# Circular Seating Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — 13 Nov 2026

> 7-person circular seating arrangement (2026-11-13) — Aditi, Tanvi, Manish, Karan, Sneha. 6 logic clues, one provable answer. Free IBPS PO & SSC practice.

Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/blog/2026-11-13-circular-seating-puzzle

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Published: 2026-11-13 · Difficulty: hard · 6 clues · 7 people
Exams: IBPS PO · SBI PO · RBI Grade B

## The puzzle

Aditi, Tanvi, Manish, Karan, Sneha, Pooja, Bhavna — sit around a round table, all facing the centre — work out the seating order clockwise. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.

1. Aditi does NOT sit next to Bhavna.
2. Sneha sits next to Pooja.
3. Exactly 2 people sit between Aditi and Manish (the shorter way).
4. Sneha sits next to Bhavna.
5. Bhavna sits 3rd to the left of Tanvi (all facing the centre).
6. Exactly 2 people sit between Karan and Pooja (the shorter way).

## Answer

Aditi, Tanvi, Karan, Manish, Bhavna, Sneha, Pooja (clockwise around the table).

Pos 1: Aditi · Pos 2: Tanvi · Pos 3: Karan · Pos 4: Manish · Pos 5: Bhavna · Pos 6: Sneha · Pos 7: Pooja

## Step-by-step solution

1. Start: 720 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 7 people around the table. Fix Aditi at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ.
2. Clue 5 — "Bhavna sits 3rd to the left of Tanvi (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 120 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
3. Clue 3 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Aditi and Manish (the shorter way)." narrows it to 48 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
4. Clue 6 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Karan and Pooja (the shorter way)." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
5. Clue 2 — "Sneha sits next to Pooja." narrows it to 8 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
6. Clue 4 — "Sneha sits next to Bhavna." narrows it to 2 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ · _
7. Clue 1 — "Aditi does NOT sit next to Bhavna." ⇒ Tanvi → seat 2, Manish → seat 4, Karan → seat 3, Sneha → seat 6, Pooja → seat 7, Bhavna → seat 5 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · Tanvi · Karan · Manish · Bhavna · Sneha · Pooja
8. Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Aditi, Tanvi, Karan, Manish, Bhavna, Sneha, Pooja 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: Aditi, Tanvi, Karan, Manish, Bhavna, Sneha, Pooja. 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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