Seating Arrangement & Puzzles
Seating and puzzle sets are the highest-scoring block in any reasoning paper — one diagram answers four or five questions at once. The skill is not cleverness; it is starting from the fixed clue and never guessing. One wrong assumption propagates through every answer in the set.
Don't read this page — work through it. Each block asks you to commit to an answer before it tells you anything.
Start here: what do you already know?
Seating & puzzles — true or false?
6 statements · 12s each
The four arrangement types
| Type | Setup | The thing that catches people |
|---|---|---|
| Linear, one row | All face the same way | Left/right is from the person's view, not yours |
| Linear, two rows | Rows face each other | Opposite pairs; one row's left is the other's right |
| Circular, facing centre | Left/right reversed on the page | The commonest and most error-prone |
| Circular, facing outward | Left/right as drawn | Rare, and exactly why the question says it |
Classify the clue: definite or relative?
Sorting clues this way is the method. Definite clues go on the diagram first.
Which clues can you place immediately?
0/6H sits immediately to the left of someone.
Which group does it belong to?
The numbers that save time
Positions and counting
1/3In a row of 7 people, which position from the left is exactly the middle?
4
Method, in order
Match the phrase to what it actually means
Quick reference
Exam tip: the whole set stands on one diagram. Spend the first ninety seconds getting it right and the remaining questions take ten seconds each — rushing the diagram is how candidates lose five marks at once.