Study Material — 14 PYQs (2024–2024) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SSC MTS Parallel Row Puzzle is a frequently tested subtopic — 14 previous year questions from 2024–2024 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
14 questions from actual SSC MTS papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12024Previous Year Pattern
Five students—Aman, Bina, Chetan, Diya, Eshan—sit in two rows: Row X (3 seats) and Row Y (2 seats). Row X faces Row Y. The following conditions apply:
1. Aman sits in Row X, middle seat.
2. Bina sits in Row X, left seat.
3. Chetan sits in Row X, right seat.
4. Diya sits in Row Y, left seat.
5. Eshan sits in Row Y, right seat.
If Aman looks straight ahead, who does he see directly in front of him?
Exam Q 22024Previous Year Pattern
Six items—V, W, X, Y, Z, and U—are placed in two shelves: Shelf 1 (top, 3 items) and Shelf 2 (bottom, 3 items), arranged left to right. The following conditions apply:
1. V is on Shelf 1, leftmost position.
2. W is on Shelf 1, rightmost position.
3. X is on Shelf 2, leftmost position.
4. Y is on Shelf 2, middle position.
5. Z is on Shelf 1, middle position.
6. U is on Shelf 2, rightmost position.
Which item is directly below Z?
Exam Q 32024Previous Year Pattern
Six friends—Arun, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, Esha, and Farhan—sit in two parallel rows of 3 seats each, facing each other. Row 1 faces South; Row 2 faces North. The following conditions apply:
1. Arun sits in Row 1, leftmost seat.
2. Bhavna sits directly opposite to Arun.
3. Chitra sits to the right of Arun in Row 1.
4. Deepak sits in Row 2, rightmost seat.
5. Esha sits between Bhavna and Deepak in Row 2.
Who sits in the middle seat of Row 1?
Exam Q 42024Previous Year Pattern
Five people—P, Q, R, S, T—sit in two rows: Row A (3 seats, facing East) and Row B (2 seats, facing West). The following conditions apply:
1. P sits in Row A, middle seat.
2. Q sits in Row B, leftmost seat (from Q's perspective facing West).
3. R sits to the right of P in Row A.
4. S sits directly opposite to R.
5. T sits in the remaining seat.
Who sits in the leftmost seat of Row A (from the observer's perspective)?
Exam Q 52024Previous Year Pattern
Six boxes—A, B, C, D, E, F—are arranged in two parallel rows of 3 boxes each. Row 1 is above Row 2. The following conditions apply:
1. Box A is in Row 1, leftmost position.
2. Box B is directly below Box A.
3. Box C is to the right of Box A in Row 1.
4. Box D is in Row 2, rightmost position.
5. Box E is between Box B and Box D in Row 2.
6. Box F is in the remaining position.
Which box is directly above Box E?
Exam Q 62024Previous Year Pattern
Seven colleagues—M, N, O, P, Q, R, S—sit in two parallel rows of seats. Row X has 4 seats facing West; Row Y has 3 seats facing East. The following are given:
1. M sits in Row X, 2nd position from the left.
2. N sits directly opposite M in Row Y.
3. O sits in Row X, 4th position (rightmost).
4. P sits directly opposite O in Row Y.
5. Q sits in Row X, 1st position (leftmost).
6. R sits directly opposite Q in Row Y.
7. S is the remaining person.
Which row and position does S occupy?
Exam Q 72024Previous Year Pattern
Eight people—A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H—sit in two parallel rows of 4 seats each. Row 1 faces South; Row 2 faces North. The following conditions hold:
1. A sits in Row 1, 2nd position.
2. B sits directly opposite A in Row 2.
3. C sits to the left of A in Row 1.
4. D sits directly opposite C in Row 2.
5. E sits to the right of A in Row 1.
6. F sits directly opposite E in Row 2.
7. G sits in Row 1, rightmost position.
8. H sits directly opposite G in Row 2.
Who sits in Row 2, 1st position (leftmost)?
Exam Q 82024Previous Year Pattern
Six friends—Aman, Bhavna, Chirag, Diya, Esha, and Farhan—sit in two parallel rows of 3 seats each, facing each other. Row 1 faces South; Row 2 faces North. The following conditions apply:
1. Aman sits in Row 1, leftmost position.
2. Bhavna sits directly opposite to Aman.
3. Chirag sits to the right of Aman in Row 1.
4. Diya sits in Row 2, rightmost position.
5. Esha sits between Bhavna and Diya in Row 2.
6. Farhan is the only person not yet placed.
Who sits in the middle position of Row 1?
Exam Q 92024Previous Year Pattern
Eight employees—P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W—sit in two parallel rows of 4 seats each. Row A faces East; Row B faces West. They face each other directly across. The following are true:
1. P sits in Row A, 2nd position from the left.
2. Q sits directly opposite P.
3. R sits to the immediate right of P in Row A.
4. S sits in Row B, leftmost position.
5. T sits to the immediate right of S in Row B.
6. U sits in Row A, leftmost position.
7. V sits directly opposite R.
8. W is the remaining person.
Who sits in the 4th position (rightmost) of Row B?
Exam Q 102024Previous Year Pattern
Six people—J, K, L, M, N, O—sit in two parallel rows of 3 seats each. Row Alpha faces South; Row Beta faces North. The following conditions apply:
1. J sits in Row Alpha, middle position.
2. K sits directly opposite J in Row Beta.
3. L sits in Row Alpha, leftmost position.
4. M sits directly opposite L in Row Beta.
5. N sits in Row Alpha, rightmost position.
6. O sits directly opposite N in Row Beta.
If we count from left to right in each row, who is the 2nd person in Row Beta?
Exam Q 112024Previous Year Pattern
Seven people—A, B, C, D, E, F, and G—sit in two parallel rows. Row 1 has 4 seats, Row 2 has 3 seats. Row 1 faces Row 2. The following conditions apply:
1. A sits in Row 1, position 1.
2. B sits in Row 1, position 3.
3. C sits directly opposite to A.
4. D sits directly opposite to B.
5. E sits to the right of B in Row 1.
6. F sits in Row 2, position 1.
7. G sits in Row 2, position 3.
Who sits in Row 1, position 2?
Exam Q 122024Previous Year Pattern
Five people—Anil, Bina, Chirag, Deepak, and Esha—sit in two parallel rows. Row 1 has 3 seats, Row 2 has 2 seats. Row 1 faces Row 2. The following conditions apply:
1. Anil sits in Row 1, position 1.
2. Bina sits directly opposite to Anil.
3. Chirag sits to the right of Anil in Row 1.
4. Deepak sits in Row 2, position 2.
5. Esha does not sit in Row 1.
Who sits in Row 1, position 3?
Exam Q 132024Previous Year Pattern
Six people—Vikram, Wanda, Xavier, Yuki, Zara, and Arjun—sit in two parallel rows of 3 seats each. Row X faces Row Y. The following conditions apply:
1. Vikram sits in Row X, position 2.
2. Wanda sits directly opposite to Vikram.
3. Xavier sits to the left of Vikram in Row X.
4. Yuki sits in Row Y, position 3.
5. Zara sits to the left of Yuki in Row Y.
6. Arjun sits in Row X, position 3.
Who sits directly opposite to Yuki?
Exam Q 142024Previous Year Pattern
Six friends—Aman, Bhavna, Chirag, Divya, Eshan, and Fiona—sit in two parallel rows of 3 seats each. Row 1 faces Row 2. The following conditions apply:
1. Aman sits directly opposite to Bhavna.
2. Chirag sits to the left of Aman in Row 1.
3. Divya sits to the right of Bhavna in Row 2.
4. Eshan does not sit opposite to Chirag.
5. Fiona sits in Row 2.
Who sits directly opposite to Eshan?
Concept Notes
Parallel Row Puzzle— Rules & Concept
Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
Core Concept
In parallel row puzzles, you arrange people in two rows based on given conditions. The key challenge is tracking who sits where and their facing directions. Most commonly, people in Row 1 face south and people in Row 2 face north, so they look at each other
Key Rules
Always establish the facing direction first. If Row 1 faces south and Row 2 faces north, then left-right positions are opposite when viewed from each person's perspective. When someone in Row 1 looks at Row 2, their left corresponds to the right side of people in Row 2. Distance relationships work normally - adjacent means next to each other, and counting positions follows the established direction.
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
SSC CGL typically asks 3-5 questions from one parallel row puzzle. Questions focus on who sits opposite to whom, who sits at ends, counting positions from left or right, and identifying neighbors. The puzzle usually involves 6-10 people with 3-4 people in each row.
ShortcutsUse these to save 30–60 seconds per question
1
Draw two horizontal lines and mark positions as 1,2,3,4 in Row 1 and 1,2,3,4 in Row
2
When Row 1 faces Row 2, position 1 of Row 1 faces position 1 of Row 2 directly. Use arrows to show facing directions. This visual method prevents confusion about left-right orientations.
Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1
Draw two rows. Row 1 faces north, Row 2 faces south (given A faces north in Row 1).
2
Step 2
D sits at left end of Row 1, so D is at position 1.
3
Step 3
A sits second from left in Row 1, so A is at position 2.
4
Step 4
B sits opposite to A, so B is at position 2 in Row 2.
5
Step 5
C sits immediate right of B. Since Row 2 faces south, C's right means position 1 in Row 2.
6
Step 6
Who sits opposite to C? C is at position 1 in Row 2, so the person opposite is at position 1 in Row 1, which is D.
Answer: D sits opposite to C.
Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these
Students confuse left-right directions when people face different directions. Always remember that when two people face each other, their left-right sides are opposite. Draw diagrams with clear direction arrows to avoid this confusion.
Another mistake is not establishing the total number of positions in each row before placing people.
Key Points to Remember
Two parallel rows with people facing each other or same direction
Row 1 typically faces south, Row 2 faces north in standard setup
Left-right positions are opposite when people face each other
Always draw diagram with direction arrows to avoid confusion
Opposite positions have same number in both rows
Adjacent means immediately next to each other in same row
Distance counting follows the established facing direction
End positions are leftmost and rightmost in each row
Exam-Specific Tips
Standard setup has Row 1 facing south and Row 2 facing north
Parallel row puzzles typically contain 6-10 people total
Each row usually has 3-5 positions maximum
Opposite positions share the same numerical position across rows
Left end means position 1, right end means last position
Immediate neighbor means adjacent position with no gap
Second from left means position 2 in the row
Third from right means third position counting from rightmost end
60-Second Revision — Parallel Row Puzzle
Remember: Draw two lines with direction arrows first
Formula: Opposite positions have same numbers across rows
Trap: Left-right confusion when people face each other
Key: Establish total positions in each row before solving
Trick: Use position numbers 1,2,3,4 instead of left-right terms
Pattern: SSC asks who sits opposite, at ends, and neighbors
Speed tip: Mark known positions first, then use given relationships