# Square Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 8 Sep 2026

> 8-person square table seating arrangement (corners and side-middles) (2026-09-08). 6 logic clues, one provable answer. Free IBPS PO & SSC practice.

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

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Published: 2026-09-08 · Difficulty: hard · 6 clues · 8 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI PO · RBI Grade B

## The puzzle

Manish, Bhavna, Priya, Gauri, Arjun, Varun, Yash, Pooja — sit around a square table — 4 at the corners, 4 at the middle of the sides; each clue states its own facing convention — work out the seating order clockwise. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Pooja does NOT sit at any corner of the table.
2. Bhavna sits immediately to the right of Manish (corner people face the centre; side-middle people face outward).
3. Priya sits next to Yash.
4. Varun sits immediately to the left of Priya (corner people face the centre; side-middle people face outward).
5. Priya sits 3rd to the right of Gauri (corner people face the centre; side-middle people face outward).
6. Arjun sits immediately to the left of Manish (corner people face the centre; side-middle people face outward).

## Answer

Manish, Arjun, Varun, Priya, Yash, Pooja, Gauri, Bhavna (clockwise; position 1 is a corner, so odd positions are corners and even positions are side-middles).

Corner 1: Manish · Side 2: Arjun · Corner 3: Varun · Side 4: Priya · Corner 5: Yash · Side 6: Pooja · Corner 7: Gauri · Side 8: Bhavna

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 10080 distinct seatings (up to rotating the square frame) of 8 people — 4 at corners, 4 at the middle of the sides. Numbering clockwise from a corner, seats 1, 3, 5, 7 are the corners and 2, 4, 6, 8 the side-middles.
2. Clue 3 — "Priya sits next to Yash." narrows it to 2880 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 1 — "Pooja does NOT sit at any corner of the table." narrows it to 1440 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 2 — "Bhavna sits immediately to the right of Manish (corner people face the centre; side-middle people face outward)." narrows it to 240 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 4 — "Varun sits immediately to the left of Priya (corner people face the centre; side-middle people face outward)." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
6. Clue 5 — "Priya sits 3rd to the right of Gauri (corner people face the centre; side-middle people face outward)." ⇒ Arjun → seat 2 (a side-middle), Pooja → seat 6 (a side-middle) (4 possibilities left). Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · Arjun · _ · _ · _ · Pooja · _ · _
7. Clue 6 — "Arjun sits immediately to the left of Manish (corner people face the centre; side-middle people face outward)." ⇒ Manish → seat 1 (a corner), Bhavna → seat 8 (a side-middle), Priya → seat 4 (a side-middle), Gauri → seat 7 (a corner), Varun → seat 3 (a corner), Yash → seat 5 (a corner) (1 possibility left). Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): Manish · Arjun · Varun · Priya · Yash · Pooja · Gauri · Bhavna
8. Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Manish, Arjun, Varun, Priya, Yash, Pooja, Gauri, Bhavna clockwise, seat 1 being a corner.

## How to crack square seating puzzles faster

- Draw the square with **8 marked seats** — 4 corners, 4 side-middles — before reading a single clue.
- Place every "**sits at a corner / middle of a side**" clue first: each one halves the possibilities.
- Check WHO faces which way before any left/right clue — for an **outward-facing** sitter, left and right reverse.
- "Directly opposite" is always **4 seats away** and never depends on facing — corner faces corner, middle faces middle.

## FAQ

### What is the seating order around this square table?

The order clockwise is: Manish, Arjun, Varun, Priya, Yash, Pooja, Gauri, Bhavna, starting from a corner. Relative positions are what matter — any rotation of the square that keeps corners on corners is the same answer.

### How do you solve square table seating arrangement puzzles?

Mark the 8 seats (4 corners, 4 side-middles) and place the corner/middle clues first. Then apply left/right clues, checking each person's facing direction — a person facing outward has left and right reversed compared to someone facing the centre.

## Learn the method

This post is one worked example. The topic page for circular and square seating 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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