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RRB NTPC Number Ranking

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This page covers RRB NTPC Number Ranking with complete concept notes, 19 graded practice MCQs, key points and exam-specific tips. Free to study.

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Concept Notes

Number Ranking— Rules & Concept

Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic

Number Ranking is a logical reasoning problem where you are given a series of numbers or positions, and you must determine the rank or position of a particular number or person in a sequence—either from left to right or right to left. CORE CONCEPT

In Number Ranking problems, you need to find where a number sits in a given order. The question might ask: 'What is the rank of number X from the left?' or 'If we reverse the sequence, what becomes the position of Y?' The key is to count carefully and apply simple directional rules. KEY RULES & PROPERTIES

1. Always identify the total count of numbers/items in the sequence. 2. Rank from left means counting from position 1 on the left side.

3. Rank from right means counting from position 1 on the right side (reverse counting). 4. If an item's rank from left is R, then its rank from right = (Total Count + 1) – R.

5. The middle position exists only if total count is odd. 6. Direction matters—left and right are opposite directions.

Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
Rank from Right = (Total Number of Items + 1) − Rank from Left
Rank from Left = (Total Number of Items + 1) − Rank from Right
Total Items = Rank from Left + Rank from Right − 1
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

SSC CGL typically asks: - Direct rank questions: 'Find rank of X from left/right' - Reverse rank questions: 'If reversed, what is position?' - Both-side rank: 'A is 5th from left and 8th from right. Find total count' - Position-based: 'How many items between positions?' SHORTCUT/TRICK Always use the formula: Rank from Right = (Total + 1) − Rank from Left. This avoids counting errors. If you know any two values (total and one rank), you instantly find the other.

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

Count total items = 8

2
Step 2

Identify rank of 60 from left = 5 (it's the 5th number)

3
Step 3

Apply formula: Rank from Right = (8 + 1) − 5 = 9 − 5 = 4 Answer: 60 is at rank 4 from the right. Verification: From right: 92(1st), 88(2nd), 75(3rd), 60(4th) ✓

Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these

Students often confuse rank with count. If 60 is 5th from left, it doesn't mean 5 items are to its left—only 4 items are to its left. Rank includes the item itself.

Key Points to Remember

  • Rank from Right = (Total Items + 1) − Rank from Left; memorise this formula.
  • Rank from left = counting from position 1 starting at leftmost item.
  • Rank from right = reverse counting from rightmost item as position 1.
  • If rank from left is R and total is T, items to the left = R − 1.
  • Items between two ranks = |Rank₁ − Rank₂| − 1 (subtract 1 to exclude both positions).
  • Direction change always uses the complement formula; direct counting saves time only for small lists.

Exam-Specific Tips

  • In a sequence of N items, if rank from left is L, then rank from right is always (N + 1) − L.
  • Number of items to the left of rank R = R − 1.
  • Number of items to the right of rank R = N − R.
  • If an item is 6th from left and 4th from right, total count = 6 + 4 − 1 = 9.
  • Middle position in a sequence of odd numbers (e.g., 7 items) = position 4.
  • Between rank 3 and rank 8 in a sequence, number of items = 8 − 3 − 1 = 4.
  • When a sequence is reversed, rank from left becomes rank from right in the new order.
  • Total items = Rank from Left + Rank from Right − 1 (this is a rearrangement of the main formula).
Practice MCQs

Number Ranking — Practice Questions

19graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis

All MCQs →
Practice 1easy

In a queue of 30 people, Arun is 10th from the front. What is his position from the back?

Practice 2easy

In a row of 25 students, Raj is 8th from the left. What is Raj's position from the right?

Practice 3easy

In a class of 40 students arranged in a line, Priya is 15th from the left and Zara is 20th from the left. How many students are there between Priya and Zara?

Practice 4easy

In a ranking of 50 athletes, Vikram is 12th from the top. If 5 athletes are disqualified from positions 1 to 10, what will be Vikram's new rank from the top?

Practice 5easy

In a row of 35 students, Neha is 14th from the left and Meera is 14th from the right. How many students are between Neha and Meera?

Practice 6easy

In a class of 45 students, Raj's rank from the top is 12th. What is Raj's rank from the bottom?

Practice 7medium

In a row of 25 students, Rajesh is 9th from the left end. Priya is 7 positions to the right of Rajesh. What is Priya's position from the right end?

Practice 8medium

In a ranking of 50 employees by performance, Amit is ranked 15th from the top and Bhavna is ranked 20th from the bottom. How many employees are ranked between Amit and Bhavna (not including either of them)?

Practice 9medium

In a queue of 60 people, Vikram is 25th from the front. If 8 people leave the queue from behind Vikram (not including Vikram), what is Vikram's new position from the front?

Practice 10medium

In a row of 25 students, Priya is 9th from the left end. If Priya is shifted 4 positions to the right, what will be her position from the right end?

Practice 11medium

In a row of 40 students, Rajesh is 12th from the left end. What is his position from the right end?

Practice 12medium

In a class of 35 students arranged in a row, Priya is 18th from the left. How many students are to the right of Priya?

Practice 13medium

In a line of 45 students, Neha is 16th from the left. Pooja is 12 positions to the right of Neha. What is Pooja's position from the right end?

Practice 14hard

In a class of 30 students, students are ranked by marks from highest to lowest. Priya is ranked 12th. If 8 students score more marks than Priya, and 15 students score less marks than Priya, how many students scored the same marks as Priya?

Practice 15hard

In a competition, 20 participants are ranked 1 to 20 based on their scores. Participant A is ranked 8th. If the top 5 participants are given gold medals and the next 10 participants (ranks 6-15) are given silver medals, and Participant A's score is recalculated and increases by 15%, their new rank becomes 6th. How many participants had scores between Participant A's original score and their new score?

Practice 16hard

In a ranking of 12 students, Raj is 5 positions below Priya. If Priya is ranked 3rd from the top, what is Raj's rank from the bottom?

Practice 17hard

Seven people are standing in a row. When ranked by height from tallest to shortest, Arun is 4th. When ranked by age from oldest to youngest, Arun is 5th. If no two people share the same height or age, and Arun's position changes by exactly 1 when switching from height-ranking to age-ranking, how many people are taller than Arun but younger than him?

Practice 18hard

In a row of 40 students, Rajesh is 12th from the left end. Priya is 8 positions to the right of Rajesh. Vikram is 5 positions to the left of Priya. If 6 students leave the row from positions between Vikram and Priya (exclusive), what is Vikram's new position from the left end?

Practice 19hard

In a ranking system, 25 people are ranked 1 to 25. Person X is ranked 10th. If we reverse the ranking (so rank 1 becomes rank 25, rank 2 becomes rank 24, etc.), and then we select the top 8 people from the reversed ranking, how many people are in both the original top 8 and the reversed top 8?

60-Second Revision — Number Ranking

  • Formula King: Rank from Right = (Total + 1) − Rank from Left. Write it once before exam starts.
  • Trap: Rank ≠ Count of items on one side. Rank 5 means 4 items to the left, not 5.
  • Quick Check: If rank from left is L and total is T, rank from right must be T + 1 − L; verify mentally.
  • Direction Matters: Left = normal order, Right = reverse order. Don't flip them.
  • Formula Rearrange: If given rank from left and right, find total = L + R − 1. Easy bonus question.
  • Middle Alert: In odd sequences (5, 7, 9 items), the middle rank = (Total + 1) ÷ 2.
  • Between Positions: Items between rank A and rank B = |A − B| − 1. Exclude endpoints.
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