Seating Arrangement Tricks
Trick 1: Fix One Person
In circular seating, fix any one person anywhere. Rotation does not change the answer. āĻŦā§āϤā§āϤāĻžāĻāĻžā§° āĻāϏāύāϤ āϝāĻŋāĻā§āύ⧠āĻāĻāύ āĻŦā§āϝāĻā§āϤāĻŋāĻ āϝāĻŋāĻā§āύ⧠āĻ āĻžāĻāϤ āϏā§āĻĨāĻŋā§° āĻā§°āĻāĨ¤ āĻā§ā§°āĻŖā§ āĻāϤā§āϤ⧰ āϏāϞāύāĻŋ āύāĻā§°ā§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 āϝāĻŋāĻā§āύ⧠āĻ āĻžāĻāϤ āϏā§āĻĨāĻŋā§° āĻā§°āĻŋāϞ⧠āĻāϤā§āϤ⧰ āϏāϞāύāĻŋ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤
Trick 2: Direction Rule
Facing Centre : Right → Clockwise | Left → Anti-clockwise
Facing Outside : Right → Anti-clockwise | Left → Clockwise
āĻā§āύā§āĻĻā§ā§°āϞ⧠āĻŽā§āĻ āĻā§°āĻŋāϞ⧠: āϏā§āĻ → āĻāĻĄāĻŧā§ā§° āĻāĻžāĻāĻāĻžā§° āĻĻāĻŋāĻļā§ | āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻ → āĻāϞā§āĻāĻž āĻĻāĻŋāĻļā§
āĻŦāĻžāĻšāĻŋā§°āϞ⧠āĻŽā§āĻ āĻā§°āĻŋāϞ⧠: āϏā§āĻ → āĻāϞā§āĻāĻž āĻĻāĻŋāĻļā§ | āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻ → āĻāĻĄāĻŧā§ā§° āĻāĻžāĻāĻāĻžā§° āĻĻāĻŋāĻļā§
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. āĻā§āύā§āĻĻā§ā§°āϞ⧠āĻŽā§āĻ āĻā§°āĻŋāϞ⧠āϏā§āĻ = āĻāĻĄāĻŧā§ā§° āĻāĻžāĻāĻāĻžā§° āĻĻāĻŋāĻļā§āĨ¤
Trick 3: Immediate Rule
Immediately / Just / Exactly → No person in between : Immediately, Just, Exactly āĻŽāĻžāύ⧠āĻŽāĻžāĻāϤ āĻā§āύ⧠āĻŦā§āϝāĻā§āϤāĻŋ āύāĻžāĻĨāĻžāĻā§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⧠āĻŽāĻžāĻāϤ āĻā§āύ⧠āĻŦā§āϝāĻā§āϤāĻŋ āύāĻžāĻāĨ¤
Trick 4: Between Rule
1 person between → 1 gap : āĻāĻāύ āĻŽāĻžāĻāϤ → ā§§ āĻāĻžāϞ⧠āĻ āĻžāĻ
2 persons between → 2 gaps : āĻĻā§āĻāύ āĻŽāĻžāĻāϤ → ⧍ āĻāĻžāϞ⧠āĻ āĻžāĻ
Even number → Opposite seats : āϏāĻŽāϏāĻāĻā§āϝāĻž āĻšāϞ⧠→ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻāϏāύ
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. āĻāĻāύ āĻŽāĻžāĻāϤ = ā§§ āĻāĻžāϞ⧠āĻ āĻžāĻāĨ¤
Trick 5: Strongest Clue First
Solve in this order: 1. Exact position, 2. Between clues, 3. Immediate neighbours. 4. Negative clues
āĻāĻ āĻā§ā§°āĻŽāϤ āϏāĻāĻā§āϤ āϏāĻŽāĻžāϧāĻžāύ āĻā§°āĻāĨ¤
Q. Statements:
- A sits second to the right of B.
- A does not sit beside C.
Which statement should be solved first ?
Ans: Statement 1
Soln: Exact position clues are strongest. āύāĻŋāĻā§āĻāϤ āϏā§āĻĨāĻžāύ āϏāĻāĻā§āϤ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĨāĻŽā§ āϏāĻŽāĻžāϧāĻžāύ āĻā§°āĻŋāĻŦ āϞāĻžāĻā§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 āĻāϏāύ = āĻŽā§āĻ āĻŦā§āϝāĻā§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 āĻāϏāύ = āĻŽā§āĻ āĻŦā§āϝāĻā§āϤāĻŋ ÷ ⧍āĨ¤
Trick 7: Negative Clue Last
Not neighbour / Does not sit beside
Never place first, use only to verify.
“āĻāĻžāώāϤ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧ” āϧ⧰āĻŖā§° āϏāĻāĻā§āϤ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĨāĻŽā§ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āύāĻā§°āĻŋāĻŦ, āĻļā§āώāϤ āϝāĻžāĻāĻžāĻ āĻā§°āĻāĨ¤
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§° āϏāĻāĻā§āϤ āĻļā§āώāϤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻā§°āĻŋāĻŦ āϞāĻžāĻā§āĨ¤
Trick 8: Pair Unit Trick
If A & B sit together → treat as one unit first, split later. āĻĻā§āĻāύ āĻāĻā§āϞāĻā§ āĻŦāĻšāĻŋāϞ⧠āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĨāĻŽā§ āĻāĻāĻž āĻāĻāύāĻŋāĻ āĻšāĻŋāĻāĻžāĻĒā§ āϞāĻāĻ, āĻĒāĻžāĻāϤ āĻāĻžāĻāĻāĨ¤
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 āĻā§°ā§ B-āĻ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĨāĻŽā§ āĻāĻāĻž āĻāĻāύāĻŋāĻ āĻšāĻŋāĻāĻžāĻĒā§ āϧ⧰āĻŋ āϞāĻāĻāĨ¤
Trick 9: Number Position Method
Use numbers instead of drawing circles: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Place persons → faster solving (time-saving).
āĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻāĻāĻāĻžā§° āϏāϞāύāĻŋ āϏāĻāĻā§āϝāĻž āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻā§°āĻ, āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻŦāĻā§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. āϏāĻāĻā§āϝāĻž āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻā§°āĻŋāϞ⧠āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻŦāĻā§āĨ¤
Trick 10: Final Question Focus
Read the question asked first.
No need full arrangement always.
āϝāĻŋ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻļā§āύ āϏā§āϧāĻŋāĻā§ āϏā§āĻāĻā§ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĨāĻŽ āĻĒāĻĸāĻŧāĻ, āϏāĻāϞ⧠āϏāĻžāĻāύāĻŋ āĻā§°āĻŋāĻŦ āύāĻžāϞāĻžāĻā§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 āϏā§āϧāĻŋāĻā§ āϏā§āĻāĻā§ā§° āĻāĻĒā§°āϤā§āĻ āĻŽāύ āĻĻāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āĻāĻāĻŋāϤāĨ¤
Exam Formula : Fix → Direction → Strong Clue → Fill → Verify → Answer
āϏā§āĻĨāĻŋā§° āĻā§°āĻ → āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ āύāĻŋā§°ā§āϧāĻžā§°āĻŖ → āĻļāĻā§āϤāĻŋāĻļāĻžāϞ⧠āϏāĻāĻā§āϤ → āĻĒā§ā§°āĻŖ → āϝāĻžāĻāĻžāĻ → āĻāϤā§āϤ⧰