# Circular Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 20 Oct 2026

> 7-person circular seating arrangement (2026-10-20) — Lata, Imran, Meera, Neha, Karan, Isha. 6 logic clues, one provable answer. Free IBPS PO & SSC practice.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-10-20-circular-seating-puzzle

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Published: 2026-10-20 · Difficulty: hard · 6 clues · 7 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI PO · RBI Grade B

## The puzzle

Lata, Imran, Meera, Neha, Karan, Isha, Geeta — sit around a round table, all facing the centre — work out the seating order clockwise. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Karan does NOT sit next to Isha.
2. Exactly 1 person sits between Lata and Geeta (the shorter way).
3. Exactly 2 people sit between Imran and Geeta (the shorter way).
4. Exactly 2 people sit between Imran and Meera (the shorter way).
5. Exactly 2 people sit between Meera and Isha (the shorter way).
6. Karan sits 3rd to the left of Neha (all facing the centre).

## Answer

Geeta, Neha, Isha, Imran, Karan, Lata, Meera (clockwise around the table).

Pos 1: Geeta · Pos 2: Neha · Pos 3: Isha · Pos 4: Imran · Pos 5: Karan · Pos 6: Lata · Pos 7: Meera

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 720 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 7 people around the table. Fix Geeta at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ.
2. Clue 6 — "Karan sits 3rd to the left of Neha (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 120 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Geeta): Geeta · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 2 — "Exactly 1 person sits between Lata and Geeta (the shorter way)." narrows it to 36 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Geeta): Geeta · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 3 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Imran and Geeta (the shorter way)." narrows it to 16 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Geeta): Geeta · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 4 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Imran and Meera (the shorter way)." narrows it to 6 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Geeta): Geeta · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
6. Clue 5 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Meera and Isha (the shorter way)." narrows it to 2 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Geeta): Geeta · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
7. Clue 1 — "Karan does NOT sit next to Isha." ⇒ Lata → seat 6, Imran → seat 4, Meera → seat 7, Neha → seat 2, Karan → seat 5, Isha → seat 3 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Geeta): Geeta · Neha · Isha · Imran · Karan · Lata · Meera
8. Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Geeta, Neha, Isha, Imran, Karan, Lata, Meera 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: Geeta, Neha, Isha, Imran, Karan, Lata, Meera. 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

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