Ranking is a critical component of the logical reasoning section in various competitive exams. It involves problems that require determining the position or rank of a person or object from either the top, bottom, or both ends based on certain conditions.
Understanding ranking questions in reasoning helps in improving analytical thinking, speed, and accuracy. These types of problems often appear in exams like SSC CGL, IBPS PO, RRB NTPC, CAT, and state-level PSCs.
Why Ranking Reasoning is Important for Exams
Frequently asked in almost all government exams.
Tests both direction sense and order-based arrangement.
Helps in evaluating a candidate’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Solving these quickly can improve overall time management in competitive exams.
Types of Ranking Questions in Reasoning
Ranking reasoning questions are broadly divided into the following types:
- Ranking from Top or Bottom
These questions provide the rank of a person either from the top or bottom, and you have to find the total number of people or the position from the other end.
- Finding Total Number of People
When the ranks from both top and bottom are given for a person, you can easily calculate the total number of people.
- Position Exchange Problems
These are based on position interchange between two persons and then determining the new rank or original rank.
- Rank in Different Situations
In these questions, ranks change based on entry or exit of persons in the list or row, and the candidate has to determine the new rank.
- Comparative Ranking
This includes comparison between the positions of two or more people and determining the relative ranking.
Formulas for Ranking Questions
Total Number of Persons = (Rank from Top) + (Rank from Bottom) – 1
Rank from Bottom = (Total Number of Persons) – (Rank from Top) + 1
Rank from Top = (Total Number of Persons) – (Rank from Bottom) + 1
Solved Examples of Ranking Reasoning Questions
Example 1: Rank from Other End
Question: In a row of 25 students, Ramesh is 9th from the top. What is his position from the bottom?
Solution:
Position from the bottom = Total students – Position from top + 1
= 25 – 9 + 1 = 17th from the bottom
Example 2: Finding Total Number of Students
Question: Anita ranks 12th from the top and 15th from the bottom. How many students are there in the class?
Solution:
Total students = 12 + 15 – 1 = 26 students
Example 3: Position Interchange
Question: In a row, A is 8th from the left and B is 11th from the right. If they interchange their positions, A becomes 15th from the left. Find the total number of students.
Solution:
If A moves to B’s position and becomes 15th from left, then:
B’s position = 15th from left
Given: B is 11th from right
Total students = 15 + 11 – 1 = 25 students
Example 4: Comparative Ranking
Question: In a class of 40 students, Rohan is ranked 10th from the top. How many students are ranked below him?
Solution:
Students below Rohan = 40 – 10 = 30 students
Example 5: Logical Puzzle with Ranking
Question: In a row of 10 people, A is 3rd from the left, and B is 4th from the right. How many people are between A and B?
Solution:
Position of A = 3rd from left
Position of B = 4th from right = 10 – 4 + 1 = 7th from left
People between A and B = 7 – 3 – 1 = 3 people
Ranking Reasoning Practice Questions
Try solving the following questions. Answers are given below for your reference.
Question 1:
In a row of 30 students, Rina is 11th from the left and Meena is 7th from the right. How many students are there between them?
Question 2:
In a class of students, the rank of a boy from the top is 14 and from the bottom is 9. How many students are there in total?
Question 3:
If Priya is 5th from the left and Anu is 8th from the right in a row of 20 people, how many persons are there between them?
Question 4:
Amit is 18th from the left and 5th from the right in a row. How many students are in the row?
Question 5:
A person ranks 7th in a class. If 5 students who are ranked above him leave the class, what will be his new rank?
Answer Key to Practice Questions
Total students = 30
Rina = 11th from left, Meena = 7th from right
Meena = 30 – 7 + 1 = 24th from left
People between them = 24 – 11 – 1 = 12
Total = 14 + 9 – 1 = 22 students
Priya = 5th from left, Anu = 8th from right = 20 – 8 + 1 = 13th from left
People between = 13 – 5 – 1 = 7
Total = 18 + 5 – 1 = 22 students
If 5 students above him leave, his new rank = 7 – 5 = 2nd
Tips for Solving Ranking Questions Quickly
Memorize the basic formulas.
Carefully observe whether ranking is from the top, bottom, left, or right.
If position is interchanged, track old and new positions.
Practice visualizing rows and writing down positions when necessary.
Attempt mock tests and previous year papers to improve speed.
Conclusion
Mastering the ranking chapter in logical reasoning is crucial for scoring high in competitive exams. It involves a mix of position analysis, logical deduction, and simple math operations. By understanding the core concepts, practicing regularly, and following a strategy, you can easily tackle these questions under time constraints.
This SEO-optimized ranking reasoning guide serves as a compact test paper and study tool. If you’re preparing for banking, SSC, railway, or aptitude tests, bookmark this guide, revise frequently, and test yourself using the questions provided.