Order and Ranking for RRB PO 2025, Tips to Solve Problems

Order and Ranking for RRB PO 2025 Exam: When preparing for competitive exams like IBPS RRB PO 2025, one of the most scoring and easy-to-master topics in the Reasoning Ability section is Order and Ranking. It typically features 3-5 questions in the Prelims and 2-3 questions in Mains, and with the right approach, you can secure full marks in this area within a minute per question. In this article, we will explore the concept of Order and Ranking, common question types, and practical tips to solve these problems efficiently.

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What is order and ranking?

Order and ranking questions are related to arranging people or objects in order based on specific parameters like height, weight, age, score or position. The goal is to determine:

• The position of a person/object from one or both ends.
• The total number of persons/objects.
• The rank of a person/object after interchanging certain positions.

Understanding Order and Ranking

Order and ranking questions check your ability to determine the position or rank of a person or object in a sequence based on given conditions. These questions may involve arranging entities (people, objects or numbers) in a specific order or ascending, descending, or based on some criteria such as height, weight or digits and identifying their relative position.

Questions may appear in various formats, such as:

• Position-based: Determining the rank of a person from the left, right, top or bottom of a sequence.
• Comparison-based: Comparing the position of two or more entities.
• Interchange-based: Finding the new rank after swapping positions.
• Puzzle-based: Combining order and ranking with other reasoning concepts such as blood relations or seating arrangements.

Order & Ranking Important Questions PDF Link

Question 1: Medha is standing 15th from the starting of the row. There are 17 people between Medha and Rashmi. If Rashmi is standing 21st when counted from the back of the row, then number of people standing in the row is _____.
A) 36
B) 52
C) 53
D) 51
E) None of these

Question 2: Anchal ranked eighteenth from the top and twenty ninth from the bottom, among those who went to trip. Six boys did not come that day and five did not pay for the trip and didn’t go for the trip. How many boys were there in the class?
A) 58
B) 57
C) 55
D) 54
E) 50

Question 3: Rahul sits 10th from the left end of the line and Akshay sits third to the left of Rahul. If Sanya sits 20th from the right end and sits 2nd to the right of Rahul, then what is the position of Rahul from the right end?
A) 22
B) 21
C) 20
D) 23
E) None of these

Question 4: In a row of boys, if Anil, who is 10th from the left and Bishal, who is 9th from the right, interchange their positions, Anil becomes 15th from the left. How many boys are there in the row?
A) 20
B) 24
C) 23
D) 25
E) None of these

Types of Order and Ranking Questions

1. Sequential order questions:

• These questions involve arranging items in a linear order (for example, a line of people or objects).

Example: “In a queue, A is 5th from the left, and B is 8th from the right. If there are 20 people, how many people are there between A and B?”

2. Rank-based questions:

• These focus on finding the rank of an entity in a sequence (for example, marks, height or age).

Example: “Five persons Ravi, Savi, Davi, Kavi and Havi got different marks in a exam. Ravi got more marks than Davi. Kavi did not get the highest marks. Who got the lowest marks?”

3. Exchange or overlapping questions:

• These involve swapping positions in multiple sequences or determining overlapping ranks.

Example: “In a line, A is 6th from the left, and B is 4th from the right. If they swap positions, what is A’s new rank?”

Tips to solve order and ranking problems

Read the question carefully:

• Pay close attention to whether the rank is given from the left, right, top or bottom. Misinterpreting it can lead to mistakes.
• Identify whether the question involves a single sequence or multiple overlapping sequences.

Draw a diagram:

• Visualising the sequence by drawing lines or boxes for the positions can help make the arrangement clearer.
• Label the positions (for example, 1, 2, 3, … from the left or right) and place the given bodies accordingly.

Use formulas wisely:

• Apply the formulas mentioned above to quickly calculate the total bodies, rank from the opposite end or the number of bodies between two positions.
• Double-check the calculations to avoid arithmetic errors.

Handle comparison-based questions:

• For comparison questions (e.g., “A is taller than B but shorter than C”), create a clear order (e.g., C > A > B) and assign positions systematically.

Practice interchange questions:

• To change a position, note the original ranks, swap them, and recalculate the new rank using the total number of units.

Time management:

• Order and ranking questions can be time-consuming if not done systematically. Practice solving them within 1-2 minutes to build momentum for the exam.
• If a question seems too complex, skip it and come back to it later to avoid wasting time.

Practice with variations:

• Solve different types of questions, including those involving height, weight, digits or multiple lines, to be prepared for all possible patterns.
• Use mock tests and previous years’ RRB PO papers to familiarise yourself with the general pattern.

Key Formulas and Concepts

To solve Order and Ranking problems efficiently, keep these formulas and concepts in mind: 

1. Total Number of Entities: If a person’s rank from the left is L and from the right is R, the total number of entities N is:

N = L+ R – 1 

Example: If A is 5th from the left and 8th from the right, the total number of people is 

                                                                 5 + 8  –  1 = 12

2. Rank from Opposite End: If a person’s rank from one end (e.g., left/top) is L, and the total number of entities is N, their rank from the other end (e.g., right/bottom) is: 

R = N – L + 1 

Example: In a class of 40 students, if Ravi is 10th from the top, his rank from the bottom is 40 – 10+1 = 31. 

3. Number of Entities Between Two Positions: If two entities have ranks L1 and L2 from the same end, the number of entities between them is: 

        | L1 – L2 | – 1 

Example: If A is 5th from the left and B is 9th from the left, the number of people between them is |9 – 5|-1 = 3

4. Interchange of Positions: If two entities swap positions, their ranks from both ends change accordingly. Recalculate using the above formulas after swapping.

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