# Row Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 4 Nov 2026

> 6-person linear row seating arrangement (2026-11-04) — Manish, Yash, Esha, Lata, Rahul. 5 logic clues, one provable answer. Free IBPS PO & SSC practice.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-11-04-row-seating-puzzle

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Published: 2026-11-04 · Difficulty: hard · 5 clues · 6 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI PO · SSC CGL

## The puzzle

Manish, Yash, Esha, Lata, Rahul, Sanjay — sit in a single row, all facing north — seat 1 is the far-left end and seat 6 is the far-right end. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Lata sits immediately to the left of Sanjay.
2. Exactly 3 people sit between Rahul and Sanjay.
3. Yash sits immediately to the left of Rahul.
4. Yash sits immediately to the right of Esha.
5. Manish and Lata do NOT sit next to each other.

## Answer

Lata, Sanjay, Manish, Esha, Yash, Rahul (left to right).

Seat 1: Lata · Seat 2: Sanjay · Seat 3: Manish · Seat 4: Esha · Seat 5: Yash · Seat 6: Rahul

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 720 possible left-to-right orders of 6 people.
2. Clue 1 — "Lata sits immediately to the left of Sanjay." narrows it to 120 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 3 — "Yash sits immediately to the left of Rahul." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 4 — "Yash sits immediately to the right of Esha." narrows it to 6 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 2 — "Exactly 3 people sit between Rahul and Sanjay." ⇒ Manish → seat 3, Yash → seat 5, Esha → seat 4, Lata → seat 1, Rahul → seat 6, Sanjay → seat 2 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Lata · Sanjay · Manish · Esha · Yash · Rahul
6. Exactly one order survives every clue: Lata, Sanjay, Manish, Esha, Yash, Rahul (left to right).

## How to crack row seating puzzles faster

- Lock the **ends first** — any "far-left / far-right" clue fixes a seat instantly.
- Convert "immediately to the left/right" into **adjacent pairs** and slide them along.
- "Exactly _k_ people between" gives a **fixed gap** — try it at each valid position.
- Eliminate, don't guess: each clue should cut the possibilities until one order remains.

## FAQ

### Who sits in the middle (seat 3) in this seating arrangement?

Manish sits in seat 3. The full order: Lata, Sanjay, Manish, Esha, Yash, Rahul (left to right).

### How do you solve linear seating arrangement puzzles for bank exams?

Fix direct positions first (far-left / far-right ends), then apply relative clues (left of, immediately left, exactly k between). Eliminate impossible orders until a single arrangement satisfies every clue.

## Learn the method

This post is one worked example. The topic page for linear seating arrangement carries the full method,
the clue-wording table and the mistakes that cost marks: https://deducepuzzles.com/reasoning/seating-arrangement

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