Number Ranking and Sequence

For the number sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, here’s how each term applies:

Sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
 Preceding: In this sequence, 1 is preceding 2.
 Preceded by: 3 is preceded by 2; 4 is preceded by 3; 5 is preceded by 4; 6 is preceded
by 5.
 Following: 2 is following 1; 3 is following 2; 4 is following 3; 5 is following 4; 6 is
following 5.
 Followed by: 1 is followed by 2; 2 is followed by 3; 3 is followed by 4; 4 is followed
by 5; 5 is followed by 6.
 Succeeding: The succeeding number of 1 is 2; for 2 it is 3; for 3 it is 4, etc. (Each
number is succeeded by the next number).
 Succeeded by: 1 is succeeded by 2; 2 is succeeded by 3; 3 is succeeded by 4; 4 is
succeeded by 5; 5 is succeeded by 6

Number ranking is a reasoning topic that involves finding the position, order, or rank of
persons or objects in a sequence according to given data. Here are all the main concepts----
Order and ranking questions are about arranging people or objects by height, marks, merit, or
any other criterion, and determining their position or rank in the group.

Ranking means finding out the exact place of a person or object from left, right, top, or
bottom, or within a listed sequence.

Key formulas:
 Total number in a row = Position from left + Position from right - 1

 To find someone's rank from the opposite side: Position from opposite side = Total
number - Given position + 1

 Number of persons between two people = |Position of first person - Position of second
person| - 1

 If people’s positions are given and overlap is possible:

  Number between two = (Sum of both positions) - Total number - 2

If people swap places, each person takes the other's previous rank.

Tied ranks are given by averaging the positions assigned to the tied persons.

Problems may also ask for the minimum number of persons in the group: Minimum number
= Sum of positions from both sides - Persons between them – 2

Here are 30 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) from previous year exams on the
number ranking topic, each with the answer only:

1. In a row of 42 persons, Richa is 26th from the left and Rajan is 19th from the right.
How many persons are sitting between them?
Answer: 1
2. Faiza collected more mugs than Suraiya but less than Saifina. Roohi collected more
mugs than Razia but less than Heena. Saifina collected less mugs than Razia. Who
obtained the most mugs?
Answer: Heena
3. In a row of students, John is 8th from the left end, and John is 12th from the right end.
Calculate the total number of students in the row.
Answer: 19
4. Ram’s rank is 15th from the top and 12th from the bottom in a group of boys. The
number of boys?
Answer: 26
5. Vidya’s rank is 26. Kamla is 8 ahead of Vidya in a class of 42. What is Kamla’s rank?
Answer: 18
6. Radha ranks twenty-first from the top and twentieth from the bottom. How many
students in her class?
Answer: 40
7. How many persons are between the 7th from left and 10th from right in a row of 20
persons?
Answer: 3
8. In a class of 30 students, R is 10th from the top. How many students are after R?
Answer: 20
9. Sakshi’s rank was mistakenly written as 12th from top out of 28 students; her actual
rank is 13th from bottom. What is her new rank from top?
Answer: 16
10. In a race of 3 people, A finished before B but behind C. Who finished first?
Answer: C
11. In a queue, Amar is 10th from the front and 19th from the end. Find the total number
in the queue.
Answer: 28
12. How many 6's are in the sequence 312964764677297644667 that are either preceded
by 4 or followed by 7?
Answer: 3
13. Kanmani ranked sixteenth from the top and twenty ninth from the bottom among those
who passed an examination. Six boys did not participate and five failed. How many
boys were in the class?
Answer: 55
14. If Rohan ranked 17th in a class of 60, how many are behind him?
Answer: 43
15. Mina is 19th from the left and 15th from the right in a row. Find the total number.
Answer: 33
16. Ravi is 10th from the right and 5th from the left. How many students in a row?
Answer: 14
17. In a line, Pradeep is 18th from the left and 25th from the right. What is the total
number?
Answer: 42
18. Mohit is 24th from the left and 36th from right in a row. Total number in the row?
Answer: 59
19. Kanmani ranked sixteenth from the top and twenty ninth from the bottom among
those who passed an examination. Six boys did not participate and five failed. How
many boys were in the class?
Answer: 14
20. Sindhu is 15th from the front end and Madhu is 10th from the back end in a row. If
they interchange positions, there are 5 persons between Sindhu and Madhu. What is
 the total number of persons?
Answer: 30
21. The sum of ranks of two persons from opposite ends is 30 in a row of 25. Is it
overlapping or non-overlapping?
Answer: Overlapping
22. In a group of 40, Arun is 17th from the top, and Shyam is 20th from the bottom.
Number of persons between them?
Answer: 2
23. Shyam is 18th from left in a row of 40, his position from the right?
Answer: 23th
24. In a line of 50 students, Anil is 18th from the left. How many students are to the right
of Anil?
Answer: 32
25. In a line, the total number of people is 45. Maya is 15th from left, what is her position
from right?
Answer: 31
26. In a class of 60, 9 girls ahead of Rohan who ranked 17th from top. Total number of
boys ahead?
Answer: 8
27. In a class, Anjali is ranked 10th from the top and 20th from the bottom. If there are
two students who are absent, what is the total number of students in the class?
Answer: 31
28. In a row, Amit is 13th from the left and Vijay is 9th from the right. Number of persons
between them if total is 20?
Answer: 7
29. In a row of students, if the sum of positions from both ends for two students is less
than total number, is there overlap?
Answer: No
30. Murphy is 8th from left and 13th from right in a row. How many students are there?
Answer: 20

Number Sequence

1. In the sequence 2, 6, 36, 20, 3, 42, what number is preceded by a perfect square
and succeeded by a prime number?
 a) 20
 b) 12
  c) 30
 d) 42
 Answer: a) 20
2. Given the sequence 1, 8, 27, 64, 124, ..., which term is followed by a cube of a prime?
 a) 27
 b) 64
 c) 125
 d) 8
 Answer: d) 8
3. In the Sequence 5, 3, 8, 12, 5, 4, 11..., which term is preceded by the sum of the
previous two terms?
 a) 12
 b) 21
 c) 13
 d) 5
 Answer: a) 12
4. In the sequence 3, 6, 11, 19, 25, what number is preceded by an even number
and followed by an odd number?
 a) 11
 b) 18
 c) 6
 d) 27
 Answer: a) 11
5. In the sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 13,5, 8, ..., which term is preceding a term that is even
and also followed by odd number?
 a) 0
 b) 2
 c) 5
 d) 3
 Answer: d) 3
6. In the sequence 5, 13, 21, 29, ..., which number is succeeded by a number divisible by
7?
  a) 21
 b) 13
 c) 29
 d) 5
 Answer: b) 13
7. Given the sequence 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, ..., which number is preceded by a number
divisible by 8 and followed by a square?
 a) 32
 b) 16
 c) 64
 d) 8
 Answer: a) 32
8. In the triangular number sequence 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, ..., which term is followed by a
multiple of both 3 and 7?
 a) 15
 b) 21
 c) 10
 d) 6
 Answer: a) 15
9. In the sequence 9, 15, 21, 27, 33, ..., which number is preceding a number with digits
that sum to 9?
 a) 27
 b) 15
 c) 21
 d) 33
 Answer: c) 21
10. Given the sequence 69, 60, 81, 42, 33, ..., which term is succeeded by a number that is
a perfect square?
 a) 60
 b) 51
 c) 42
 d) 69
 Answer: a)60