Seating Arrangements at Bank Level

IBPS and SBI name the Reasoning test in the notifications of IBPS Clerk, SBI Clerk, IBPS PO, SBI PO and IBPS RRB but publish no topic list; seating arrangement is one of the set-type puzzles the reasoning sections use, and the harder Mains and PO papers raise it to bank level. This chapter extends the basic linear and circular seating already taught in the foundation reasoning chapters. It teaches the facing rule for left and right in every layout, two parallel rows facing opposite ways, circular tables with mixed facing, square and rectangular tables, people carrying three attributes, and the two-case (uncertain) outcome, together with a fixed order of attack and the traps that cost marks. Every example restates its full data, because a question must be solvable from its own stem.

What Bank-Level Seating Adds, and the Order of Attack

A bank set gives one stem of about eight persons and asks five questions on it. A single misplaced person therefore costs the whole set, and with one-fourth negative marking a wrong guess costs more than a skipped question. The basic ideas are unchanged: people occupy seats, clues fix their relative positions, and left and right depend on the way a person faces. What the bank paper adds is listed below.

  • Two rows facing opposite ways: row 1 faces south, row 2 faces north, so left and right flip between the rows.
  • Mixed facing: some persons look at the centre of a table and others look outward.
  • Square and rectangular tables where seats are corners, mid-sides or short ends.
  • Three attributes per person (seat, colour, game), solved after the seats are fixed.
  • Two-case outcomes: the clues allow two arrangements and the question asks only what is true in both.
🧠 The five-step order
Order of attack:
(1) draw the skeleton and mark which way each seat faces;
(2) place the clues that give an exact position (middle, end, opposite);
(3) place chains such as X-Y-Z that hold together;
(4) if a clue allows two placements, write both cases side by side;
(5) use negative clues (not a neighbour, not at an end) last, as filters. Never begin with a vague clue such as "somewhere to the left of".

Rows and the Facing Rule

A person's left and right are fixed by the direction the person faces, not by the page. Someone facing north has the left hand to the west and the right hand to the east; someone facing south has the left to the east and the right to the west. In two parallel rows facing each other, row 1 persons face south and row 2 persons face north. Each person faces exactly the person at the same place in the other row, so "who faces X" is answered by the column, and "who is on X's left" is answered by X's own facing.

The facing rule for parallel rows
Person facesLeft hand pointsRight hand points
North (row 2)WestEast
South (row 1)EastWest

Counting in a row. In a row of n persons, a person who is k-th from the left is (n − k + 1)-th from the right, and the persons between two places a and b (counted from the same end) number |a − b| − 1. Worked example: in a row of 25, Ravi is 8th from the left and Mohan is 11th from the right. Mohan is 25 − 11 + 1 = 15th from the left, so 15 − 8 − 1 = 6 persons sit between them. The usual slip is to answer 7 by forgetting to remove Mohan himself.

⚠️ Between versus immediately between
"Between" has two readings. "Y sits somewhere between X and Z" allows other persons in the gap; "Y sits immediately between X and Z" means Y is a neighbour of both. In every stem of this chapter the word immediately is written out when adjacency is meant, but in a real paper read the exact words before placing the person.

Worked example (parallel rows). Row 1 faces south: P sits at the west end and Q sits immediately to the left of P. Because a south-facing person has the left on the east, Q is the second person from the west end of row 1. Had the row faced north, Q would have been to the west of P and P could not have been at the west end at all. Such an impossibility is itself a clue: it tells you which end a person must occupy.

Circular Tables: Facing In, Facing Out, Mixed

Number the seats clockwise and fix one person at seat 1; only relative positions matter on a circle, so this costs nothing. Then remember one derived fact. A person at the top of the table who faces the centre faces south, so the left hand points east, which is the clockwise way. Hence: facing the centre, left = clockwise and right = anticlockwise; facing outward, left = anticlockwise and right = clockwise. With n seats (n even), the opposite of seat s is seat s + n/2, and the shorter arc between two opposite persons holds n/2 − 1 persons.

⚠️ Whose facing counts
In "Y sits second to the left of X" the direction comes from X, the reference person named after "of", never from Y. In a mixed-facing table, X may face in while Y faces out, and using Y's facing reverses the answer. Write the facing next to each name in your diagram before reading any left or right clue.

Worked example. Six persons A to F sit around a circular table facing the centre.
(i) B sits second to the left of A.
(ii) C sits opposite B.
(iii) D sits immediately to the left of A.
(iv) E is an immediate neighbour of C. Put A at seat 0 and number clockwise. Facing the centre, left is clockwise, so B is at seat 2 and D at seat 1. C is opposite B, so C is at seat 5. E neighbours C, and seat 0 is taken by A, so E is at seat 4 and F fills seat 3. The clockwise order is A, D, B, F, E, C, and F sits between B and E.

Square and Rectangular Tables

A square table with eight persons has four persons at the corners and four at the middles of the sides. Treat it as eight seats around a circle that alternate corner, middle, corner, middle; neighbours are adjacent seats and a seat's opposite is seat s + 4. The stem states who faces where, usually corner persons facing the centre and side persons facing outward, or the reverse, so apply the circle rule person by person. The whole difficulty of the square table is that the facing alternates, so left and right alternate too.

A rectangular table for six usually seats two persons on each long side and one at each short end, all facing the centre. Name the seats clockwise from the north-west corner: NW, NE, E, SE, SW, W. Facing the centre, left is clockwise, as at any table. But "opposite" is geometric, and it is not simply three seats away.

Six-seat rectangular table, all facing the centre
SeatSide of tableFacesOpposite seat
NWNorth long sideSouthSW
NENorth long sideSouthSE
EEast short endWestW
SESouth long sideNorthNE
SWSouth long sideNorthNW
WWest short endEastE
⚠️ Opposite is not always n/2 away
On the six-seat rectangle the clockwise list NW, NE, E, SE, SW, W puts seat 0 and seat 3 three places apart, yet NW is opposite SW, not SE. Using "three seats away" here, as on a circle of six, gives wrong answers on every opposite clue. Read opposites from the table above.

Three Attributes and Two-Case Outcomes

When each person also has a colour and a game, settle the seats first. Position clues come before attribute clues, because positions are checked by counting, while attribute links need chains. Then keep one table row per seat. A clue such as "the person who likes Red plays Chess" is an equality link: it does not place anyone yet, but whichever seat gets Red also gets Chess, so write it as one linked pair and move it as a unit. Tick the cell it confirms and cross every cell it rules out.

The shape of a finished three-attribute grid (illustration)
Seat (left to right)PersonColourGame
1XBlueHockey
2YRedChess
3ZGreenCricket

A two-case outcome arises when the clues leave two arrangements standing, for example two persons that can swap seats. Do not guess. Draw both cases side by side, push every remaining clue through both, and keep both alive until a clue kills one. Then read the question. Items built on such a stem ask for what is definitely true, which means true in both cases. A statement that holds in one case only is a distractor.

🎯 Why the question survives two cases
Two cases are not a flaw in the puzzle. A clue set may fix people only up to a swap of two persons, and the question is then built on something both cases share, for instance who sits between the swapped pair. If your question needs a fact that differs between the cases, re-read the stem for a clue you missed.

Speed Plan and the Traps That Swap Answers

Plan about a minute and a half per question across a set, and spend the first of that on the diagram: the stem is read once, the skeleton drawn with facing marked, and the exact-position clues placed before any question is read. If after the anchors nothing forces a placement, go straight to a two-case table instead of staring. If a set will not close, answer the questions that the partial diagram already settles and leave the rest, since one-fourth is deducted for each wrong answer.

  • Reference person: the direction in "Y is second to the left of X" is X's.
  • Facing: outward-facing persons reverse clockwise and anticlockwise.
  • Opposite on a rectangle is read from the table, not from n/2.
  • Second to the left means two places away, with one person in between; "immediately" means one place.
  • Negative clues (not a neighbour) remove cases but never place anyone by themselves.
🧠 The ten-second check
Check before you answer: re-read each clue against the finished diagram, not just the clues you used last. A wrong final diagram usually breaks one early clue, and the check takes ten seconds against the five questions that depend on it.

Key takeaways

  • A person's left and right come from that person's facing: north-facing left is west, south-facing left is east; in two parallel rows the persons in row 1 face south and those in row 2 face north.
  • At a circular table, facing the centre makes left clockwise and right anticlockwise; facing outward reverses both, and the direction in a clue is always the reference person's.
  • A square table is eight seats alternating corner and middle with opposite at s + 4; on a six-seat rectangle read opposites from the geometry (NW-SW, NE-SE, E-W), not from three seats away.
  • In a row of n, k-th from the left is (n − k + 1)-th from the right, and persons between two places number |a − b| − 1.
  • With three attributes, fix the seats first, then chain the equality clues; with a two-case stem keep both cases alive and answer only what is true in both.
  • Order of attack: skeleton with facing, exact positions, chains, branch if needed, negatives last, then a ten-second check of every clue against the diagram.

Practice questions (17)

Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.

  1. Eight friends A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H sit around a circular table facing the centre, in this clockwise order: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H. Who sits third to the right of C?

    1. F
    2. H
    3. A
    4. E
    Show answer

    Answer: B — H

    Facing the centre, right is anticlockwise. From C, going anticlockwise, the persons are B, then A, then H, so H is third to the right. F is third to the left (clockwise from C), which is the usual swap.

  2. Two parallel rows face each other. The persons in row 1 face south and the persons in row 2 face north. In row 1, Q sits immediately to the left of P. In which direction from P does Q sit?

    1. To the east of P
    2. To the west of P
    3. To the north of P
    4. To the south of P
    Show answer

    Answer: A — To the east of P

    P faces south, so P's left hand points east and Q is east of P. West is the tempting answer for those who treat left as always west. North and south would put Q in another row, but Q is stated to be in row 1.

  3. Six persons sit around a circular table, all facing away from the centre. X sits immediately to the right of Y. Which statement is correct?

    1. X is the next person after Y in the anticlockwise direction
    2. X sits exactly opposite Y
    3. X is the next person after Y in the clockwise direction
    4. X is two seats away from Y in the clockwise direction
    Show answer

    Answer: C — X is the next person after Y in the clockwise direction

    Facing outward, right is clockwise, so X is the next person clockwise from Y. The anticlockwise option is the facing-the-centre rule applied by mistake. "Immediately" means one seat, so X is neither opposite nor two seats away.

  4. Twelve persons sit around a circular table, and P and Q sit exactly opposite each other. How many persons sit between P and Q along the shorter route?

    1. 4
    2. 6
    3. 11
    4. 5
    Show answer

    Answer: D — 5

    Opposite persons are 12 / 2 = 6 seats apart, so 6 − 1 = 5 persons sit between them on either arc; both routes are equal. Six is the seat gap, not the number between, and 11 counts everyone else.

  5. In a row of 25 persons, Ravi is 8th from the left end and Mohan is 11th from the right end. How many persons sit between Ravi and Mohan?

    1. 5
    2. 6
    3. 7
    4. 8
    Show answer

    Answer: B — 6

    Mohan is 25 − 11 + 1 = 15th from the left. Between positions 8 and 15 there are 15 − 8 − 1 = 6 persons. Seven results from forgetting to remove Mohan himself, and 5 from over-subtracting.

  6. Two rows of six persons each face each other: row 1 faces south and row 2 faces north, and every person faces exactly one person of the other row. X sits third from the east end of row 1, and Y of row 2 faces X. At which place from the west end of row 2 does Y sit?

    1. Third
    2. Second
    3. Fourth
    4. Fifth
    Show answer

    Answer: C — Fourth

    X is third from the east, which is 6 − 3 + 1 = 4th from the west. Facing persons share a column, so Y is also 4th from the west. Third is the number counted from the east, which is the wrong end for this question.

  7. Seven persons P, Q, R, S, T, U and V sit in a row facing north. P sits exactly in the middle. V sits at the right end. T sits immediately to the right of P. Q sits second from the left end. R sits immediately next to T. S sits at an extreme end. Who sits third to the left of R?

    1. U
    2. Q
    3. P
    4. S
    Show answer

    Answer: A — U

    P is at position 4 and T at 5; V is at position 7, so R, next to T, must be at 6 (position 4 is taken). S takes the other end, position 1, Q is at 2 and U at 3. The row is S, Q, U, P, T, R, V and third to the left of R (position 6) is position 3, U. Q is only second from the left end.

  8. Six persons A, B, C, D, E and F sit in two parallel rows of three. Row 1 persons face south and row 2 persons face north, and each person of row 1 faces one person of row 2. A sits at the west end of row 1. B sits in row 1 immediately to the left of A. C faces A. D sits immediately to the right of C. F is not an immediate neighbour of D. Who sits immediately to the left of the person who faces F?

    1. B
    2. C
    3. A
    4. D
    Show answer

    Answer: D — D

    Row 1 (west to east) is A, B, F and row 2 is C, D, E. A faces south so B, on A's left, is east of A; C faces A, so C is at the west end of row 2; D is on C's right, which for a north-facing person is east. F cannot be next to D, so F is in row 1 and E is in row 2 facing F. E faces north, so E's left is west, which is D. B is only the left neighbour of A.

  9. Eight persons A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H sit around a circular table facing the centre. B sits second to the left of A. C sits opposite A. E sits immediately between A and B, that is, E is an immediate neighbour of both. D sits second to the right of A. F is an immediate neighbour of C but not of D. H sits immediately to the right of A. Who sits third to the right of F?

    1. E
    2. A
    3. H
    4. G
    Show answer

    Answer: B — A

    Numbering clockwise from A at 0: B is at 2, E at 1, C at 4, D at 6 and H at 7. F neighbours C but not D, so F is at 3 and G at 5. The order is A, E, B, F, C, G, D, H. Third to the right of F (anticlockwise) is seat 0, A. E is only second to the right.

  10. Eight persons sit around a circular table. A, B, C and D face the centre; E, F, G and H face outside. E and A are immediate neighbours. H sits immediately to the left of D. A sits immediately to the right of H. H sits third to the right of B. F sits immediately to the left of B. G sits opposite E. Who sits second to the left of F?

    1. G
    2. C
    3. E
    4. A
    Show answer

    Answer: C — E

    The clockwise order from A is A, E, B, F, C, G, D, H. F faces outside, so its left is anticlockwise: going anticlockwise from F gives B first and then E, so E is second to the left. G is the trap: it is the answer if F is wrongly taken as facing the centre.

  11. Eight persons sit around a square table: A, B, C and D at the corners facing the centre, and E, F, G and H at the middles of the sides facing outside. C sits immediately to the left of F. D sits second to the right of B. H sits second to the right of F. E is an immediate neighbour of D. Who sits immediately to the right of G?

    1. B
    2. F
    3. E
    4. C
    Show answer

    Answer: D — C

    Taking A at a corner, the clockwise order is A, H, D, E, B, G, C, F. G faces outside, so its right is clockwise, and the next person clockwise from G is C. B is the answer of someone who treats G as facing the centre.

  12. Six persons A, B, C, D, E and F sit at a rectangular table, two on each long side and one at each short end, all facing the centre. A sits at a short end. B sits on a long side facing south, and E sits immediately to the left of B. E sits opposite D. C sits opposite A. A is an immediate neighbour of D. Who sits opposite the person who sits immediately to the left of C?

    1. F
    2. B
    3. D
    4. A
    Show answer

    Answer: A — F

    The seats clockwise from the north-west are B, E, A, D, F, C (A at the east end, C at the west end). C faces east, so C's left is north-west, which is B. The person opposite B (NW) is at SW, which is F. B himself is the left neighbour, not the person opposite.

  13. Five friends P, Q, R, S and T sit in a row facing north. Each likes a different colour among Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and White, and plays a different game among Chess, Cricket, Hockey, Tennis and Carrom. P sits in the middle, R sits immediately to the left of P, and T sits immediately to the left of S. P likes Green. The person who likes Red sits second from the left end. The person who likes Yellow sits immediately to the left of the person who likes White. The Chess player sits immediately to the left of the person who likes Green. The person who likes Blue plays Hockey. The Tennis player likes Yellow. The Cricket player does not sit at either end. Which game does the person at the left end play?

    1. Chess
    2. Hockey
    3. Cricket
    4. Carrom
    Show answer

    Answer: B — Hockey

    Seats left to right: Q, R, P, T, S (R is left of P at the middle, T-S take the last two, so Q is at the left end). Red is second, so R likes Red; P likes Green; Yellow-White fill seats 4-5 with Blue at seat 1. The Chess player is left of Green, so R plays Chess; Blue is Q, so Q plays Hockey. Chess is R's game, not the left-end person's.

  14. Six persons A, B, C, D, E and F sit around a circular table facing the centre. B sits second to the left of A. E is an immediate neighbour of both A and C. Which of the following is definitely true, whichever valid arrangement is taken?

    1. D sits immediately to the left of A
    2. F sits opposite C
    3. E sits opposite D
    4. B is an immediate neighbour of both D and F
    Show answer

    Answer: D — B is an immediate neighbour of both D and F

    With A at seat 0, B is at seat 2, E at seat 5 and C at seat 4; D and F share seats 1 and 3 in either order. B is then between them in both cases. D left of A holds only if D is at seat 1, F opposite C only if F is at seat 1, and E is opposite B, never D.

  15. Seven persons K, L, M, N, O, T and U sit around a circular table facing the centre. N sits immediately to the right of T and second to the right of K. M sits third to the right of N. O sits second to the left of T. L sits immediately to the right of N. Statements. P: U sits second to the left of O. Q: M is an immediate neighbour of L. R: K sits immediately between T and O. S: U sits immediately to the right of M. Which of the statements are definitely true?

    1. Only P and R
    2. Only P and S
    3. Only Q and R
    4. Only R and S
    Show answer

    Answer: A — Only P and R

    From K at seat 0 (clockwise): K, O, M, U, L, N, T. P holds (U is two seats left of O) and R holds (K is between T and O). Q fails (M is at seat 2, L at 4) and S fails (O, not U, is on M's right). Only P and R is therefore the set.

  16. Six persons U, V, W, X, Y and Z sit around a circular table, all facing away from the centre. U sits third to the right of Z. X sits immediately to the left of V. W sits second to the left of U. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

    1. Y sits immediately to the left of U
    2. V sits opposite Y
    3. X sits second to the right of Z
    4. W is an immediate neighbour of both Z and Y
    Show answer

    Answer: C — X sits second to the right of Z

    Clockwise from U the order is U, X, V, Z, W, Y. Facing outward, second to the right of Z (clockwise) is Y, not X; X is second to the left. That is the statement that is not true. The others hold: Y is left of U, V is opposite Y, and W is between Z and Y.

  17. Six persons D, E, F, G, H and J sit in a row facing north. H sits somewhere to the right of G, but they are not neighbours. D sits three places to the right of J. E sits immediately to the right of J. H sits somewhere between E and F. G and D are not neighbours. What is the order from left to right?

    1. G, J, E, D, H, F
    2. G, J, E, H, D, F
    3. J, G, E, H, D, F
    4. G, J, H, E, D, F
    Show answer

    Answer: B — G, J, E, H, D, F

    E follows J and D is three places right of J, so J, E, a gap person and D are consecutive. The gap person cannot be G (G and D are not neighbours) or F (H must lie between E and F, so F is to the right of H). So H is the gap person, F comes after D and G is at the left end: G, J, E, H, D, F. Swapping H and D breaks the clue that D is three places right of J.