# Order and Ranking Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 5 Sep 2026

> 6-person order and ranking puzzle (2026-09-05) — Meera, Sanjay, Divya, Vikram, Deepak. 5 logic clues, one provable answer. Free IBPS PO & SSC practice.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-09-05-order-ranking-puzzle

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Published: 2026-09-05 · Difficulty: hard · 5 clues · 6 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI PO · SSC CGL

## 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.

1. Sanjay and Divya are NOT ranked next to each other.
2. Exactly 3 people are ranked between Meera and Divya.
3. Deepak is ranked immediately below Farhan.
4. Farhan is ranked higher than Meera.
5. Vikram is ranked immediately below Deepak.

## Answer

Divya, Farhan, Deepak, Vikram, Meera, Sanjay (rank 1 = highest, down to rank 6 = lowest).

Rank 1: Divya · Rank 2: Farhan · Rank 3: Deepak · Rank 4: Vikram · Rank 5: Meera · Rank 6: Sanjay

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 720 possible rankings of 6 people.
2. Clue 3 — "Deepak is ranked immediately below Farhan." narrows it to 120 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 5 — "Vikram is ranked immediately below Deepak." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 2 — "Exactly 3 people are ranked between Meera and Divya." narrows it to 4 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 4 — "Farhan is ranked higher than Meera." narrows it to 2 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 6): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
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
7. 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

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

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