Seating Arrangement Reasoning Questions for Competitive Exams, Types, Tricks, and Practice Sets

Seating arrangement reasoning is a scoring section in competitive exams like SSC, Bank, and Railways. This article explains its types with smart tricks and examples. Candidates must practice exam-style questions to improve speed and accuracy. This is ideal for candidates preparing for logical reasoning sections in government exams.

Jul 23, 2025, 10:48 IST

Seating Arrangement Reasoning Questions for Competitive Exams

Seating arrangement is one of the most commonly asked question types in competitive exams that include a Logical Reasoning section. These questions require arranging people or objects in a particular order based on given clues, which can be linear, circular, or grid-based.

One of the biggest benefits of solving seating arrangement questions is that a single question is usually followed by five to six sub-questions. This allows candidates to score more marks by correctly solving just one set.

What is Seating Arrangement?

Seating Arrangement is a type of logical reasoning question where individuals must be placed in a specific order based on given rules or conditions. These questions usually involve arranging people in a line (row), around a circle, or within a square or rectangular pattern.

The information provided includes detailed clues about where each person should sit in relation to others. Candidates must determine the correct order or position of each person in the arrangement using these conditions.

Types of Seating Arrangement

There are various types that frequently appear in competitive exams. These types are based on how people or objects are positioned according to the clues provided.

1. Linear Seating Arrangement

People are placed in a straight line, one row or two, in a linear seating arrangement. Candidates must find their exact positions based on the given conditions and their relation to others.

Single Row – Unidirectional: Individuals are seated in a single row, all facing the same direction (e.g., north or south).
Single Row – Bidirectional: People sit in a single row but face opposite directions (some may face north while others face south).
Dual Row Arrangement: Individuals are arranged in two parallel rows, typically facing each other.

2. Circular Seating Arrangement

Candidates need to position people around a round table based on directional clues in a circular seating arrangement.

Circular – Unidirectional: Everyone sits around the circle and faces in the same direction, either towards the center or away from it.
Circular – Bidirectional: Some individuals face the center, while others face outward. Their arrangement depends on the given mix of directions.

3. Polygonal Seating Arrangement

Individuals are seated around different polygonal tables, shapes with three or more sides. These arrangements are more complex and require spatial understanding.

Square Arrangement: People are placed on four sides of a square table. The direction (inward or outward) will be given in the question.
Triangular Arrangement: Individuals are arranged around a triangular shape, with positions as4signed according to specific clues.
Other Polygonal Variants: These may include pentagonal, hexagonal, or octagonal shapes, used for high-difficulty reasoning questions.

4. Concentric Seating Arrangement

Two shapes (usually circular or polygonal) are used, one inside the other in a concentric seating arrangement. Candidates need to arrange people on both the inner and outer levels based on detailed clues. This type often tests advanced logical and directional understanding.

How to Solve Seating Arrangement Reasoning Questions?

Seating arrangement questions are a common part of reasoning sections in competitive exams. Mastering them requires understanding positions, directions, and logical patterns. The following are some simple seating arrangement tricks to help solve such questions quickly and accurately.

Understanding Triangle-Based Seating

There are three corners and three sides in triangle arrangements. So, three people can sit at each corner. Their facing direction, towards the center or away from the center, determines their left and right positions.

People Sitting Between Two Individuals

If a question states, “A is three people away from B,” it means there are 2 people sitting between A and B. Just subtract 1 from the given number: 3 - 1 = 2 people between A and B

Seating Arrangement Patterns to Remember

Canding must keep these important position-based clues in mind:

A is second to the left of B. A is placed two seats to B’s left.
A is second to the right of B. A is two seats to B’s right.
A is 2 places away from B.Two persons are sitting between A and B in any direction.
A is two places to the right of B (or B is two places to the left of A). B comes before A with two people in between.
There are 2 people between A and B . The pattern will be like: A _ _ B (two seats in between).

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Seating Arrangement Questions

Question 1: Eight people, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H, are sitting in a straight line facing north.

If B is third to the left of F and A sits at one of the ends, who is sitting to the immediate right of D?

Question 2:

Seven people, P, Q, R, S, T, U, and V, are sitting in a row. Some face north, and some face south. P sits third to the left of T. R faces south. Who is sitting between P and S?

Question 3: Six friends are sitting in a line facing north.

A is second to the right of B
C is to the immediate left of D
E is not at any of the ends

Who is sitting at the extreme left?

Question 4: Eight people are sitting in a line, all facing south. If Z is fourth from the left and W is to the immediate right of Z, who is sitting at the rightmost end?

Question 5: Ten friends, A to J, are sitting in a straight line. If H is sitting fourth to the left of C and D is between H and A, who sits exactly in the center?

Question 6: Seven persons are sitting around a circular table, all facing the center.

A is to the immediate right of B
C is second to the right of A
D is between F and G

Who is sitting opposite A?

Question 7: Eight people, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W, are sitting around a circle facing the center.

V is second to the left of P
Q is opposite T
W sits between R and S

Who is sitting to the immediate right of U?

Question 8: Six people are seated around a round table.

No two females sit together
A sits between B and C
D is opposite A

How many females are there if B and D are male?

Question 9: Nine people are sitting in a circle facing inward.

X is third to the right of Y
Z is second to the left of X
W is opposite Y

Who is sitting to the immediate left of Z?

Question 10: Six friends. M, N, O, P, Q, R,are sitting around a circular table facing the center.

N is sitting third to the right of M
O is between M and P
Q is second to the left of R

Who is sitting to the immediate right of O?

Question 11: Eight persons are sitting in a circle, some facing inward, some outward.

A faces outward and sits second to the left of B
C is opposite A
D sits to the immediate right of A

Who sits third to the right of C?

Question 12: Ten people are sitting around a circular table, five facing the center and five facing outward.

J is to the immediate left of K
L is third to the right of M
N is opposite to the one who faces L

Who is sitting between M and N?

Question 13: Nine persons are sitting in a circle.

Four face outside, the rest face inside
A sits second to the left of B
C sits between A and D

Who is sitting opposite to B?

Question 14: Eight persons, A to H, are sitting around a circular table. Some face the center, and some face outward.

A is facing the center and is third to the right of B
F is between G and H

Who is to the immediate left of G?

Question 15: Seven friends are sitting in a circle facing opposite directions (inward/outward).

P sits second to the left of Q
R is opposite P
S sits between T and Q

Who is sitting to the immediate right of T?

Question 16: Ten people are sitting in two rows facing each other (five in each row).

A is facing B
C is second to the right of A
D sits opposite E

Who is sitting at the end of row 1?

Question 17: Twelve people are seated in two rows, six in each.

Row 1: A, B, C, D, E, F (facing south)
Row 2: P, Q, R, S, T, U (facing north)

If C is opposite R and B is to the left of C, who is opposite to T?

Question 18: Eight persons are seated in two rows of four each. Persons in row 1 face south, row 2 faces north. M is opposite N. P sits at one end of row 1. Who is between M and Q?

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