Seating Arrangement - Introduction and Examples (with Solutions), Logical Reasoning | IBPS Clerk Prelims 2024 Preparation - Bank Exams PDF Download

What is Seating Arrangement?

Seating Arrangement is a process of making a group of people sit as per a prefixed manner. The seating arrangement reasoning questions are based on a set of information including a certain set of conditions. Information of the arrangement of the people in a row or around the circle will be given, and candidates need to arrange people in the row or circle or square according to the given condition. 

Several types of Seating Arrangement reasoning problems are asked in various government competitive exams. 

Types of Seating Arrangement 

As now we know what consists of the questions related to the Seating Arrangement reasoning section. Let us see the various types of seating arrangement questions in reasoning that may come in competitive exams. 

1. Linear Seating Arrangement 

In this type of linear seating arrangement reasoning, candidates are required to arrange people in a row or multiple rows according to the given conditions. Candidates need to identify the exact position of the objects and their positions with respect to one another based on the information given in the seating arrangement questions.

• Single Row Unidirectional: In these type of linear seating arrangement questions, people will be arranged in a single row and everyone will face in the same direction. 
• Single Row Bidirectional: In these type of linear seating arrangement questions, people will be arranged in a single row and they will face in two different directions. 
• Dual Row: In these type of linear seating arrangement questions, people will be arranged in 2 different rows. 

2. Circular Seating Arrangement 

In this type of circular seating arrangement reasoning questions, people will be seated around a circular table. 

• Circular Unidirectional: All individuals are seated in a circle, and everyone faces either inward or outward. The arrangement is unidirectional because everyone is positioned to look in the same direction (clockwise or counterclockwise).
• Circular Bidirectional: Individuals are seated in a circle, but they alternate in facing directions, meaning some face inward, and others face outward. This arrangement introduces two directions, creating a more complex setup.

3. Polygonal Arrangement

A polygon is a closed figure formed with three or more sides. In these type of sitting arrangement reasoning questions, people will be seated around different shapes of table such as triangle, square, rectangle, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, etc. 

• Square Arrangement: In these types of polygonal seating arrangement questions, candidates are required to arrange people around a square table. 
• Triangular Arrangement: In these types of polygonal seating arrangement questions, candidates are required to arrange people around a triangular table. The objects or persons placed around a triangular plane that may be a table or any triangular object. 

4. Concentric Arrangement 

In this type of seating arrangement reasoning, 1 circular or or polygonal shaped table will be placed inside the other circular or polygonal shaped people. and a student needs to arrange people around these to table according to the given information. 

How to Solve Seating Arrangement Reasoning Questions – Know all Tips and Seating Arrangement Tricks

Candidates can find various tips and seating arrangement tricks below for solving any type of seating arrangement question in your competitive exams. 

Tip # 1:  A triangle has 3 corners and three sides, so three persons can sit at these corners and they are facing either the center or the direction opposite to the center.
Tip # 2: If A is three people away from B is given then 3 – 1  = 2 people will sit between them.
Tip # 3: Candidates need to keep the following points in mind while solving the seating arrangement based questions. 

• When A is second to the left of B: A – B 
• When A is second to right of B: B – A 
• When A is 2 places away from B: A/B – – B/A 
• When A is two places to the right of B or B is two places to the left of A: B – A 
• When there are 2 people between A and B: A – – B 

In order to solve seating arrangement questions, first of all diagram should be made. By doing so questions are easily and quickly solved.

Example 1:

1. 6 Boys are sitting in a circle and facing towards the centre of the circle.
2. Rajeev is sitting to the right of mohan but he is not just at the left of Vijay.
3. Suresh is between Babu and Vijay.
4. Ajay is sitting to the left of Vijay.

Who is sitting to the left of Mohan ?

Solution:

Hence, Babu is sitting to the left of Mohan.

Example 2:

1. Eleven students A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J and K are sitting in first line facing to the teacher.
2. D who is just to the left of F, is to the right of C at second place.
3. A is second to the right of E who is at one end.
4. J is the nearest neighbour of A and B and is to the left of G at third place.
5. H is next to D to the right and is at the third place to the right of I.

Who is just in the middle?

Solution :

Hence, I is just in the middle.

Example 3:

Siva, Sathish, Amar and Praveen are playing cards. Amar is to the right of Sathish, who is to the right of Siva. Who is to the right of Amar ?

Solution :

Hence Praveen is to the right of Amar.

Example 4:

1. A, B and C are three boys while R, S and T are three girls. They are sitting such that the boys are facing the girls.
2. A and R are diagonally opposite to each other.
3. C is not sitting at any of the ends.
4. T is left to R but opposite to C.

(A). Who is sitting opposite to B ?

(B). Who is sitting diagonally opposite to B ?

Solution:

(A). Hence, R is sitting opposite to B.

(B). Hence, S is sitting diagonally opposite to B

Example 5:

A, P, R, X, S and Z are sitting in a row. S and Z are in the centre. A and P are at the ends. R is sitting to the left of A. Who is to the right of P ?

A. A

B. X

C. S

D. Z

 Solution :

 Option B

Explanation:

The seating arrangement is as follows:

Therefore, right of P is X.