# Row Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 12 Nov 2026

> 5-person linear row seating arrangement (2026-11-12) — Tarun, Yash, Meera, Imran, Arjun. 4 logic clues, one provable answer. Free IBPS PO & SSC practice.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-11-12-row-seating-puzzle

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Published: 2026-11-12 · Difficulty: medium · 4 clues · 5 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI Clerk · SSC

## The puzzle

Tarun, Yash, Meera, Imran, Arjun — sit in a single row, all facing north — seat 1 is the far-left end and seat 5 is the far-right end. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Exactly 1 person sits between Yash and Arjun.
2. Tarun sits somewhere to the right of Imran.
3. Meera sits immediately to the right of Arjun.
4. Meera sits somewhere to the left of Imran.

## Answer

Arjun, Meera, Yash, Imran, Tarun (left to right).

Seat 1: Arjun · Seat 2: Meera · Seat 3: Yash · Seat 4: Imran · Seat 5: Tarun

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 120 possible left-to-right orders of 5 people.
2. Clue 3 — "Meera sits immediately to the right of Arjun." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 1 — "Exactly 1 person sits between Yash and Arjun." narrows it to 10 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 2 — "Tarun sits somewhere to the right of Imran." narrows it to 5 possibilities. Board (left → right): _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 4 — "Meera sits somewhere to the left of Imran." ⇒ Tarun → seat 5, Yash → seat 3, Meera → seat 2, Imran → seat 4, Arjun → seat 1 (1 possibility left). Board (left → right): Arjun · Meera · Yash · Imran · Tarun
6. Exactly one order survives every clue: Arjun, Meera, Yash, Imran, Tarun (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?

Yash sits in seat 3. The full order: Arjun, Meera, Yash, Imran, Tarun (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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