Order & Ranking

LOGICAL REASONING

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Order and Ranking

Order and ranking is an important chapter where position/rank of a person from left/right or top/ bottom in a
row or column is to be determined. Also, the total number of persons is to be calculated according to the
given position.

Ranking
In this section, candidates need to find the position/rank of a person.

Rule
1) Calculating total number of persons in a row or column:

Total person = Rank from left + Rank from right – 1

2) Number of persons between two people.

I) Non – overlapping:

The total number of persons – (sum of positions of two different people from opposite sides).

II) Overlapping:

Sum of positions of two different persons from opposite end – total number of persons – 2.

Rank from Left/right

In this section, candidates need to find the position/rank of a person from the left or right end according to the
given question.

Example:

Q: In a row of 60 cars, car A is 32nd from the right end. What is its position from the left end?

A: Position from left end = (Total number of cars + 1) – Position from right end

Position from left end = (60 + 1) – 32 = 61 – 32 = 29.

Hence, the position of car A from the left end is 29.

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Example:

Q: Radha selected the 27th card from the left in a row of 50 cards. What will be the position of the same card
from the right?

A: Total number of cards = Position of the card from right + Position of the card from left - 1

50 = Position of Radha’s card from right + 27 – 1

Position of Radha’s card from right = 50 – 27 + 1 = 24.

Hence, the position of the card from the right end is 24.

Total Person in a Row

In this section, candidates need to find the total number of persons in a row or a class.

Example:

Q: Radhika ranks 16th from the top and 13th from the bottom in a certain examination. How many students
are there in the class?

A:

Number of students in the class = 16 + 13 - 1

= 29 - 1

= 28.

Hence, “28” is the correct answer.

Persons between two people (Overlapping)

In this section, candidates need to find the number of persons between the two people when their ranks
satisfy the condition of overlapping.

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Rule
Condition for overlapping is:

The sum of positions of the two persons from opposite ends > total number of persons.

Example:

Q: In a row of 54 people, A is 35 from the left side and B is 22 from the right. Find the total number of persons
between them.

A: 35 + 22 = 57 > total number of persons i.e. 54

Total number of persons between them = (35 + 22) – 54 – 2 = 1

Hence, there is only one person between them.

Persons between two people (Non-Overlapping)

In this section, candidates need to find the number of persons between the two people when their ranks do
not satisfy the condition of overlapping.

Example:

Q: In a row of 54 people, A is 15th from the left side and B is 20th from the right side. Find the total number of
persons between A and B.

A: 15 + 20 = 35 < Total number of persons.

Number of persons between the two end persons: = 54 – (15 + 20) = 19.

Hence, there are only 19 people between them.

Interchanging the positions

In this section, candidates need to find the position of the person or the total number of persons in the row
when 2 people change their positions.

Example:

Q: Sahil and Gaurav are standing in a row of people. Sahil is 12th from the left side and Gaurav is 18th from the
right side of the row. If they interchange their positions Sahil becomes 25th from left. What is the total number
of persons standing in the row?

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A: Total person = Position from Left + Position from right – 1

Position of Sahil from Left = 25 (after interchanging)

Position of Sahil from Right = 18 (position of Sahil from right end is same as Gaurav after interchanging) – 1

Total person = 25 + 18 – 1 = 42

Hence, there are 42 people in the row.

Ratio based problem

In this section, candidates need to find the position/rank of a girl or a boy when the ratio of them is given.

Example:

Q: In a School, there are 147 people, the ratio of girls : boys is 1:6. Soumya is a girl who stands 15th from the
top of that row and 7 girls are in front of her. How many boys are behind her?

A: Total number of students = 147

Girls : Boys = 1:6

x + 6X = 147

7X = 147

X = 21

Girls = 21 and boys = 126

Now Soumya is 15th position from the top and 7 girls are in front of her.

So, now boys are behind him = 7 as total14 students are in front of him.

So, the number of boys, behind him is 126 - 7 = 119

Hence, the correct answer is 119.

Comparison
In this section, candidates need to compare different quantities to determine the correct order.

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Example:

Q: Height of five students A, K, L, M and T are compared. Height of K is more than only two students. Height of
M is greater than T and Height of T is greater than K. How many students are smaller than T?

A: Five students - A, K, L, M and T are compared.

1. Height of K is more than only two students.

_>_>K>_>_

2. Height of M is greater than T and Height of T is greater than K.

M>T>K

From 1 and 2, we get:

M>T>K>_>_

So, 3 students are smaller than T.

Example:

Directions: Seven people P, Q, R, S, T, U and V have different weights. Q has the third highest weight, weighing
88 kgs. Three people have weights valuing between Q and P, R is immediately before S in weight, T is
immediately before U in weight. No one is weighing between P and S. The second lowest weighs 78 kgs.

Q: How many people are heavier than S?

A: From statement: Q has the third highest weight, weighing 88 kgs.

_ > _ > Q (88) > _ > _ > _ > _

From statement: Three people have weights valuing between Q and P.

_ > _ > Q (88) > _ > _ > _ > P

From the statement: No one is weighing between P and S and the second lowest weighs 78 kgs.

_ > _ > Q (88) > _ > _ > S (78) > P

From the statement: R is immediately before S in weight, T is immediately before U in weight.

⇒ T > U > Q (88) > _ > R > S (78) > P

⇒ T > U > Q (88) > V > R > S (78) > P

∴ persons heavier than S are T, U, V and Q that is 4 in number .

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Points to Remember
If height of five students A, K, G, M and T are compared.

a) At least 2 people are taller than G. It means either 2 or 3 or 4 people are taller than G. So, there are 3
possible cases for this situation:
Case 1:
_>_>G>_>_
Case 2:
_>_>_>G>_
Case 3:
_>_>_>_>G

b) At most 2 people are taller than G. It means either 2 or 1 or no person is taller than G so, there are 3
cases for this situation.
Case 1:
_>_>G_>_
Case 2:
_>G>_>_>_
Case 3:
G>_>_>_>_

c) Only 2 people are taller than G, then there is only 1 case.

_>_>G_>_

d) Three people have heights valuing between A and M. It means either A is taller than M or M is taller
than A. So, there are 2 possible cases for it.
Case 1:
M > _ > _> _ > A
Case 2:
A>_>_>_>M

If the score of 6 persons, A, B, C, D, E and F is given. Three people scored more than D but lower than B. A
scored the highest score.

Then it means only 3 people are there between D and B and B scored more than D. Only 1 possible
case will be there.
A>B>_>_>_>D

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If we have to find the possible age

Example: If five people are arranged according to their ages A>B>C>D>E and it is given that age of B
is 25 and age of D is 20 and then we have to choose age of C from the 5 option:i)

i. 28 years

ii. 16 years

iii. 23 years

iv. 10 years

v. 30 years

Solution:

Age of C is option iii)

As the possible age of C can be more than 20 years but less than 25 years so, the only option that ful-
fills this condition is option iii) i.e. 23 years.

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