Order and Ranking is a staple topic in IBPS PO Prelims Reasoning section, appearing as 2–4 direct questions or embedded within puzzles. The concept is simple: determine the position of a person or object in a sequence based on given conditions. Questions involve rankings from top/bottom in a class, left/right in a row, or age-based ordering among a group.
This topic is a quick scoring area if you master the core formulas and avoid careless errors. The questions test your ability to translate verbal statements into numerical positions and work with relationships like "above," "below," "between," and "from either end." Since these questions can be solved in under a minute each, they're ideal for building time cushion in the exam.
Mastery requires: (1) knowing the standard formulas by heart, (2) careful reading to avoid direction traps, and (3) systematic practice with age-based and position-exchange variants.
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Key Concepts
**Position from opposite ends**: If you know a person's rank from one end, you can find their rank from the other using the total count. This relationship is the backbone of almost every question.
**Total count determination**: When two different positions of the same person are given (from top and bottom, or left and right), add them and subtract 1 to get the total.
**Positions between two people**: The number of persons between two ranks equals the difference of their positions minus 1. Alternatively, Total = Sum of positions from opposite ends − 1.
**Position after interchange**: When two people exchange positions, their ranks swap but the total remains unchanged. Track carefully whose position is asked after the swap.
**Age-based ranking**: Age ordering follows the same logic—oldest = rank 1 from top, youngest = rank 1 from bottom. Convert age comparisons to position comparisons.
**Same vs. different direction positions**: "5th from left" and "5th from right" refer to different people unless total = 9. Always check if positions refer to the same or different individuals.
**Minimum vs. exact total**: When only partial information is given, calculate minimum possible total. If positions overlap or gap is unknown, the answer may be "cannot be determined" or "minimum N persons."
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Formulas / Key Facts
**Position from other end:** Position from other end = Total − Position from given end + 1
**Total when both positions of same person are known:** Total = Position from top + Position from bottom − 1 Total = Position from left + Position from right − 1
**Persons between two different people:** Persons between = |Position₁ − Position₂| − 1 (Both positions must be from the same end)
**Total when positions of two different people and gap are known:** Total = Position of A from one end + Position of B from other end + Persons between them (When A and B are on opposite sides of the middle)
**Minimum total (when two people's positions are given from opposite ends):** Minimum Total = Higher of (Rank of A from top, Rank of B from bottom) (Assuming they could be the same person or overlap)
**Age ranking conversion:**
"A is 5th oldest" = A's rank from top (oldest) is 5
"A is 5th youngest" = A's rank from bottom (youngest) is 5
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Worked Examples
**Example 1: Basic position finding** *In a row of 40 students, Ramesh is 15th from the left. What is his position from the right?*
Solution: Position from right = Total − Position from left + 1 Position from right = 40 − 15 + 1 = **26th from right**
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**Example 2: Finding total strength** *In a class, Priya ranks 17th from the top and 26th from the bottom. How many students are in the class?*
Solution: Total = Rank from top + Rank from bottom − 1 Total = 17 + 26 − 1 = **42 students**
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**Example 3: Persons between two students** *In a row, A is 8th from the left and B is 15th from the left. How many persons are between A and B?*
**Example 4: Position after interchange** *In a row of 30 students, Amit is 12th from the left and Sumit is 18th from the left. If they interchange positions, what is Amit's new position from the right?*
Solution: After interchange, Amit takes Sumit's position = 18th from left Amit's position from right = 30 − 18 + 1 = **13th from right**
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**Example 5: Age-based ranking** *Among 6 friends, A is older than B but younger than C. D is the youngest. E is older than C but younger than F. Who is the 3rd oldest?*
Solution: From conditions: F > E > C > A > B > D Ranking (oldest to youngest): F(1), E(2), C(3), A(4), B(5), D(6) **C is 3rd oldest**
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Common Mistakes
**Forgetting the "−1" in the total formula** → When you add positions from both ends, you count the person twice. Always subtract 1 to correct this.
**Confusing "from left" with "from right" after interchange** → After a position swap, the row total stays same. Recalculate the new position from the asked direction carefully.
**Adding instead of subtracting for "between" calculation** → Persons between = Difference of positions − 1, not sum. If A is 5th and B is 12th from left, there are 6 persons between them, not 16.
**Assuming minimum total equals sum of positions** → When two different people are ranked from opposite ends, minimum total occurs when they're adjacent or overlapping. Don't blindly add; check if they can be the same person.
**Misreading "older than" as "younger than" in age problems** → Age-based questions often have twisted phrasing. Write out the chain (A > B means A older) before ranking.
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Quick Reference
**Position from other end** = Total − Given position + 1
**Total (same person, both ends known)** = Top rank + Bottom rank − 1
In a row of 40 students, Rahul is 16th from the left end. What is his position from the right end?
Q2 · Order and Ranking · MEDIUM
In a class of 45 students, Priya ranks 12th from the top. Five students failed the exam and their ranks are not considered. What is Priya's rank from the bottom among the students who passed?
Q3 · Order and Ranking · EASY
Among five friends A, B, C, D and E, A is older than B but younger than C. D is older than E but younger than B. Who is the youngest?
Q4 · Order and Ranking · MEDIUM
In a queue of people, Amit is 18th from the front and 24th from the back. How many people are there in the queue?
Q5 · Order and Ranking · HARD
In a row of boys, Suresh is 7th from the left and Ramesh is 12th from the right. If they interchange their positions, Suresh becomes 22nd from the left. How many boys are there in the row?