SSC Seating Arrangement Questions Practice Set (New Pattern)

SSC Seating Arrangement Questions: Quick Overview

Seating arrangement questions ask you to place people in a row, a circle or two rows using a few clues and then answer questions about the final arrangement. This practice set follows the new short-puzzle pattern: it has 6 full puzzles (18 questions) with four to six clues each, plus 8 quick arrangement questions, all with answers and step-by-step explanations. Every puzzle has exactly one valid arrangement, so you can be sure of each answer.

Key Takeaways

• Always note the facing direction first: it decides what left and right mean.
• Facing the centre in a circle: left = clockwise, right = anticlockwise.
• Place the definite clues first (ends, opposite, exact gaps) and the vague clues last.
• Expect short puzzles with 4 to 6 clues and direct questions, plus quick counting questions.
• Time target: 3 to 4 minutes for a short puzzle and 30 to 45 seconds for a quick question.

Types of Seating Arrangement Questions

Left and Right: The Rule You Must Not Forget

Step-by-Step Method to Solve Seating Arrangement Puzzles

1. Read all clues once and note the shape and the facing direction.
2. Draw the seats (numbered 1 to n for a row, equally spaced dots for a circle).
3. Place the definite clues first: extreme ends, opposite persons and clues with an exact number of persons in between.
4. Connect the relative clues such as immediate left, second to the right or between.
5. Use the vague clues last (somewhere to the left, not neighbours) to remove wrong cases.
6. Verify the final arrangement against every clue before answering.

Worked Example: Puzzle 1 Solved Step by Step

Clues: T sits at the extreme right end; S sits second to the left of T; P sits to the immediate left of S; Q sits somewhere to the left of P.

1. T is at the extreme right end, so T is in the 5th seat: _ _ _ _ T.
2. S is second to the left of T, so S is in the 3rd seat: _ _ S _ T.
3. P is to the immediate left of S, so P is in the 2nd seat: _ P S _ T.
4. Q is somewhere to the left of P, so Q takes the 1st seat: Q P S _ T.
5. R is the only person left, so R takes the 4th seat. Final: Q, P, S, R, T.

Shortcuts and Tricks for Seating Arrangement

• Immediate = distance 1, second = distance 2, exactly k persons in between = distance k + 1.
• In a circle of n persons, opposite persons are n ÷ 2 seats apart, with (n ÷ 2) − 1 persons on each side between them.
• Position from the right end = total − position from the left end + 1.
• Start with the person who appears in the most clues; that person usually anchors the arrangement.
• If a clue gives two possible cases, write both cases and cancel the wrong one when the next clue arrives.
• In a circle, fix one person at any seat, because rotating the whole circle does not change the arrangement.

Seating Arrangement Practice Set (26 Questions)

Solve each puzzle on paper, then check the answers below. Try to finish a puzzle in three to four minutes.

Puzzle 1: Five Friends in a Row

Five friends P, Q, R, S and T are sitting in a row and all of them face north.

Conditions:

1. T sits at the extreme right end.
2. S sits second to the left of T.
3. P sits to the immediate left of S.
4. Q sits somewhere to the left of P.

Questions:

Q1. Who sits at the centre of the row?
(A) P    (B) S    (C) Q    (D) R

Q2. Who sits to the immediate right of P?
(A) S    (B) Q    (C) R    (D) T

Q3. How many persons sit between Q and R?
(A) 1    (B) 2    (C) 3    (D) 4

Puzzle 2: Six Persons in a Row

Six persons A, B, C, D, E and F are sitting in a row facing north.

Conditions:

1. B sits third from the right end.
2. F sits to the immediate left of B.
3. C does not sit at either end.
4. D sits to the immediate right of B.
5. E sits somewhere to the right of D.

Questions:

Q4. Who sits at the extreme left end?
(A) C    (B) E    (C) F    (D) A

Q5. Who sits exactly between F and D?
(A) B    (B) A    (C) C    (D) E

Q6. How many persons sit to the right of B?
(A) 1    (B) 3    (C) 4    (D) 2

Puzzle 3: Six Persons around a Circular Table

Six persons K, L, M, N, O and P are sitting around a circular table. All of them face the centre.

Conditions:

1. L sits opposite K.
2. M sits to the immediate left of K.
3. N sits second to the right of M.
4. P sits to the immediate right of L.

Questions:

Q7. Who sits second to the left of L?
(A) K    (B) L    (C) N    (D) M

Q8. Who sits opposite M?
(A) K    (B) L    (C) O    (D) M

Q9. Who sits exactly between P and O?
(A) K    (B) L    (C) M    (D) N

Puzzle 4: Seven Persons in a Row

Seven persons A, B, C, D, E, F and G are sitting in a row facing north.

Conditions:

1. G sits somewhere to the left of B.
2. D sits exactly between C and F.
3. E sits second to the left of F.
4. Exactly two persons sit between A and C.
5. B sits somewhere to the left of C.

Questions:

Q10. Who sits at the extreme left end?
(A) A    (B) C    (C) G    (D) E

Q11. How many persons sit between B and D?
(A) 3    (B) 2    (C) 4    (D) 5

Q12. Who sits exactly in the middle of the row?
(A) B    (B) A    (C) E    (D) F

Puzzle 5: Eight Persons around a Circular Table

Eight persons H, M, R, D, T, K, B and W are sitting around a circular table facing the centre.

Conditions:

1. H sits to the immediate right of M.
2. K sits opposite M.
3. R sits second to the left of H.
4. T sits second to the left of R.
5. D and K are not neighbours.
6. W sits second to the left of K.

Questions:

Q13. Who sits third to the right of D?
(A) B    (B) D    (C) K    (D) H

Q14. Who sits opposite R?
(A) B    (B) D    (C) H    (D) K

Q15. Who sits second to the left of M?
(A) B    (B) H    (C) D    (D) K

Puzzle 6: Eight Persons in Two Rows

Eight persons H, D, M, B, K, W, R and T are sitting in two parallel rows of four persons each. The persons of row 1 face south and the persons of row 2 face north, so each person of one row faces a person of the other row. (When a person faces north, left is towards the west; when a person faces south, left is towards the east.)

Conditions:

1. W sits to the immediate left of R.
2. B sits to the immediate left of M.
3. T sits in row 2.
4. W sits to the immediate right of K.
5. H sits opposite K.
6. H sits to the immediate right of D.

Questions:

Q16. Who sits opposite D?
(A) K    (B) R    (C) T    (D) W

Q17. Who sits to the immediate left of T?
(A) K    (B) R    (C) W    (D) B

Q18. Who sits opposite B?
(A) K    (B) W    (C) T    (D) R

Quick Arrangement Questions (New Pattern)

These short questions test position, counting and shifting without a long puzzle.

Q19. In a row of 25 students facing north, Meera is 9th from the left end and Rani is 12th from the right end. How many students sit between them?
(A) 3    (B) 5    (C) 4    (D) 13

Q20. Ankit is 14th from the left end and 18th from the right end of a row. How many persons are there in the row?
(A) 31    (B) 30    (C) 32    (D) 33

Q21. Ten persons sit around a circular table facing the centre. If P sits third to the right of Q, then Q sits at which position with respect to P?
(A) Third to the right    (B) Third to the left    (C) Second to the left    (D) Opposite

Q22. Ten persons sit around a circular table facing the centre. If B sits opposite A, how many persons sit between A and B (on either side)?
(A) 3    (B) 5    (C) 4    (D) 9

Q23. Seven persons A, B, C, D, E, F and G sit in a row in this order from left to right. If the first and the last person exchange places, and then B and F exchange places, who sits in the middle?
(A) C    (B) E    (C) F    (D) D

Q24. In a row of 30 persons, Neha shifts 5 places to her right and becomes 20th from the left end. What was her original position from the right end?
(A) 16th    (B) 11th    (C) 15th    (D) 21st

Q25. Five students Divya, Anil, Kiran, Bhavna and Charu sit in a row in alphabetical order of their names from left to right. Who sits in the middle?
(A) Anil    (B) Divya    (C) Charu    (D) Kiran

Q26. In a row, A is 4th from the left and B is 5th from the right. When they exchange their places, A becomes 8th from the left. How many persons are there in the row?
(A) 12    (B) 11    (C) 13    (D) 14

Answer Key at a Glance

Answers with Explanations

Puzzle 1: Five Friends in a Row

Final arrangement (left to right): Q, P, S, R, T. All face north.

Q1. Answer: (B) S — The row is Q, P, S, R, T, so the person in the middle (3rd position) is S.

Q2. Answer: (A) S — In the row Q, P, S, R, T, the person immediately to the right of P is S.

Q3. Answer: (B) 2 — Between Q (1st) and R (4th) sit P and S, so 2 persons.

Puzzle 2: Six Persons in a Row

Final arrangement (left to right): A, C, F, B, D, E. All face north.

Q4. Answer: (D) A — The row is A, C, F, B, D, E, so A is at the extreme left end.

Q5. Answer: (A) B — In the row A, C, F, B, D, E, the person between F and D is B.

Q6. Answer: (D) 2 — To the right of B (4th position) sit D and E, so 2 persons.

Puzzle 3: Six Persons around a Circular Table

Final arrangement (clockwise starting from K): K, M, P, L, O, N. When you face the centre, your left side is the clockwise direction and your right side is the anticlockwise direction.

Q7. Answer: (C) N — Starting from L and moving two places clockwise (left when facing the centre) gives N.

Q8. Answer: (C) O — In a circle of 6, the opposite person is 3 places away. Opposite M is O.

Q9. Answer: (B) L — P and O have L sitting in between them in the arrangement K, M, P, L, O, N.

Puzzle 4: Seven Persons in a Row

Final arrangement (left to right): G, B, E, A, F, D, C. All face north.

Q10. Answer: (C) G — The row is G, B, E, A, F, D, C, so G sits at the extreme left end.

Q11. Answer: (A) 3 — Between B (2nd) and D (6th) sit E, A and F, so 3 persons.

Q12. Answer: (B) A — In a row of 7 the middle position is the 4th, which is A.

Puzzle 5: Eight Persons around a Circular Table

Final arrangement (clockwise starting from H): H, M, R, D, T, K, B, W. All face the centre.

Q13. Answer: (D) H — In the arrangement H, M, R, D, T, K, B, W (clockwise), the person who sits third to the right of D is H.

Q14. Answer: (A) B — In the arrangement H, M, R, D, T, K, B, W (clockwise), the person who sits opposite R is B.

Q15. Answer: (C) D — In the arrangement H, M, R, D, T, K, B, W (clockwise), the person who sits second to the left of M is D.

Puzzle 6: Eight Persons in Two Rows

Final arrangement (west to east): Row 1 (facing south): H, D, M, B. Row 2 (facing north): K, W, R, T. So H faces K, D faces W, M faces R and B faces T.

Q16. Answer: (D) W — D is 2nd from the west in row 1. The 2nd person from the west in row 2 is W, so D faces W.

Q17. Answer: (B) R — Row 2 faces north, so left is towards the west. The person immediately west of T (4th) is R.

Q18. Answer: (C) T — B is 4th from the west in row 1. The 4th person from the west in row 2 is T.

Quick Arrangement Questions

Q19. Answer: (C) 4 — Rani's position from the left = 25 − 12 + 1 = 14. Students between = 14 − 9 − 1 = 4.

Q20. Answer: (A) 31 — Total = 14 + 18 − 1 = 31.

Q21. Answer: (B) Third to the left — If P is 3 places to the right (anticlockwise) of Q, then Q is 3 places to the left (clockwise) of P.

Q22. Answer: (C) 4 — The two arcs between opposite persons each contain (10 ÷ 2) − 1 = 4 persons.

Q23. Answer: (D) D — The person at the 4th (middle) position is D, and D is not involved in either exchange.

Q24. Answer: (A) 16th — Her original position from the left = 20 − 5 = 15th. From the right = 30 − 15 + 1 = 16th.

Q25. Answer: (C) Charu — Alphabetical order: Anil, Bhavna, Charu, Divya, Kiran. The middle (3rd) person is Charu.

Q26. Answer: (A) 12 — A moves to B's old place, which is 8th from the left and 5th from the right. Total = 8 + 5 − 1 = 12.

How to Check Your Performance

Common Mistakes in Seating Arrangement

• Mixing up left and right when the facing direction changes (south-facing rows and outward-facing circles).
• Wrong counting: forgetting to exclude the two persons themselves when counting how many sit between them.
• Using vague clues too early: this creates many cases and wastes time.
• Not verifying: one wrong assumption can make every answer wrong.
• Spending too long: if a puzzle is not opening up in four minutes, mark it and come back later.

Related SSC Reasoning Resources

• SSC reasoning practice set with answers (top 100 questions)
• SSC coding decoding questions with answers
• SSC CGL previous year question papers
• SSC practice papers

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is seating arrangement in SSC reasoning?

Seating arrangement is a puzzle topic in which you place a group of people in a row, a circle or two rows using a set of clues (such as who sits to the left of whom or who sits opposite whom) and then answer questions about the final arrangement.

How many seating arrangement questions come in SSC exams?

The number is not fixed and changes from shift to shift. Some papers have a small puzzle set of three to five questions, and some have only a few short arrangement questions, so it is safest to practice both puzzle and short-question formats.

What is the new pattern of seating arrangement questions?

Recent question sets are shorter than the long banking-style puzzles: they usually have four to six clues, one clear final arrangement and direct questions such as who sits opposite, second to the left or between two persons. Twists like two rows, mixed facing directions, exchanging places and shifting positions are also used.

What is the left and right direction in a circular arrangement facing the centre?

When people face the centre, their left side is the clockwise direction and their right side is the anticlockwise direction. If they face outside, the two directions are reversed.

What is the fastest way to solve seating arrangement questions?

Draw the shape first, start with the definite clues (extreme end, opposite, exact number of persons in between), place the connected clues next, and keep the vague clues such as somewhere to the left for the end. Verify every clue once the arrangement is complete.

How do I solve two-row seating arrangement questions?

Draw two rows, mark the facing direction of each row and remember that left and right are reversed for the row that faces south. Use the opposite clues to connect the two rows and place the rest from there.

How many persons sit between two persons who sit opposite each other in a circle?

If n persons sit in a circle, there are (n ÷ 2) − 1 persons on each side between two persons who sit opposite each other. For 10 persons this is 4 on each side.

What should I do if a clue says somewhere to the left of a person?

Keep it for the end. First place the definite clues and then use the somewhere-to-the-left clue to remove the arrangements that do not fit. It only tells you the order, not the exact distance.

How do I calculate the position from the other end of a row?

Position from the right end = total number of persons − position from the left end + 1. For example, in a row of 25 persons, the 9th person from the left is the 17th from the right.

Do all these practice puzzles have only one correct arrangement?

Yes. Every puzzle in this practice set has been checked so that exactly one arrangement satisfies all the conditions, so the answers are certain and do not depend on assumptions.

Should I attempt seating arrangement questions in the SSC exam?

Attempt them if you can set up the diagram in under a minute. A short puzzle should take about three to four minutes, so if you are still stuck after that, mark it and move on to easier questions.

What are the common mistakes in seating arrangement questions?

The most common mistakes are mixing up left and right after a facing direction changes, counting the persons between two people wrongly, and forgetting to check the final arrangement against every clue.

How many seating arrangement questions should I practice every day?

Solve one or two puzzles a day (about eight to ten questions) and one set of short questions. Increase the difficulty gradually from a row of five persons to a circle of eight and two rows of four.

Where can I find more SSC reasoning practice?

You can solve SSC previous year papers on the PYQ section of SSC Education, try the practice papers section and read the full SSC reasoning practice set with answers for mixed practice.

Conclusion

Seating arrangement looks difficult only until you follow a fixed method: note the facing direction, draw the seats, place the definite clues first and verify at the end. Solve the six puzzles and the quick questions in this set, study the explanations of every mistake and repeat the set after a week. With regular practice, these questions become some of the most reliable marks in the reasoning section.