Study Material — 5 PYQs (2024–2024) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SSC MTS Linear Seating Arrangement is a frequently tested subtopic — 5 previous year questions from 2024–2024 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
SSC MTS Linear Seating Arrangement — Past Exam Questions
5 questions from actual SSC MTS papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12024Previous Year Pattern
Four friends—Asha, Bhavesh, Chirag, and Divya—sit in a straight line. Chirag is at one end. Asha is not at either end. Bhavesh is to the right of Asha. Divya is to the left of Asha. Who sits second from the right?
Exam Q 22024Previous Year Pattern
Four students—Aman, Bina, Chetan, and Diya—sit in a line. Chetan sits second from the left. Aman is not adjacent to Chetan. Bina is to the right of Chetan. Who sits at the leftmost position?
Test Linear Seating Arrangement under exam conditions
Five people—P, Q, R, S, and T—are seated in a row. R is seated third from the left. P is to the left of R. Q is to the right of R. If S is seated at the leftmost position, who is seated second from the left?
Exam Q 42024Previous Year Pattern
Four friends—Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, and Deepak—sit in a straight line facing North. Bhavna sits immediately to the right of Arun. Chitra sits at one end of the line. If Deepak is not adjacent to Chitra, who sits second from the left?
Exam Q 52024Previous Year Pattern
Four people—Mohan, Neha, Olivia, and Priya—sit in a straight line. Olivia is not at either end. Mohan is to the left of Olivia. Neha is to the right of Olivia. Where does Priya sit?
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.
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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