Linear and Parallel Row Seating

In a single linear row, ALWAYS fix the facing direction first. If all face NORTH, your LEFT is the reader's right and right is reader's left — so 'P is to the left of Q' means P sits towards the west end (lower-numbered position from left). Convert every clue to a fixed reference frame: number seats 1..n from the left. 'Immediate left' = adjacent lower number; 'left' (not immediate) = any lower number. Speed trick: redraw the entire row only once, in north-facing terms; never flip mentally clue-by-clue. Mark definite positions with capital letters and 'floating' people with arrows. Memory aid: 'NORTH = Normal' (your left/right matches the page); 'SOUTH = Swapped'.

Two parallel rows where Row-1 faces SOUTH and Row-2 faces NORTH means each Row-1 person looks AT a Row-2 person. The key rule: a Row-1 member's LEFT aligns with the OPPOSITE Row-2 member's RIGHT, because they face opposite directions. Always draw Row-2 directly above Row-1 with seat columns aligned. 'Faces' clues link the two rows vertically; 'left/right/between' clues operate within one row. Speed tip: solve the row with more direct clues first, then transfer facing links. Memory aid: when two people face each other, their left hands point the SAME way along the seating line — exploit this to anchor both rows simultaneously.

Seven people A-G face north or south in one row. Clue: 'C is 2nd to the right of A; A faces north; B sits at an extreme end facing C.' Steps: (1) Set seats 1-7 left to right. (2) A north means A's right = higher seat numbers, so C = A+2. (3) 'B at extreme end faces C' — B looks toward C, fixing B's direction and position. Place A at seat 2 (try), C at seat 4; B at seat 1 must face right (north) to 'face C', or seat 7 facing left (south). Test against remaining clues, eliminate contradictions. Lesson: extreme-end + facing clue usually pins two variables at once — attack it early.

Seating is the single heaviest scorer in SBI PO Reasoning — a 5-question set turns up in almost every Prelims and Mains, and the "hard" set is usually a parallel-row or uncertain-variables arrangement. SBI no longer gives clean "8 in a row" sets: it hides the total count, mixes facing directions, or stacks a second parameter (age, city, salary). Win the frame and you bank 5 marks; misread one facing and the whole set collapses.

Method

Fix facing first. In a north-facing row the person's left = reader's right; in a south-facing row everything swaps. In parallel rows, Row-1 (say facing north) and Row-2 (facing south) sit face-to-face, so "opposite" is a straight line across and Row-1's right aligns with Row-2's left.

Facing	Person's LEFT is	Person's RIGHT is
North	reader's right (higher seat east)	reader's left
South	reader's left	reader's right
Row-1 (N) vs Row-2 (S)	mirror each other	"opposite" = directly across

Anchor on the most fixed clue (extreme end, exact numeric gap, "immediately"); use negative/elimination clues last; run parallel cases when a gap can slide two ways.

Exam Tricks & Tips

• 🎯 In SBI parallel-row sets, draw both rows one above the other and number Row-2 right-to-left so "sits opposite" is a clean vertical line.
• 🎯 Convert every "to the left/right" into a seat-number inequality before drawing — kills direction confusion under pressure.
• 🎯 When the person count is unknown, don't fix the total early; let "exactly N sit between X and Y" bracket the minimum size.
• 🎯 Treat "3 persons sit between A and B" as a slidable block A _ _ _ B and pin it only with an end-clue.
• 🎯 If a set feels contradictory, re-check which way each row faces — a flipped row is SBI's No.1 trap.
• 🎯 Resolve "who sits at the ends" early; SBI loves it as a standalone question.
• ❌ Common mistake: reading "P is to the left of Q" as "immediately left". Plain "left" means anywhere on the lower side, leaving room for others.

Expected exam pattern

One 5-question set per section. Prelims: single row or two parallel rows, 6–10 persons. Mains: uncertain variables (unknown count, mixed facing) blended with a second attribute. Budget 4–6 min for the whole set.

Quick recap

Fix facing, translate clues to seat numbers, anchor the most definite clue, draw once, resolve ends and opposites. Never re-flip mentally — one clean frame wins the set.

Cover the answer, recall, then check. 12 cards on linear & parallel-row seating for SBI PO.

Q1. In a north-facing single row, whose left is the reader's right?
A1. The person's left is the reader's right — they face you. Number seats to keep it fixed.

Q2. In a south-facing row, how do left/right map to the page?
A2. They match the page: person's left = reader's left, person's right = reader's right.

Q3. In two parallel rows facing each other, what does "sits opposite" mean?
A3. The two persons are directly across; number Row-2 seats in reverse so opposites align vertically.

Q4. "P is to the left of Q" (not immediate) — what does it allow?
A4. P is somewhere on Q's lower-seat side, possibly with others between. It is NOT "immediately left".

Q5. Which clue do you place first in any seating set?
A5. The most definite — an extreme-end position, an exact numeric gap, or an "immediately next to" clue.

Q6. Person count unknown — what should you avoid?
A6. Fixing the total early. Let bracketing clues ("exactly two sit between…") force the minimum size.

Q7. How do you picture "four persons sit between A and B"?
A7. As a slidable block A _ _ _ _ B (six seats) moved as one unit until an end-clue pins it.

Q8. In Row-1 (north) vs Row-2 (south), A's right side aligns with which side of the person opposite?
A8. That person's left side — the rows mirror each other across the gap.

Q9. What do negative clues ("X is not at an end") mainly do?
A9. They prune possibilities; they rarely place anyone. Use them after the definite clues.

Q10. The No.1 SBI trap that makes a set look unsolvable?
A10. A misread facing direction — one row flipped. Re-check facings before assuming a contradiction.

Q11. How do you place "third to the left of Q"?
A11. Move three seats toward Q's left (in that row's frame) and place there exactly.

Q12. Why redraw the whole row only once?
A12. Clue-by-clue mental flipping is the main error source; one fixed frame keeps left/right consistent.