In circular seating, positions are relative to each other. There is no first or last position. The key is to fix one person's position first, then arrange others relative to that person
1) Always fix one person's position to eliminate rotational possibilities 2) Clockwise and anti-clockwise directions matter 3) 'Opposite' means diametrically across 4) Adjacent means immediate left or right 5) Use process of elimination systematically.
SSC CGL typically asks 3-5 questions per set. Common question types include: immediate neighbors, opposite positions, counting positions between people, and conditional arrangements. Most questions give 6-8 people with 4-6 conditions.
1 - The Fixed Position Method: Always start by placing one person at the 'top' of the circle. This eliminates confusion about rotational arrangements. Mark positions as 1,2,3... clockwise from this fixed person. Shortcut Trick 2 - The Opposite Formula: In a circle of n people, if person A is at position x, then the person opposite to A is at position x + n/2 (if n is even).
For odd numbers, no one sits exactly opposite.
Fix A at position 1 (top)
B sits two places right of A, so B at position 3
C sits opposite A. In 6-person circle, opposite of position 1 is position 4. So C at position 4
D sits immediately left of C. Left of position 4 is position 3. But B is already there. This means left of C is position 5. Wait - let me recalculate. If we number 1,2,3,4,5,6 clockwise, then left of 4 is position 3. Since B occupies 3, there's a contradiction. Let me recheck: immediate left of position 4 is position 5 (going anti-clockwise). So D at position 5.
Remaining positions are 2 and 6. E and F occupy these. Answer: E sits at either position 2 or 6. Worked Example 2: Seven people sit in a circle. P sits third to the right of Q. R sits second to the left of P. How many people sit between Q and R when counted clockwise from Q? Solution Step-by-Step:
Fix Q at position 1
P sits third to right of Q, so P at position 4
R sits second to left of P. Left of position 4 going anti-clockwise: position 3 is first left, position 2 is second left. So R at position 2
Count from Q(position 1) to R(position 2) clockwise: only position 7 comes between them Answer: 1 person sits between Q and R. Shortcut Trick 3 - The Gap Counting Formula: To count people between positions A and B clockwise: if B > A, count = B - A - 1. If B < A, count = n - A + B - 1 (where n is total people). Most Common Trap: Students often confuse 'left' and 'right' directions. Remember: in clockwise numbering, right means higher numbers, left means lower numbers. Also, 'second to the right' means there's one person in between, not sitting in the second chair. Many students miss this and count wrong positions.
3graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis