Seating Arrangement Tricks


Trick 1: Fix One Person


In circular seating, fix any one person anywhere. Rotation does not change the answer. āĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤāĻžāĻ•āĻžā§° āφāϏāύāϤ āϝāĻŋāϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻāϜāύ āĻŦā§āϝāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋāĻ• āϝāĻŋāϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻ āĻžāχāϤ āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋā§° āϕ⧰āĻ•āĨ¤ āĻ˜ā§‚ā§°āϪ⧇ āωāĻ¤ā§āϤ⧰ āϏāϞāύāĻŋ āύāϕ⧰⧇āĨ¤


Q. Four persons A, B, C, D are sitting in a circle facing centre. Who sits to the right of A ?


Ans : B


Soln : Fix A anywhere (rotation does not matter). Place others accordingly. A-āĻ• āϝāĻŋāϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻ āĻžāχāϤ āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋā§° āϕ⧰āĻŋāϞ⧇ āωāĻ¤ā§āϤ⧰ āϏāϞāύāĻŋ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤


Trick 2: Direction Rule


Facing Centre : Right → Clockwise | Left → Anti-clockwise


Facing Outside : Right → Anti-clockwise | Left → Clockwise


āϕ⧇āĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§ā§°āϞ⧈ āĻŽā§āĻ– āϕ⧰āĻŋāϞ⧇ : āϏ⧋āρ → āϘāĻĄāĻŧ⧀⧰ āĻ•āĻžāρāϟāĻžā§° āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ⧇ | āĻŦāĻžāĻ“āρ → āωāĻ˛ā§āϟāĻž āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ⧇
āĻŦāĻžāĻšāĻŋā§°āϞ⧈ āĻŽā§āĻ– āϕ⧰āĻŋāϞ⧇ : āϏ⧋āρ → āωāĻ˛ā§āϟāĻž āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ⧇ | āĻŦāĻžāĻ“āρ → āϘāĻĄāĻŧ⧀⧰ āĻ•āĻžāρāϟāĻžā§° āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ⧇


Q. A is facing centre. B sits to the right of A. In which direction does B sit?


Ans: Clockwise to A


Soln : Facing centre → Right = Clockwise. āϕ⧇āĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§ā§°āϞ⧈ āĻŽā§āĻ– āϕ⧰āĻŋāϞ⧇ āϏ⧋āρ = āϘāĻĄāĻŧ⧀⧰ āĻ•āĻžāρāϟāĻžā§° āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ⧇āĨ¤


Trick 3: Immediate Rule


Immediately / Just / Exactly → No person in between : Immediately, Just, Exactly āĻŽāĻžāύ⧇ āĻŽāĻžāϜāϤ āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻŦā§āϝāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋ āύāĻžāĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇āĨ¤


Q. A sits immediately to the left of B. How many persons sit between A and B ? 


Ans: Zero (0)


Soln : 


“Immediately” means no person in between. Immediately āĻŽāĻžāύ⧇ āĻŽāĻžāϜāϤ āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻŦā§āϝāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋ āύāĻžāχāĨ¤


Trick 4: Between Rule


1 person between → 1 gap : āĻāϜāύ āĻŽāĻžāϜāϤ → ā§§ āĻ–āĻžāϞ⧀ āĻ āĻžāχ
2 persons between → 2 gaps : āĻĻ⧁āϜāύ āĻŽāĻžāϜāϤ → ⧍ āĻ–āĻžāϞ⧀ āĻ āĻžāχ
Even number → Opposite seats : āϏāĻŽāϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž āĻšāϞ⧇ → āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āφāϏāύ


Q. One person sits between A and B in a circular arrangement. How many gaps are there between A and B ?


Ans: One gap


Soln : One person between = one gap. āĻāϜāύ āĻŽāĻžāϜāϤ = ā§§ āĻ–āĻžāϞ⧀ āĻ āĻžāχāĨ¤


Trick 5: Strongest Clue First


Solve in this order: 1. Exact position, 2. Between clues, 3. Immediate neighbours. 4. Negative clues


āĻāχ āĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŽāϤ āϏāĻ‚āϕ⧇āϤ āϏāĻŽāĻžāϧāĻžāύ āϕ⧰āĻ•āĨ¤


Q. Statements:



  1. A sits second to the right of B.

  2. A does not sit beside C.


Which statement should be solved first ?


Ans: Statement 1


Soln: Exact position clues are strongest. āύāĻŋāϖ⧁āρāϤ āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāύ āϏāĻ‚āϕ⧇āϤ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĨāĻŽā§‡ āϏāĻŽāĻžāϧāĻžāύ āϕ⧰āĻŋāĻŦ āϞāĻžāϗ⧇āĨ¤


Trick 6: Opposite Seat Formula


Opposite = Total persons ÷ 2
6 persons → opposite after 3 seats
8 persons → opposite after 4 seats
āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āφāϏāύ = āĻŽā§‹āϟ āĻŦā§āϝāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋ ÷ ⧍


Q. Eight persons are sitting in a circle. After how many seats will the opposite person be ?


Ans: After 4 seats


Soln:


Opposite = Total ÷ 2 = 8 ÷ 2 = 4. āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āφāϏāύ = āĻŽā§‹āϟ āĻŦā§āϝāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋ ÷ ⧍āĨ¤


Trick 7: Negative Clue Last


Not neighbour / Does not sit beside
Never place first, use only to verify.
“āĻ•āĻžāώāϤ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧ” āϧ⧰āĻŖā§° āϏāĻ‚āϕ⧇āϤ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĨāĻŽā§‡ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āύāϕ⧰āĻŋāĻŦ, āĻļ⧇āώāϤ āϝāĻžāϚāĻžāχ āϕ⧰āĻ•āĨ¤


Q. “A does not sit beside B.” Can we place A using this statement first?


Ans: No


Soln: Negative clues are used only for verification. “āύāĻŦāĻšā§‡” āϧ⧰āĻŖā§° āϏāĻ‚āϕ⧇āϤ āĻļ⧇āώāϤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āϕ⧰āĻŋāĻŦ āϞāĻžāϗ⧇āĨ¤


Trick 8: Pair Unit Trick


If A & B sit together → treat as one unit first, split later. āĻĻ⧁āϜāύ āĻāϕ⧇āϞāϗ⧇ āĻŦāĻšāĻŋāϞ⧇ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĨāĻŽā§‡ āĻāϟāĻž āχāωāύāĻŋāϟ āĻšāĻŋāϚāĻžāĻĒ⧇ āϞāĻ“āĻ•, āĻĒāĻžāĻ›āϤ āĻ­āĻžāĻ™āĻ•āĨ¤


Q. A and B sit together in a circular arrangement. How should they be treated first ?


Ans: As one unit (AB)


Soln: Treat A & B as a single unit, split later. A āφ⧰⧁ B-āĻ• āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĨāĻŽā§‡ āĻāϟāĻž āχāωāύāĻŋāϟ āĻšāĻŋāϚāĻžāĻĒ⧇ āϧ⧰āĻŋ āϞāĻ“āĻ•āĨ¤


Trick 9: Number Position Method


Use numbers instead of drawing circles: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Place persons → faster solving (time-saving).


āĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āφāρāĻ•āĻžā§° āϏāϞāύāĻŋ āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āϕ⧰āĻ•, āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻŦāĻšā§‡āĨ¤


Q. Six persons are sitting in a circle. What method saves time instead of drawing a circle ?


Ans: Number positions: 1 2 3 4 5 6


Soln: Placing persons on numbers is faster. āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āϕ⧰āĻŋāϞ⧇ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻŦāĻšā§‡āĨ¤


Trick 10: Final Question Focus


Read the question asked first.
No need full arrangement always.
āϝāĻŋ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻļā§āύ āϏ⧁āϧāĻŋāϛ⧇ āϏ⧇āχāĻŸā§‹ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĨāĻŽ āĻĒāĻĸāĻŧāĻ•, āϏāĻ•āϞ⧋ āϏāĻžāϜāύāĻŋ āϕ⧰āĻŋāĻŦ āύāĻžāϞāĻžāϗ⧇āĨ¤


Q. Question asked: Who sits opposite A ? Is full arrangement necessary ?


Ans: No


Soln: Only find A’s opposite seat. āϝāĻŋ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻļā§āύ āϏ⧁āϧāĻŋāϛ⧇ āϏ⧇āχāĻŸā§‹ā§° āĻ“āĻĒā§°āϤ⧇āχ āĻŽāύ āĻĻāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āωāϚāĻŋāϤāĨ¤


Exam Formula : Fix → Direction → Strong Clue → Fill → Verify → Answer


āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋā§° āϕ⧰āĻ• → āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ āύāĻŋā§°ā§āϧāĻžā§°āĻŖ → āĻļāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋāĻļāĻžāϞ⧀ āϏāĻ‚āϕ⧇āϤ → āĻĒā§‚ā§°āĻŖ → āϝāĻžāϚāĻžāχ → āωāĻ¤ā§āϤ⧰