SSC CGL Reasoning · Free notes
Order and Ranking: SSC CGL Reasoning
Order, Ranking and Arrangement has 19 questions in the SSC CGL Tier I bank, and all of them come from the 2025 shifts. Ten are EASY, seven MODERATE and two HARD. The EASY ones are a single line of arithmetic: a rank counted from the other end, the people between two ranks, a date a few days on. The time goes on the floor and month puzzles, which take far longer than Tier I's average of about 36 seconds a question. The way to keep them short is to place the certain clues first and test the open ones case by case, rather than guess an arrangement and repair it.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Ranking and Position
7 PYQsA person's place in a row counted from either end, the number of people between two places, and left and right for people facing a direction or a circle's centre.
Scheduling and Puzzles
12 PYQsPutting people or events in order from clues: dates a few days apart, who lives on which floor, and puzzles that match each place in the order with a second detail such as a profession.
Formula & revision sheet
3 formulas · 12 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
3 formulas · 12 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formulas (2)
Watch out for (6)
- Adding the two ranks without taking away 1→ Rank from the left and from the right
- Moving the ranks instead of the people→ Rank from the left and from the right
- Subtracting ranks counted from different ends→ Counting the people between two ranks
- Using the no-crossing rule after the two have crossed→ Counting the people between two ranks
- Using the page's right for a person facing you→ Left and right in a row and around a circle
- Leaving two people between for 'second to the right'→ Left and right in a row and around a circle
Watch out for (6)
- Adding a 'before' instead of subtracting→ Dates and order in time, counted from the one fixed day
- Counting the end days as between→ Dates and order in time, counted from the one fixed day
- Reading 'two floors between' as two apart→ Floor puzzles: fix the certain floors, then test each case
- Stopping at the first case that fits→ Floor puzzles: fix the certain floors, then test each case
- Numbering the calendar instead of the list→ Order puzzles with a second detail: one grid for both
- Dropping a 'not' clue→ Order puzzles with a second detail: one grid for both
PYQ weightage by concept
6 concepts · 19 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
6 concepts · 19 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Counting the people between two ranks | 3 | 16% |
| Left and right in a row and around a circle | 3 | 16% |
| Rank from the left and from the right | 1 | 5% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Dates and order in time, counted from the one fixed day | 6 | 32% |
| Floor puzzles: fix the certain floors, then test each case | 5 | 26% |
| Order puzzles with a second detail: one grid for both | 1 | 5% |
Test yourself on a real paper
Sit a past SSC CGL paper, timed and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.