Study Material — 6 PYQs (2024–2024) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SSC GD Constable Linear Seating Arrangement is a frequently tested subtopic — 6 previous year questions from 2024–2024 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
SSC GD Constable Linear Seating Arrangement — Past Exam Questions
6 questions from actual SSC GD Constable papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12024Previous Year Pattern
Four friends—Arjun, Bhavesh, Chirag, and Divya—sit in a row. Divya sits immediately to the left of Chirag. Arjun sits to the left of Divya. Bhavesh sits to the right of Chirag. What is the order from left to right?
Test Linear Seating Arrangement under exam conditions
Four people—Vikram, Wanda, Xavier, and Yuki—sit in a line facing the same direction. Xavier sits at one end. Vikram sits immediately to the right of Xavier. Wanda sits to the right of Vikram. What is Yuki's position from the left?
Exam Q 32024Previous Year Pattern
Four students—Aman, Bina, Chetan, and Diya—sit in a straight line. Chetan sits second from the left. Aman sits to the left of Chetan. Diya sits to the right of Chetan. Where does Bina sit?
Exam Q 42024Previous Year Pattern
Four colleagues—Maya, Naveen, Olivia, and Prem—sit in a row. Olivia sits third from the left. Prem sits to the immediate left of Olivia. Which position is Maya in if Naveen is not at either end?
Exam Q 52024Previous Year Pattern
Five people sit in a line: Priya, Qasim, Ravi, Sana, and Tina. Ravi sits exactly in the middle. Priya sits to the left of Ravi. Sana sits immediately to the right of Ravi. What is Tina's position from the left?
Exam Q 62024Previous Year Pattern
Four friends—Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, and Deepak—sit in a straight line facing North. Bhavna sits immediately to the right of Arun. Who sits to the left of Chitra?
Concept Notes
Linear Seating Arrangement— Rules & Concept
💡
Core Concept
Read this first — the foundation of the topic
→Core Concept
Imagine people sitting on a bench in a straight line. Some face north (normal sitting), some face south (back towards north). You get clues about who sits where, how far from whom, and in which direction they face
💡Key Rules
1) Linear means straight line - either horizontal or vertical 2) People can face same direction or opposite directions 3) Left-Right is relative to the person's facing direction 4) Immediate left/right means directly adjacent 5) Between A and B means A and B are not adjacent.
🔢
Formula Block
Memorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
If n people sit in a line, total positions = n. If person A is 3rd from left, then A is (n-2)th from right. Distance between positions = |Position1 - Position2| - 1. If A faces north and B is to A's right, then B sits on A's right side. If A faces south and B is to A's right, then B sits on A's left side when viewed from above.
📊
Exam Patterns
What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
→Common question types
1) Who sits at which position 2) How many people between two persons 3) Who faces which direction 4) Immediate neighbors identification 5) Position from left/right end
⚡Shortcut 1 - Direction Trick
When person faces north, their left-right matches your left-right. When person faces south, their left-right is opposite to your left-right
💡Remember
North facer's right = your right, South facer's right = your left
✏️Worked Example 1
1
R sits at position 1 (left end)
2
P sits at position 3 (given)
3
Q sits immediate right of P, so Q at position 4
4
S does not sit at right end (position 5), so S at position 2
5
T sits at remaining position 5
Final arrangement: R-S-P-Q-T (positions 1-2-3-4-5)
Shortcut 2 - Elimination Method: Start with definite positions first. Place people with clear position clues. Then use process of elimination for remaining people
✏️Worked Example 2
1
A sits at position 5 (2nd from right in 6-person line), faces south
2
B sits at position 3, faces north
3
C sits immediate left of A, so C at position 4
4
E sits between B and C, so E at position... wait, B is at 3, C is at 4, so E cannot sit between them as they are adjacent
🔑Re-check
E sits between B(3) and C(4) means there's an error in our arrangement
→Correct approach
If E is between B and C, and B is 3rd from left, then arrangement could be B-E-C. So B(3), E(4), C(5). But A is 2nd from right (position 5). This means A and C both at position 5 - impossible
→Re-reading
A at position 5, so C at position 4 (immediate left), E must be at position 2 (only position between B and C if we consider the linear sequence)
🔑Final check and arrangement
Position 1(?), B(2), Position 3(?), C(4), A(5), Position 6(?). E between B and C means E at position 3. Remaining positions filled by D and F
⚡Shortcut 3 - Reference Point Method
Pick one person with maximum clues as reference point. Build the entire arrangement around that person
⚠️#1 Common Mistake
Students confuse left-right when people face opposite directions. Always remember - when someone faces south, their personal left becomes your right when you view from above. Many students lose 2-3 marks just because of this directional confusion. Draw arrows to show facing direction to avoid this trap.
Key Points to Remember
Linear arrangement means people sit in a straight line, either all facing same direction or mixed directions
If A is nth from left in a line of k people, then A is (k+1-n)th from right
Between two people means they are not adjacent - at least one person sits in the middle
When person faces north, their left-right matches normal left-right direction
When person faces south, their left-right is opposite to normal direction
Immediate left/right means directly adjacent with no gap between positions
Start solving by placing people with most definite position clues first
Distance between positions X and Y = |X-Y|-1 (number of people between them)
Use elimination method - place confirmed people first, then fill remaining positions
Always double-check final arrangement against all given clues before answering
Exam-Specific Tips
SSC CGL typically asks 3-5 questions per linear seating arrangement set
Linear seating problems appear in 90% of SSC CGL Tier-1 papers
Most common arrangement sizes are 5, 6, 7, or 8 people in SSC exams
Direction-based linear seating carries 2-3 marks per question in SSC pattern
Time allocation should be 1.5-2 minutes per question for linear arrangements
Bidirectional facing (some north, some south) appears in 70% of SSC linear seating questions
Position-finding questions (who sits 3rd from left) have 80% accuracy rate among toppers
60-Second Revision — Linear Seating Arrangement
Remember: nth from left = (total+1-n)th from right conversion formula
Trap: Direction confusion - south facer's right is your left from above view
Method: Place definite positions first, use elimination for remaining people
Formula: People between positions X and Y = |X-Y|-1
Quick check: Verify final arrangement satisfies all given conditions
Time management: Maximum 2 minutes per linear arrangement question
Strategy: Skip if more than 8 people or overly complex bidirectional clues