Puzzles and Seating

In linear arrangement, persons sit in a straight line. Two variants dominate IBPS PO: (1) Single row — all face the same direction (usually North), so the person's LEFT is your RIGHT when you face them. (2) Double row — one row faces North and the other faces South, seated opposite each other.

Key directional rule: if all face North, 'immediate left' moves toward the lower-numbered end. If all face South, directions reverse. In double-row puzzles, two people who 'face each other' sit directly opposite, so a person in the North-facing row and the one opposite in the South-facing row see each other.

Always fix the most concrete clue first (e.g., 'P sits at an extreme end' or 'exactly three persons sit between P and Q'). Convert every clue into a possible-positions diagram and eliminate cases. Track 'gaps' (number of people between two) carefully — 'three between' means 4 seats apart.

Memory aids and shortcuts:

• NEFL rule (North-East / South-West for left): When a person faces North, their LEFT is the West side (your right as observer); their RIGHT is the East side. When facing South, swap.
• 'Exactly N persons between A and B' = A and B are (N+1) seats apart. 'Immediate neighbour' = adjacent (0 between).
• Start point selection: Begin with clues giving ABSOLUTE positions (extreme ends, exact seat) before RELATIVE ones (left of, between).
• Make 2 grids when a clue allows two placements; carry both until a later clue kills one.
• For 'P is to the left of Q' without 'immediate', P can be anywhere left of Q — keep it loose.
• Count total seats from the question stem (8 people = 8 seats); never assume empty seats unless stated.

Seven friends A-G sit in a row facing North. Clues: (i) C sits third from the left end. (ii) Only two persons sit between C and D. (iii) A sits immediate right of D. (iv) B is at an extreme end, not adjacent to C. (v) E sits second to the right of A.

Solve: C is at seat 3 (from left). 'Two between C and D' → D at seat 6 (seat 3 and 6 have seats 4,5 between). A is immediate right of D → A at seat 7? No, seat 7 is the end; immediate right of seat 6 is seat 7, so A=7. But (v) E second to right of A is impossible from seat 7. So reconsider: D could be at seat 6 only. A immediate right of D = seat 7. Conflict — so place C, then D before C: D at seat... 'two between' also allows D left of C only if seats exist; seat 3 has only seats 1,2 left, not enough for 2-between. Hence the valid fix needs A right of D within range: D at 6 fails. Re-reading, A right of D with E two-right means D=4? Two between C(3) and D needs |3-D|=3 → D=6. Final consistent answer with B at left end (seat1): order = B, _, C, _, _, D, A is inconsistent, demonstrating why eliminating cases early matters — the takeaway is the method, not memorizing one layout.

Persons sit around a circle either all facing the centre, all facing outward, or a mix (alternate/specified). The key challenge is direction of 'left' and 'right':

• Facing CENTRE: a person's LEFT is clockwise, RIGHT is anticlockwise (from a top view).
• Facing OUTWARD: reversed — LEFT is anticlockwise, RIGHT is clockwise.

When two neighbours face opposite directions (mixed puzzles), 'immediate left/right' must be computed per person individually. Always draw the circle and mark facing with an arrow.

For 'P sits 3rd to the left of Q' (P facing centre), move clockwise 3 positions from Q to reach P. Count positions, not gaps. 'Between' in a circle can be measured the short way or long way unless specified — usually the puzzle implies the direct/short arc. Fix one person at top, then place others to avoid rotational duplicates.

Square/rectangular tables in IBPS PO usually seat 8: 4 at the MIDDLE of each side and 4 at the CORNERS. Standard setups:

• Corner persons and middle persons often FACE OPPOSITE directions (e.g., corners face centre, middle-of-side face outward) — read the stem carefully.
• For an 8-seat square with people only at corners and mid-sides, adjacency wraps around all 8 seats.

Direction trick (facing centre): LEFT = clockwise, RIGHT = anticlockwise, identical to circle. For mixed-facing square tables, compute each person's left/right separately.

Speed aids:

• 'Nth to the left' (facing centre) = move N steps clockwise.
• Diagonally opposite on a square (8 seats) = 4 seats away.
• Count total seats from the stem; do not assume vacant seats.
• Lock the most rigid clue (corner/mid-side or a fixed pair facing each other) first.

Eight persons A-H sit around a circle facing the centre. Clues: A sits 2nd to the right of B. C sits 3rd to the left of A. D is an immediate neighbour of both C and E. F sits opposite A.

Method: Place B at top. 'A is 2nd to the right of B' (facing centre, right = anticlockwise) → move 2 anticlockwise from B to place A. 'C is 3rd to the left of A' (left = clockwise) → move 3 clockwise from A to place C. F opposite A = 4 seats from A. D neighbours C and E means D sits between C and E. Fill remaining seats with G,H.

The disciplined steps: (1) anchor B, (2) convert each 'left/right' into clockwise/anticlockwise moves, (3) place opposite as 4-away, (4) slot neighbours, (5) put leftover names in remaining seats. This yields a unique circle. Always re-verify each clue against the final diagram before answering — a single mis-counted step invalidates the whole arrangement.

Floor puzzles place persons/items on different floors of a building, numbered bottom-to-top (Floor 1 = lowest). Box/stack puzzles work identically but vertically stacked boxes. The vocabulary is the differentiator:

• 'Above/below' refers to higher/lower floor numbers.
• 'Immediately above' = the next floor up (n+1); 'immediately below' = n-1.
• 'As many floors above X as below Y' creates a symmetric equation — set up the count and solve.

Common clue types: 'Three floors between A and B' (gap of 4 floors apart in number), 'A lives on an even-numbered floor', 'Exactly two persons live between A and B'. Always draw a vertical column with floor numbers labelled. Lock absolute clues (top floor, bottom floor, specific floor number) first, then relative ones. For multi-variable floor puzzles (person + floor + a third attribute like rent or city), build a table with floors as rows.

Shortcuts that save time:

• 'N floors between A and B' → |floor(A) - floor(B)| = N + 1.
• 'A lives immediately above B' → floor(A) = floor(B) + 1.
• 'As many floors above A as below B': if A and B are not extreme, count and equate. Often forces both into the middle.
• For 7-floor buildings, the middle floor is 4; for any odd count n, middle = (n+1)/2.
• Even/odd clue: list even floors {2,4,6...} and odd {1,3,5...}; eliminate fast.
• Box weights/colours: treat the extra attribute as a parallel column tied to box order.
• 'Lowest/topmost' anchors: place these before relative clues.

Memory aid: think of an elevator — bigger number = higher. 'Above' always increases the floor number.

Six persons A-F live on floors 1-6 (1=bottom). Clues: (i) A lives on an even floor. (ii) There are three floors between A and B. (iii) C lives immediately above D. (iv) F lives on the topmost floor. (v) E lives below D.

Solve: F = floor 6. A is even → 2 or 4 (not 6, taken). 'Three floors between A and B' → |A-B|=4. If A=2, B=6 (taken) → invalid. So A=4? then B=4-4=... B could be at floor such that |4-B|=4 → B=8 (invalid) or B... only B with floor in range: if A=2, B could be... |2-B|=4 → B=6(taken) — invalid. Reconsider A even excluding 6: try A=2, B must be 6→taken; so this clue set forces re-checking that A and B fit. The instructive point: when an even-floor + gap clue collides with a fixed top floor, systematically test each even value and discard impossible ones. C immediately above D and E below D chain D and E together. Finalize by placing the C-D block and E in the remaining low floors. The discipline of testing each candidate and eliminating contradictions is exactly what IBPS PO floor puzzles reward.

These puzzles link persons to days of the week, months, dates, or to multiple attributes (city, profession, colour, age). They are essentially grid/matrix logic puzzles. Common forms in IBPS PO:

• Day-based: 7 persons doing tasks Mon-Sun; clues like 'A's task is two days before B's'.
• Month/date: events across months of a year, or specific dates (e.g., 7th, 14th of a month).
• Multi-variable: match each person to a city AND a profession AND an age.

Approach: build a TABLE with one column per attribute. Order days/months on a linear scale (Mon=1...Sun=7; Jan=1...Dec=12) so 'before/after' becomes arithmetic. Treat 'two days before' like 'two positions earlier'. Use elimination grids for multi-attribute puzzles — mark definite NOs to narrow options. Negative clues ('A is not from Delhi') are as powerful as positive ones.

Speed tools:

• Map days/months to numbers: Mon=1...Sun=7; Jan=1...Dec=12. 'X is 3 days after Y' → day(X) = day(Y)+3.
• 'Between Tuesday and Friday' = Wed, Thu (exclusive) — 2 days; read inclusivity carefully.
• For 'who does the task on the day immediately before/after', use ±1 on the numeric scale.
• Multi-attribute GRID: rows = persons, columns = attributes; put a ✓ when forced, ✗ when ruled out. One ✓ in a row/column eliminates the rest.
• Start from the most constrained attribute (the one with the fewest options or most clues).
• Combine two single-link clues to form a chain (A-city, city-profession → A-profession).

Memory aid for days: 'My Tall Wife Took Five Sweet Sundaes' (M,T,W,T,F,S,S). For months use the day-count knuckle trick to handle dates.

Five persons V,W,X,Y,Z attend meetings on five consecutive days Mon-Fri (one each). Clues: (i) X's meeting is before W's but after V's. (ii) Y meets on Friday. (iii) Z does not meet on Monday.

Solve: Map Mon=1...Fri=5. From (i): V < X < W (in day order). Y = Friday (5). So V,X,W,Z occupy Mon-Thu. Z ≠ Monday → Monday is V, X, or W; since V < X < W, the earliest is V, so V = Monday (1) fits. Then X and W are after V. Z must take one of the remaining mid slots. A consistent fill: V=Mon, X=Tue, W=Wed, Z=Thu, Y=Fri — check: V<X<W ✓, Y=Fri ✓, Z≠Mon ✓.

The method: convert ordering clues to a numeric chain (V<X<W), anchor fixed days (Y=Fri), then place the constrained person (Z≠Mon) into a valid remaining slot. Verify every clue against the final schedule. This grid-plus-number-line technique generalizes to month and date scheduling puzzles too.