Chapter 7 of 11

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IBPS PO Reasoning Ability★ Prelims: 0–3 marks · Mains: 0–2 marks — near-instant with one formula

Order & Ranking

2–3 marks about positions in a row or a rank order — "Ram is 7th from the left and 11th from the right, how many in the row?" One formula and a clean line-diagram make these near-instant. Learn the total-count formula, the overlap trap, and the min/max variant, and ranking becomes free.

⏱ 15 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · exam-pattern aligned

Timed practiceMCQs from this chapter with instant scoring

FlashcardsFormulas & traps on spaced repetition

IBPS PO PYQsSolved previous-year questions

By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Apply Total = left + right − 1 for two-sided positions
2Compute people between two persons as |difference| − 1
3Convert rank from top to rank from bottom
4Handle position shifts by redrawing the line
5Distinguish minimum vs maximum (overlap) count questions

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Why this chapter matters in IBPS PO

Order & ranking is almost pure formula — one relation between position-from-left, position-from-right and total, plus a line diagram to avoid off-by-one errors. At 2–3 fast marks it's among the easiest reasoning questions, and the same position logic recurs inside seating puzzles. The only real skill is not confusing 'positions' with 'people between' and remembering the −1 for double counting.

Order & Ranking — IBPS PO Reasoning

Order & ranking questions ask where someone sits or stands in a line, or what the total count is given two-sided positions. They are almost pure formula — one relation between "from the left", "from the right" and the total — plus a clean line-diagram to avoid off-by-one slips. IBPS asks 2–3 (often as standalone questions or inside a puzzle), and they're 20-second marks once you stop confusing "positions" with "people between".

1. What IBPS actually asks

Total count: "A is 7th from the left and 11th from the right — how many people are in the row?"
Position shift: "B is 5th from the left; if 3 more join the left end, B's new position?"
Rank conversion: rank from top ↔ rank from bottom given the total.
Min/max people: "at least how many can be in the row?" when positions may overlap.

2. The one core formula

For a person counted from both ends of a row:

$Total = (position from left) + (position from right) - 1$

The −1 is because the person themselves is counted twice (once from each end). Miss it and you're always one too many.

7th from left + 11th from right ⇒ Total = 7 + 11 − 1 = 17.

Rearranged: position from right = Total − position from left + 1.

$people between two persons = ∣ pos_{A} - pos_{B} ∣ - 1$

(again, subtract 1 because the endpoints aren't "between").

3. The overlap vs no-overlap trap (min/max)

When positions are given from the same or different reference points and might overlap, "how many at least" differs from "how many exactly":

"Exactly" / both from opposite ends: use Total = L + R − 1.
"At least how many" when two people's positions could coincide or overlap: add the positions (assume no overlap ⇒ maximum), and for minimum, assume maximum overlap. Read whether the question wants min or max.

Example: A is 10th from left, B is 15th from right, and they don't overlap ⇒ at least 10 + 15 = 25 people. If they might be the same person or overlap, the minimum is smaller.

4. Position shifts

When people join or leave, or the row is re-counted from the other end:

Adding k people to the left pushes everyone's "from-left" position up by k; "from-right" is unchanged.
Interchanging two people swaps their positions; recompute using the formula.
Always redraw the line after a change rather than adjusting numbers in your head.

5. Ranking (top/bottom)

Same formula, different words: "rank 5th from the top in a class of 40" ⇒ rank from bottom = 40 − 5 + 1 = 36th. "Ranks above" and "ranks below" map to "from top" and "from bottom".

Solved examples

Question 1 of 5

Q1 (total). In a row, P is 12th from the left and 18th from the right. Total persons?

Show explanation

Solution. 12 + 18 − 1 = 29.

Question 2 of 5

Q2 (between). A is 6th from left, B is 10th from left. People between them?

Show explanation

Solution. |10 − 6| − 1 = 3.

Question 3 of 5

Q3 (rank convert). A student ranks 8th from the top in a class of 45. Rank from the bottom?

Show explanation

Solution. 45 − 8 + 1 = 38th.

Question 4 of 5

Q4 (shift). M is 9th from the left. If 4 more people join the left end, M's new position from left?

Show explanation

Solution. 9 + 4 = 13th from the left.

Question 5 of 5

Q5 (at least). In a queue, X is 7th from the front and Y is 9th from the back; they are different people and don't overlap. Minimum people in the queue?

Show explanation

Solution. If no overlap, at least 7 + 9 = 16.

7. The protocol

Draw the line with the two reference ends.
Total from both ends: Total = left + right − 1 (subtract the double-counted person).
People between: |difference of positions| − 1.
Rank convert: from-bottom = Total − from-top + 1.
For shifts, redraw after the change; for min/max, decide overlap (add for max/at-least, overlap for min).

Key formulas & results

Everything to memorise for the exam hall, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Total count

Total = position from left + position from right − 1

−1 because the person is counted from both ends.

People between

|pos_A − pos_B| − 1

Endpoints aren't 'between'.

Rank convert

from bottom = Total − from top + 1

Same for above/below.

At-least (no overlap)

left + right (do NOT subtract 1)

Two different, non-overlapping people ⇒ add positions.

Position shift

Adding k to the near end raises that-side position by k

Redraw after any change.

IBPS PO test series

Ready to be tested on this?

Order & Ranking shows up in every IBPS PO paper — sit a timed one and find out where you actually stand.

0–3Qs in Prelims

Mediumpriority

Full IBPS PO mocks, real clock
Reasoning Ability-only sectionals & chapter tests
All-India rank + topic-level analysis

Free forever · solver-verified questions

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Traps IBPS PO sets — and how to dodge them

These are the exact option-traps and misreads that cost marks under negative marking.

WATCH OUT

✗ Forgetting the −1 in Total = left + right − 1

✓ The person is counted once from each end, so subtract 1. Without it you're always one too many.

WATCH OUT

✗ Counting endpoints as 'between'

✓ People between two persons = |difference of positions| − 1, not the raw difference. The two named people aren't between themselves.

WATCH OUT

✗ Using Total = L + R − 1 for two DIFFERENT people

✓ That formula is for one person counted from both ends. For two different people whose positions don't overlap, add the positions (L + R) for the at-least count.

WATCH OUT

✗ Adjusting positions mentally after a shift

✓ Redraw the line whenever people join, leave or swap. Mental adjustment is where off-by-one errors creep in.

WATCH OUT

✗ Missing whether min or max is asked

✓ 'At least' assumes no overlap (add positions); 'minimum possible' may assume overlap. Read which the question wants before computing.

Exam-pattern practice

PYQ-style questions with full solutions. Work through them as a readiness check — mark yourself honestly and get your gap report at the end.

Readiness check

Are you exam-ready for Order & Ranking?

6 problems from this chapter. Try each one, reveal the worked solution, mark yourself honestly — get your gap report at the end.

6 questions~4 min worth ~3 marks in IBPS PO exams

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•Total = position from left + position from right − 1.
•People between = |difference of positions| − 1.
•Rank from bottom = Total − rank from top + 1.
•At-least (non-overlapping, different people) = add positions, no −1.
•Adding k people to a near end raises that-side position by k.
•Redraw the line after any shift or interchange.
•Check whether the question wants minimum (overlap) or maximum/at-least.

IBPS PO question blueprint

How this topic is asked, tier by tier — so you can prep to the pattern.

Typical weightage: Prelims: 0–3 marks (of 40) · Mains: 0–2 marks (of 60)

Question style	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
Total / between	1 each	1–2	left+right−1 and \|diff\|−1 formulas
Rank convert / shift	1 each	0–1	Top-bottom conversion and position shifts
Min/max (at least)	1 each	0–1	Overlap vs no-overlap reasoning

Prep strategy

Day 1: memorise the total, between and rank-convert formulas.
Day 2: 15 questions daily, always drawing the line.
Day 3: min/max 'at least' variants and interchange questions.

Exam-hall strategy

Battle-tested tips from mentors and toppers for this topic under the sectional clock.

Draw the line with both reference ends.
Use Total = left + right − 1 for a single two-sided person.
Use |difference| − 1 for people between.
Add positions for at-least/no-overlap counts.
Redraw after any shift or interchange; confirm min vs max is asked.

Beyond the exam

Where this skill shows up in the job you're competing for — and in life.

Queue & token management

Working out positions and counts in a queue is literally the arithmetic of managing a branch token system.

Ranking logic

Converting between top-rank and bottom-rank is the same reasoning used in merit lists and leaderboards.

Where else this topic is tested

Prepare once, score in every exam that asks it.

IBPS Clerk / SBI PO & ClerkHigh — standalone and puzzle-embedded ranking

RRB PO & ClerkHigh — total-count and shift questions

SSC CGLMedium — rank conversion questions

📝 My notes

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Questions aspirants ask

Pulled from the Q&A community and mentor sessions.

Typically 0–3 as standalone questions, plus the position logic embedded in seating puzzles. They're near-instant formula marks once you avoid off-by-one errors.

Because the person is counted once from the left and once from the right — that's double counting, so you subtract 1. Total = left + right − 1 gives the correct row size.

When two DIFFERENT people are given from different ends and you're asked the minimum ('at least how many'), assume no overlap and add their positions (L + R). The −1 formula only applies to a single person counted from both ends.

Redraw the line. Adding people to an end increases everyone's position from that end by the number added; the position from the other end is unchanged. Never adjust the numbers purely mentally.