Seating Arrangements & Ordering Puzzles — Practice
Practice bank for UCAT Decision Making spatial logic and sequencing questions.
Quick-Reference: Ordering Puzzles
Step-by-Step Method
- List positions — number them (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)
- Place fixed items first — any item assigned to a specific position
- Build chains — if A before B and B before C, chain them: A → B → C
- Apply constraints — "immediately before/after" vs "before/after" (adjacent vs anywhere earlier/later)
- Test answer options — if stuck, plug each option in and check all constraints
Key Terminology
| Term | Meaning |
|---|
| "Before" | Any earlier position (not necessarily adjacent) |
| "Immediately before" | Directly adjacent, one position earlier |
| "Between X and Y" | Adjacent to both, in the middle |
| "Not adjacent to" | At least one position gap |
Quick-Reference: Seating Arrangements
Linear Seating
- Positions are numbered left to right
- End positions have only one neighbour
- "Next to" means directly adjacent
Circular Seating
- No "ends" — the first and last positions are adjacent
- "Opposite" in a circle of N seats means N/2 seats apart
- Fix one person's position to eliminate rotational duplicates
Circular Table Reference
| Seats | Seats between opposites |
|---|
| 4 | 1 |
| 6 | 2 |
| 8 | 3 |
Strategy
- Draw a quick diagram (line for linear, circle for circular)
- Place the most constrained items first
- Apply "MUST be true" logic — check all valid arrangements, not just one
- If the question asks "could be true," find any single valid arrangement
- Target: 60–75 seconds (these are often the most time-consuming DM questions)
Practice
Complete the 10 assessment questions. Each presents an ordering or seating scenario with constraints.
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