Order and Ranking Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 5 Sep 2026
The puzzle
Meera, Sanjay, Divya, Vikram, Deepak, Farhan — are ranked from 1 (highest) to 6 (lowest) — work out each person's exact rank. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.
- Sanjay and Divya are NOT ranked next to each other.
- Exactly 3 people are ranked between Meera and Divya.
- Deepak is ranked immediately below Farhan.
- Farhan is ranked higher than Meera.
- Vikram is ranked immediately below Deepak.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Divya, Farhan, Deepak, Vikram, Meera, Sanjay (rank 1 = highest, down to rank 6 = lowest).
- Start: 720 possible rankings of 6 people.
- Clue 3 — "Deepak is ranked immediately below Farhan." narrows it to 120 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 5 — "Vikram is ranked immediately below Deepak." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 2 — "Exactly 3 people are ranked between Meera and Divya." narrows it to 4 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 4 — "Farhan is ranked higher than Meera." narrows it to 2 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 1 — "Sanjay and Divya are NOT ranked next to each other." ⇒ Meera → rank 5 (5th from top), Sanjay → rank 6 (bottom), Divya → rank 1 (top), Vikram → rank 4 (4th from top), Deepak → rank 3 (3rd from top), Farhan → rank 2 (2nd from top) (1 possibility left). Board (rank 1 → 6): Divya · Farhan · Deepak · Vikram · Meera · Sanjay
- 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?
Divya holds rank 1 (highest). The full order from rank 1 to rank 6: Divya, Farhan, Deepak, Vikram, Meera, Sanjay.
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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