Double-Row Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 28 Sep 2026
The puzzle
Sneha, Isha, Varun, Kiran, Anjali, Meera — sit in two rows facing each other — Row 1 faces south, Row 2 faces north, with 3 seats per row. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.
- Anjali sits at an extreme end of their row.
- Anjali faces north.
- Varun faces south.
- Isha sits immediately to the left of Anjali (both facing north).
- Kiran sits 2nd to the left of Meera (both facing south).
- Sneha sits at an extreme end of their row.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Row 1 (facing south): Sneha, Isha, Anjali. Row 2 (facing north): Meera, Varun, Kiran.
- Start: 720 ways to seat 6 people in two facing rows of 3.
- Clue 2 — "Anjali faces north." narrows it to 360 possibilities. Board — North (W→E): _ · _ · _ | South (W→E): _ · _ · _
- Clue 3 — "Varun faces south." narrows it to 216 possibilities. Board — North (W→E): _ · _ · _ | South (W→E): _ · _ · _
- Clue 1 — "Anjali sits at an extreme end of their row." narrows it to 144 possibilities. Board — North (W→E): _ · _ · _ | South (W→E): _ · _ · _
- Clue 6 — "Sneha sits at an extreme end of their row." narrows it to 84 possibilities. Board — North (W→E): _ · _ · _ | South (W→E): _ · _ · _
- Clue 4 — "Isha sits immediately to the left of Anjali (both facing north)." ⇒ Isha → the north-facing row, column 2 (1 = west), Anjali → the north-facing row, column 3 (1 = west) (14 possibilities left). Board — North (W→E): _ · Isha · Anjali | South (W→E): _ · _ · _
- Clue 5 — "Kiran sits 2nd to the left of Meera (both facing south)." ⇒ Sneha → the north-facing row, column 1 (1 = west), Varun → the south-facing row, column 2 (1 = west), Kiran → the south-facing row, column 3 (1 = west), Meera → the south-facing row, column 1 (1 = west) (1 possibility left). Board — North (W→E): Sneha · Isha · Anjali | South (W→E): Meera · Varun · Kiran
- Exactly one seating survives every clue — north row: Sneha, Isha, Anjali; south row: Meera, Varun, Kiran.
How to crack double-row seating puzzles faster
- Treat each row as an independent linear arrangement, then apply the cross-row clues last.
- "Faces" means the person opposite — use these clues as cross-row constraints to lock both rows at once.
- Draw two parallel rows on paper, fill each row independently, then check which cross-row pairs satisfy the remaining clues.
- "Immediately to the left/right of" applies within the same row only — cross-row facing is a different relationship.
FAQ
Who sits in the first seat of each row?
Sneha, Isha, Anjali sit in Row 1, and Meera, Varun, Kiran sit in Row 2. Cross-reference with the facing clues to validate.
How do you solve double-row seating arrangement puzzles?
Solve each row independently first using linear-seating techniques, then apply cross-row constraints (facing, diagonally opposite) to find valid pairs. Draw two parallel rows and eliminate combinations that violate any clue.
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This post is one worked example. The topic page for double-row seating carries the full method, the clue-wording table, the mistakes that cost marks and more practice questions.
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