Seating Arrangement
🔒 Log in to trackSeating puzzles — linear rows and circular tables — are the highest-value reasoning block in CGL, appearing as a linked set of 3-5 questions. Mastery is mechanical: pin absolute seats (ends, middle, opposite) first, chain the fixed-distance and immediate-neighbour clues as arrows, apply negative clues last, and read the answer off the finished sketch. Circular variants hinge on one convention — facing centre, left = clockwise — and flip when people face outward.
One page per subtopic: detailed notes, every question type, formulas, tricks and practice sets.
Every formula on one printable page, grouped by subtopic.
3 exam-level questions worked step by step.
54 questions — untimed practice or a timed test with analysis.
Track record in the exam
Questions per shift in recent SSC CGL papers.
Test difficulty mix (54 questions)
Question patterns exams keep repeating
Taken from previous-year papers. If a pattern is marked "very common", expect to see it in your exam.
Linear row facing north
very commonOne row of 5–8 people, all facing north; ends and distance clues.
How to solve: Number seats 1..n from the left; right = +k, left = −k; ends first, chains next, 'not' clues last.
Example: Six people face north. D is at the left end, B is fourth to the right of D and E is immediately left of B. How many people sit between D and E?
D = 1, B = 5, E = 4. Between D and E = 4 − 1 − 1 = 2.
Row facing south
commonAll people face south; left/right asked.
How to solve: Flip the signs, or draw the row east-to-west.
Example: Five people face south. R in the middle, V immediately right of R. On which side of R is V, seen from the north?
South-facing right = west, so V is on the west side of R.
Circle facing the centre
very common6–8 people around a table facing the centre; opposite and neighbour clues.
How to solve: Fix one person at the top; left = clockwise; place opposites first.
Example: Six people face the centre: A sits opposite D and B is second to the right of A. Is B a neighbour of D?
Seats 0–5 clockwise: A = 0, D = 3; right = anticlockwise, so B = 4. Yes — B is immediately left of D.
Circle facing outward or mixed
commonSome or all face outward.
How to solve: Arrow at each person; outward left = anticlockwise.
Example: Five people face outward. Q is immediately left of P. Which way from P is Q?
Outward left = anticlockwise, so Q is one seat anticlockwise from P.
Two rows facing each other
very commonTwo rows of 4–6; 'faces' clues link rows.
How to solve: Seat i faces seat i; south-facing row reads left = east.
Example: Row 1 faces south, row 2 faces north. P is at the left end of row 2. Whom does P face?
P sits at seat 1 (west end). P faces seat 1 of row 1, which is the right end for the south-facing row 1.
Set of follow-up questions
very common3–5 questions share one puzzle: true statement, interchange, odd one out.
How to solve: Solve fully once, write the final arrangement, then answer each by lookup.
Example: Row: D F A C E B facing north. Which is true: (a) E at an end (b) F right of D?
E is at seat 5 (not an end); F is at seat 2, immediately right of D. (b) is true.
Seats with attributes
commonEach person has a second property (city, colour, drink).
How to solve: Fix seats first, then fill a people × attribute grid.
Example: Four in a row; the tea drinker is at the left end, and B drinks coffee. Can B be at the left end?
No — the left end holds the tea drinker and B drinks coffee.
Counting from ends and between
commonAsks positions from an end or how many sit between two people.
How to solve: p-th from left = (n − p + 1)-th from right; between = |a − b| − 1.
Example: In a row of 7, K is 3rd from the left. What is K's position from the right?
7 − 3 + 1 = 5th.