About Seating Arrangement
A seating arrangement question gives a group of people and a set of clues about where they sit, then asks for one fact about the finished arrangement. The clues are enough to fix a single arrangement, so the work is to build it, starting with the people whose places are stated outright and working outwards from them.
What you need to understand
- Write down the shape first: a straight row has two ends, a circle has none.
- In a row facing north, left means towards the left end; around a table, left and right are counted from the person named.
- An immediately to the left clue fixes two people side by side, which is far stronger than somewhere to the left.
- Second to the left of B means two seats away from B, not two gaps.
- Exactly two people between A and B means the two are three seats apart.
- Around a table of n people the person opposite is n/2 seats away, so an opposite question needs an even number of people.
- Once one arrangement satisfies every clue, every question about it has exactly one answer.
How to work through these questions
- Note how many people there are, and whether the row is straight or the table round.
- Place the certain people first: anyone at an end, opposite someone, or joined by an immediate clue.
- Draw the seats and fill them in as each clue is used.
- Mark who is already placed, so you can see which clues still have work to do.
- Keep an unplaceable clue as a constraint to return to rather than a reason to guess.
- Check the direction of left and right once more before answering.
Mistakes that cost marks
- Reading second to the left as the seat immediately next to the person named.
- Counting the gap between two people instead of the number of people sitting in it.
- Mixing up left and right in a row facing north, where left and right are the reader's, not the seated people's.
- Abandoning a clue that looks unplaceable; it usually becomes usable once two other people are seated.
- Assuming a circular table has two ends, when it has none.
- Answering from a second arrangement that fits only some of the clues.
Worked example
Six friends A, B, C, D, E and F sit in a row facing north. B sits at the left end. A sits immediately to the right of B. D sits third to the left of F. C sits immediately to the left of E. Who sits at the fourth position from the left?
- B is at the left end, so B is in position 1.
- A sits immediately to the right of B, so A is in position 2.
- The remaining people are C, D, E and F, in positions 3 to 6. C sits immediately to the left of E, so C and E take two adjacent seats.
- D sits third to the left of F, so F is three seats right of D. Among positions 3 to 6 the only pair three apart is D in 3 and F in 6.
- That leaves C in 4 and E in 5, which also makes C immediately left of E as the clues require.
Answer: C
Practice questions with answers
A few Seating Arrangement questions with the full solution shown, so you can see
how the method is applied before you attempt the timed set.
Question 1
Five friends A, B, C, D and E are sitting in a row facing north. (1) A sits between B and D. (2) D sits immediately to the right of C. (3) B sits second to the right of A. Who sits at the third position from the left?
Answer: Option D — with explanation
Only one arrangement of the 5 friends satisfies all 3 clues, and in it A is the person in the third position from the left.
Common mistakes
- counted the positions from the wrong end: C
- took left to mean right: E
- placed two people the other way round and shifted the rest along: D
Question 2
Seven friends A, B, C, D, E, F and G are sitting in a row facing north. (1) A sits second to the left of C. (2) B sits fifth to the right of G. (3) A does not sit next to F. (4) E sits fourth to the right of F. Who sits immediately to the right of D?
Answer: Option B — with explanation
Only one arrangement of the 7 friends satisfies all 4 clues, and in it A sits immediately to the right of D.
Common mistakes
- counted the positions from the wrong end: B
- read a clue as naming the immediate neighbour when it named someone further off: F
- took left to mean right: C
Question 3
Six friends A, B, C, D, E and F are sitting around a circular table, all facing the centre. (1) D sits opposite E. (2) C sits second to the left of B. (3) E sits second to the right of F. Who sits opposite A?
Answer: Option B — with explanation
With 6 people at a round table the person opposite is 3 places away. Only one seating order satisfies all 3 clues, and in it C is opposite A.
Common mistakes
- read a clue as naming the immediate neighbour when it named someone further off: E
- placed two people the other way round and shifted the rest along: F
- counted the positions from the wrong end: B
Question 4
Eight friends A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are sitting around a circular table, all facing the centre. (1) E sits second to the left of B. (2) G sits third to the right of F. (3) C sits third to the right of H. (4) H sits second to the left of G. (5) D sits second to the right of C. Who sits third to the left of A?
Answer: Option A — with explanation
Counting 3 places to the left of A around the table, and using the one seating order that satisfies all 5 clues, gives B.
Common mistakes
- placed two people the other way round and shifted the rest along: G
- took left to mean right: F
- read a clue as naming the immediate neighbour when it named someone further off: E
Question 5
Five friends A, B, C, D and E are sitting in a row facing north. (1) C sits immediately to the left of D. (2) A sits somewhere to the left of D. (3) E sits second to the left of B. Who sits at the third position from the left?
Answer: Option A — with explanation
Only one arrangement of the 5 friends satisfies all 3 clues, and in it B is the person in the third position from the left.
Common mistakes
- took left to mean right: C
- placed two people the other way round and shifted the rest along: E
- read a clue as naming the immediate neighbour when it named someone further off: A
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to start a seating arrangement question?
Place the people the clues pin down absolutely, such as anyone at an end or opposite someone. Those seats remove the most possibilities, and the remaining clues usually fall into place quickly.
Does second to the left count the person named?
No. Counting starts at the seat next to the person named, so second to the left is two seats away from them.
How many people sit between two people who are three seats apart?
Two. The number of seats between them is always one less than the distance, so a distance of three seats leaves two people in between.
Why does an opposite question need an even number of people?
Because opposite means exactly half the table away, and half of an odd number is not a whole number of seats.
What should I do if two arrangements seem to fit the clues?
One clue has been misread. Go back through the clues in the order you used them, checking left and right in particular, because that is the usual source of a second arrangement.
