2 people sit between Arjun and Meera (the shorter way).
4. Deepak sits next to Divya.
5. Harsh sits immediately to the left of Meera (all facing the centre).
6. Harsh does NOT sit next to Nikhil.

## Answer

Arjun, Deepak, Divya, Nikhil, Meera, Harsh, Tarun (clockwise around the table).

Pos 1: Arjun · Pos 2: Deepak · Pos 3: Divya · Pos 4: Nikhil · Pos 5: Meera · Pos 6: Harsh · Pos 7: Tarun

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 720 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 7 people around the table. Fix Arjun at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ.
2. Clue 5 — "Harsh sits immediately to the left of Meera (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 120 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Arjun): Arjun · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 2 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Deepak and Meera (the shorter way)." narrows it to 48 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Arjun): Arjun · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 3 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Arjun and Meera (the shorter way)." narrows it to 12 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Arjun): Arjun · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 1 — "Harsh sits next to Tarun." narrows it to 4 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Arjun): Arjun · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
6. Clue 4 — "Deepak sits next to Divya." ⇒ Deepak → seat 2, Divya → seat 3, Harsh → seat 6, Nikhil → seat 4, Meera → seat 5, Tarun → seat 7 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Arjun): Arjun · Deepak · Divya · Nikhil · Meera · Harsh · Tarun
7. Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Arjun, Deepak, Divya, Nikhil, Meera, Harsh, Tarun 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: Arjun, Deepak, Divya, Nikhil, Meera, Harsh, Tarun. 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

Play a fresh server-validated puzzle every day: https://deducepuzzles.com