# Circular Seating Arrangement Questions — Free Practice | Deduce > Practise circular seating arrangement questions free: fix one person, get left and right correct, then check your table against a machine-verified answer. Source: https://deducepuzzles.com/reasoning/circular-seating-arrangement --- ## Circular seating arrangement questions — free, verified practice Circular seating — many papers write it as simply “circle arrangement” — appears in almost every IBPS and SBI prelims paper, usually as a set of five questions, and it is graded harder than a row of the same size because there is no end to anchor against. The single most expensive error is not a logical one — it is getting left and right backwards on the very first clue. ### How to solve circular seating arrangement questions - Settle the facing direction before anything else When everyone faces the centre, a person's left is the clockwise direction and their right is anticlockwise. If a clue says someone faces outward, their left and right are reversed — mark that person on your diagram immediately. - Fix one person and work relative to them A circle has no absolute seat, so the arrangement is only determined up to rotation. Place any one named person at the top of your diagram and treat that as fixed; nothing is lost, because every clue is relative anyway. - Use exact-offset clues as your anchors “B sits third to the left of A” pins B exactly once A is placed. These are the circular equivalent of an end-of-row clue and should be applied before any “sits next to” clue. - Place opposite clues early when the count is even With an even number of seats, “A sits directly opposite B” fixes B the moment A is down. With an odd number, no seat is directly opposite another, so such a clue cannot appear. - Count gaps the short way round “Exactly two people sit between A and B” is normally read along the shorter arc. Check both arcs when the count leaves it ambiguous, and carry both as cases if the question genuinely allows either. - Re-check every clue on the completed circle Walk the clue list once against your finished table, paying particular attention to each left and right. A circle that satisfies every clue but one is a wrong answer to all five questions. ### Reading direction around the table | Situation | What it means | | --- | --- | | Everyone faces the centre | Left is clockwise; right is anticlockwise | | A person faces outward | That person's left and right are reversed | | “B is second to the left of A” | Move two seats clockwise from A (all facing centre) | | “A sits directly opposite B” | Only possible with an even number of seats | | “Exactly two sit between A and B” | Counted along the shorter arc unless stated otherwise | | No clue names an absolute seat | Normal — fix one person yourself and work relative | ### Practise circular seating arrangement questions right now Every question below was generated by the same engine that mints the Deduce daily puzzle, and machine-proven to have exactly one correct answer before it reached this page. The walkthrough is the engine's own, step for step. #### Question 1 6 people sit around a round table, all facing the centre. - Yash sits 2nd to the right of Esha (all facing the centre). - Divya sits 2nd to the left of Zoya (all facing the centre). - Jaya sits next to Nikhil. - Nikhil sits next to Yash. Can you work out who sits in each seat? - Start: 120 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 6 people around the table. Fix Divya at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ. - Clue 1 — "Yash sits 2nd to the right of Esha (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Divya): Divya · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ - Clue 2 — "Divya sits 2nd to the left of Zoya (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Zoya → seat 5 (6 possibilities left). Table (clockwise from Divya): Divya · _ · _ · _ · Zoya · _ - Clue 3 — "Jaya sits next to Nikhil." narrows it to 4 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Divya): Divya · _ · _ · _ · Zoya · _ - Clue 4 — "Nikhil sits next to Yash." ⇒ Jaya → seat 2, Esha → seat 6, Nikhil → seat 3, Yash → seat 4 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Divya): Divya · Jaya · Nikhil · Yash · Zoya · Esha - Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Divya, Jaya, Nikhil, Yash, Zoya, Esha clockwise. #### Question 2 6 people sit around a round table, all facing the centre. - Vikram sits immediately to the left of Bhavna (all facing the centre). - Vikram sits 3rd to the left of Zoya (all facing the centre). - Karan sits 2nd to the left of Uma (all facing the centre). - Karan sits 3rd to the left of Geeta (all facing the centre). Can you work out who sits in each seat? - Start: 120 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 6 people around the table. Fix Bhavna at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ. - Clue 1 — "Vikram sits immediately to the left of Bhavna (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Vikram → seat 2 (24 possibilities left). Table (clockwise from Bhavna): Bhavna · Vikram · _ · _ · _ · _ - Clue 2 — "Vikram sits 3rd to the left of Zoya (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Zoya → seat 5 (6 possibilities left). Table (clockwise from Bhavna): Bhavna · Vikram · _ · _ · Zoya · _ - Clue 3 — "Karan sits 2nd to the left of Uma (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Geeta → seat 3, Karan → seat 6, Uma → seat 4 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Bhavna): Bhavna · Vikram · Geeta · Uma · Zoya · Karan - Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Bhavna, Vikram, Geeta, Uma, Zoya, Karan clockwise. #### Question 3 6 people sit around a round table, all facing the centre. - Vikram sits immediately to the left of Manish (all facing the centre). - Exactly 1 person sits between Arjun and Vikram (the shorter way). - Exactly 2 people sit between Meera and Imran (the shorter way). - Meera sits next to Vikram. - Exactly 1 person sits between Meera and Rahul (the shorter way). Can you work out who sits in each seat? - Start: 120 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 6 people around the table. Fix Arjun at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ. - Clue 1 — "Vikram sits immediately to the left of Manish (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Arjun): Arjun · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ - Clue 2 — "Exactly 1 person sits between Arjun and Vikram (the shorter way)." narrows it to 12 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Arjun): Arjun · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ - Clue 3 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Meera and Imran (the shorter way)." ⇒ Manish → seat 4, Vikram → seat 5, Rahul → seat 2 (2 possibilities left). Table (clockwise from Arjun): Arjun · Rahul · _ · Manish · Vikram · _ - Clue 5 — "Exactly 1 person sits between Meera and Rahul (the shorter way)." ⇒ Meera → seat 6, Imran → seat 3 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Arjun): Arjun · Rahul · Imran · Manish · Vikram · Meera - Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Arjun, Rahul, Imran, Manish, Vikram, Meera clockwise. #### Question 4 6 people sit around a round table, all facing the centre. - Isha sits immediately to the right of Anjali (all facing the centre). - Rahul sits 2nd to the left of Isha (all facing the centre). - Aditi sits 2nd to the right of Isha (all facing the centre). - Neha sits directly opposite Rahul. - Aditi sits immediately to the left of Lata (all facing the centre). Can you work out who sits in each seat? - Start: 120 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 6 people around the table. Fix Aditi at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ. - Clue 4 — "Neha sits directly opposite Rahul." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ - Clue 1 — "Isha sits immediately to the right of Anjali (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 4 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ - Clue 2 — "Rahul sits 2nd to the left of Isha (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 2 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ - Clue 3 — "Aditi sits 2nd to the right of Isha (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Neha → seat 2, Isha → seat 3, Lata → seat 6, Anjali → seat 4, Rahul → seat 5 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · Neha · Isha · Anjali · Rahul · Lata - Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Aditi, Neha, Isha, Anjali, Rahul, Lata clockwise. #### Question 5 6 people sit around a round table, all facing the centre. - Omkar sits 2nd to the left of Priya (all facing the centre). - Esha sits immediately to the left of Yash (all facing the centre). - Exactly 2 people sit between Vikram and Esha (the shorter way). - Rahul sits next to Esha. Can you work out who sits in each seat? - Start: 120 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 6 people around the table. Fix Esha at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ. - Clue 1 — "Omkar sits 2nd to the left of Priya (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Esha): Esha · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ - Clue 2 — "Esha sits immediately to the left of Yash (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Yash → seat 6 (4 possibilities left). Table (clockwise from Esha): Esha · _ · _ · _ · _ · Yash - Clue 3 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Vikram and Esha (the shorter way)." ⇒ Rahul → seat 2, Priya → seat 3, Vikram → seat 4, Omkar → seat 5 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Esha): Esha · Rahul · Priya · Vikram · Omkar · Yash - Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Esha, Rahul, Priya, Vikram, Omkar, Yash clockwise. #### Question 6 6 people sit around a round table, all facing the centre. - Bhavna sits next to Lata. - Exactly 2 people sit between Yash and Lata (the shorter way). - Chetan sits 3rd to the left of Esha (all facing the centre). - Bhavna sits 2nd to the right of Chetan (all facing the centre). - Nikhil sits next to Yash. Can you work out who sits in each seat? - Start: 120 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 6 people around the table. Fix Bhavna at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ. - Clue 3 — "Chetan sits 3rd to the left of Esha (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Bhavna): Bhavna · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ - Clue 4 — "Bhavna sits 2nd to the right of Chetan (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Esha → seat 6, Chetan → seat 3 (6 possibilities left). Table (clockwise from Bhavna): Bhavna · _ · Chetan · _ · _ · Esha - Clue 2 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Yash and Lata (the shorter way)." ⇒ Nikhil → seat 4 (2 possibilities left). Table (clockwise from Bhavna): Bhavna · _ · Chetan · Nikhil · _ · Esha - Clue 1 — "Bhavna sits next to Lata." ⇒ Yash → seat 5, Lata → seat 2 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Bhavna): Bhavna · Lata · Chetan · Nikhil · Yash · Esha - Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Bhavna, Lata, Chetan, Nikhil, Yash, Esha clockwise. #### Question 7 6 people sit around a round table, all facing the centre. - Aditi sits immediately to the left of Anjali (all facing the centre). - Sneha sits 2nd to the left of Bhavna (all facing the centre). - Nikhil sits 2nd to the right of Anjali (all facing the centre). - Exactly 1 person sits between Deepak and Nikhil (the shorter way). Can you work out who sits in each seat? - Start: 120 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 6 people around the table. Fix Aditi at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ. - Clue 1 — "Aditi sits immediately to the left of Anjali (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Anjali → seat 6 (24 possibilities left). Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · _ · _ · _ · _ · Anjali - Clue 2 — "Sneha sits 2nd to the left of Bhavna (all facing the centre)." narrows it to 4 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · _ · _ · _ · _ · Anjali - Clue 3 — "Nikhil sits 2nd to the right of Anjali (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Deepak → seat 2, Nikhil → seat 4, Sneha → seat 5, Bhavna → seat 3 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Aditi): Aditi · Deepak · Bhavna · Nikhil · Sneha · Anjali - Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Aditi, Deepak, Bhavna, Nikhil, Sneha, Anjali clockwise. #### Question 8 6 people sit around a round table, all facing the centre. - Isha sits 3rd to the left of Yash (all facing the centre). - Kiran sits 3rd to the left of Varun (all facing the centre). - Kiran sits 2nd to the right of Yash (all facing the centre). - Neha sits 2nd to the right of Kiran (all facing the centre). - Tarun sits directly opposite Neha. Can you work out who sits in each seat? - Start: 120 distinct seatings (up to rotation) of 6 people around the table. Fix Isha at seat 1 and count clockwise — only rotations of the same seating differ. - Clue 5 — "Tarun sits directly opposite Neha." narrows it to 24 possibilities. Table (clockwise from Isha): Isha · _ · _ · _ · _ · _ - Clue 1 — "Isha sits 3rd to the left of Yash (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Yash → seat 4 (8 possibilities left). Table (clockwise from Isha): Isha · _ · _ · Yash · _ · _ - Clue 3 — "Kiran sits 2nd to the right of Yash (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Varun → seat 5, Kiran → seat 2 (2 possibilities left). Table (clockwise from Isha): Isha · Kiran · _ · Yash · Varun · _ - Clue 4 — "Neha sits 2nd to the right of Kiran (all facing the centre)." ⇒ Tarun → seat 3, Neha → seat 6 (1 possibility left). Table (clockwise from Isha): Isha · Kiran · Tarun · Yash · Varun · Neha - Exactly one seating (up to rotation) survives every clue: Isha, Kiran, Tarun, Yash, Varun, Neha clockwise. ### Common mistakes #### Getting left and right backwards This single error invalidates an entire set. Write “left = clockwise” on your diagram before the first clue when everyone faces the centre, and re-check it the moment a clue mentions someone facing outward. #### Looking for an anchor that does not exist There is no end seat in a circle and no clue will hand you an absolute position. Candidates waste a minute searching for one; the correct move is to fix a person arbitrarily and proceed. #### Assuming an opposite seat exists With an odd number of people, nobody sits directly opposite anyone. Count the seats before you try to apply an opposite clue, and treat any reading that requires one as a signal you have misread the seat count. ### Keep the streak going One puzzle a day, timed on the server, with a national and state leaderboard and a streak that survives as long as you do. Practising a topic once is worth little; the aspirants who move are the ones who show up daily. [See what Deduce does](https://deducepuzzles.com/features) or [read the rules first](https://deducepuzzles.com/how-to-play). ### FAQ #### In circular seating, is left clockwise or anticlockwise? When everyone faces the centre, a person's left is the clockwise direction and their right is anticlockwise. If a clue states that someone faces outward, that person's left and right are reversed relative to everyone else, so mark them clearly on the diagram before applying any clue about their neighbours. #### How do I start when no clue gives an absolute position? That is the normal case in a circle, not a missing clue. Because the arrangement is only determined up to rotation, you may place any one named person wherever you like and treat that as fixed. Every other clue is relative, so nothing is lost and the puzzle resolves from there. #### Why is circular seating harder than a row? A row has two ends, and a clue naming an end pins an exact seat immediately. A circle has no ends, so no clue is absolute and you must supply the reference point yourself. The circle also adds a facing direction that can reverse left and right, which a single-direction row does not. #### Can two people sit directly opposite each other in any circle? Only when the number of seats is even. With an odd number of people, every seat faces the gap between two others, so no opposite pair exists and no valid question can contain such a clue. Counting the seats first prevents a misread that costs the whole set. #### How do I increase speed in circular seating arrangement questions? Stop hunting for an anchor that does not exist. A circle is fixed only up to rotation, so place any named person at once and start applying clues — hesitating over where to begin is the commonest source of lost minutes in this topic. Mark every facing direction on the diagram before you apply a single left-or-right clue, because finding a reversed person late means re-checking every neighbour clue you have already used. #### How do I find the middle neighbours between two people in a circle? Count seats along the arc and never count the two named people themselves. In a circle of eight all facing the centre, if B sits fourth to the left of A, then moving clockwise from A you pass three seats before you reach B: those three sit between them, and the second of the three is the middle neighbour the question is asking for. Read the gap along the shorter arc unless the clue says otherwise, and carry the longer arc as a second case whenever the seat count leaves it genuinely ambiguous. ### Practise the next topic - [All reasoning topics](https://deducepuzzles.com/reasoning) — the full practice hub. - [Reasoning clue phrases: what each one actually means](https://deducepuzzles.com/reasoning/clue-phrases) — what every clue wording on this page means, exactly. - [Seating arrangement questions for bank exam prep](https://deducepuzzles.com/reasoning/seating-arrangement) — linear seating practice with worked solutions. - [Inequality reasoning questions](https://deducepuzzles.com/reasoning/inequality) — coded inequality practice with worked solutions. - [Syllogism questions for bank exam prep](https://deducepuzzles.com/reasoning/syllogism) — syllogism practice with worked solutions. - [All 28 reasoning puzzle types](https://deducepuzzles.com/reasoning-puzzle-types) — one real example of each. - [SBI reasoning: pattern, topics and a daily routine](https://deducepuzzles.com/sbi) — how to fit this into a study plan. 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