Square Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 3 Nov 2026
The puzzle
Zoya, Pooja, Tarun, Nikhil, Rohan, Omkar, Manish, Esha — 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.
- Pooja sits immediately to the right of Omkar (all facing the centre).
- Zoya sits 2nd to the left of Pooja (all facing the centre).
- Tarun sits 2nd to the left of Nikhil (all facing the centre).
- Pooja sits next to Rohan.
- Esha sits immediately to the left of Zoya (all facing the centre).
- Tarun sits at one of the corners of the table.
- Tarun sits immediately to the left of Manish (all facing the centre).
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Zoya, Esha, Nikhil, Manish, Tarun, Rohan, Pooja, Omkar (clockwise; position 1 is a corner, so odd positions are corners and even positions are side-middles).
- 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.
- Clue 6 — "Tarun sits at one of the corners of the table." narrows it to 5040 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 4 — "Pooja sits next to Rohan." narrows it to 1440 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 1 — "Pooja sits immediately to the right of Omkar (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 120 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 2 — "Zoya sits 2nd to the left of Pooja (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 3 — "Tarun sits 2nd to the left of Nikhil (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Esha → seat 2 (a side-middle) (4 possibilities left). Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): _ · Esha · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
- Clue 5 — "Esha sits immediately to the left of Zoya (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Zoya → seat 1 (a corner), Pooja → seat 7 (a corner), Tarun → seat 5 (a corner), Nikhil → seat 3 (a corner), Rohan → seat 6 (a side-middle), Omkar → seat 8 (a side-middle), Manish → seat 4 (a side-middle) (1 possibility left). Frame (clockwise from corner seat 1): Zoya · Esha · Nikhil · Manish · Tarun · Rohan · Pooja · Omkar
- Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Zoya, Esha, Nikhil, Manish, Tarun, Rohan, Pooja, Omkar 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: Zoya, Esha, Nikhil, Manish, Tarun, Rohan, Pooja, Omkar, 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 for this puzzle type
This post is one worked example. The topic page for circular and square seating carries the full method, the clue-wording table, the mistakes that cost marks and more practice questions.
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