# Order and Ranking Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 31 Oct 2026

> 5-person order and ranking puzzle (2026-10-31) — Geeta, Esha, Sanjay, Harsh, Jaya. 4 logic clues, one provable answer. Free IBPS PO & SSC practice.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-10-31-order-ranking-puzzle

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Published: 2026-10-31 · Difficulty: medium · 4 clues · 5 people
Exams: IBPS Clerk · SBI Clerk · SSC CHSL

## The puzzle

Geeta, Esha, Sanjay, Harsh, Jaya — are ranked from 1 (highest) to 5 (lowest) — work out each person's exact rank. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Sanjay is 4th from the bottom.
2. Jaya is ranked lower than Harsh.
3. Exactly 1 person is ranked between Esha and Harsh.
4. Geeta is ranked higher than Sanjay.

## Answer

Geeta, Sanjay, Harsh, Jaya, Esha (rank 1 = highest, down to rank 5 = lowest).

Rank 1: Geeta · Rank 2: Sanjay · Rank 3: Harsh · Rank 4: Jaya · Rank 5: Esha

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 120 possible rankings of 5 people.
2. Clue 1 — "Sanjay is 4th from the bottom." ⇒ Sanjay → rank 2 (2nd from top) (24 possibilities left). Board (rank 1 → 5): _ · Sanjay · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 3 — "Exactly 1 person is ranked between Esha and Harsh." narrows it to 8 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 5): _ · Sanjay · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 2 — "Jaya is ranked lower than Harsh." narrows it to 5 possibilities. Board (rank 1 → 5): _ · Sanjay · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 4 — "Geeta is ranked higher than Sanjay." ⇒ Geeta → rank 1 (top), Esha → rank 5 (bottom), Harsh → rank 3 (3rd from top), Jaya → rank 4 (4th from top) (1 possibility left). Board (rank 1 → 5): Geeta · Sanjay · Harsh · Jaya · Esha
6. 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?

Geeta holds rank 1 (highest). The full order from rank 1 to rank 5: Geeta, Sanjay, Harsh, Jaya, Esha.

### 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

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