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Ranking and order for SSC CHSL

"In a queue, R is 9th from the front and 14th from the back. How many people are in the queue?" Ranking questions come down to one formula, a line of dots and care over who is counted. Total and position formulas, people between two others, swapped positions, minimum-number cases, comparison chains, six worked questions and practice with explained answers.

30 Oct 2026 7 min read

In this guide
  1. How it is asked
  2. The core formulas
  3. When the positions overlap
  4. Swapped positions
  5. Minimum-number cases
  6. Comparison chains
  7. Six worked questions
  8. Common traps
  9. Practice
  10. What to do next

Ranking questions are about counting, and counting goes wrong in one predictable way: a person gets counted twice, or not at all. Every formula in this topic exists to stop that. If you understand why the "− 1" is there, you will never need to memorise which formula has it.

SSC CHSL asks ranking in a few fixed shapes: total in a row, position from the other end, people between two others, swapped positions, and comparison chains ("A is taller than B…"). Each takes under 30 seconds once the pattern is clear.

How it is asked

  • Total: "R is 9th from the front and 14th from the back. How many are in the queue?"
  • Other end: "In a class of 40, a student is 12th from the top. What is the rank from the bottom?"
  • Between: "How many people sit between A and B?"
  • Swapped positions: two people exchange places and one new position is given.
  • Minimum number: positions and a "between" count that fit two different orders.
  • Comparison chains: height, weight, age or marks compared in pairs.

The core formulas

If a person is a-th from one end and b-th from the other:

Total = a + b − 1

Why − 1: counting a from the front includes the person, and counting b from the back includes the same person again. Subtract one to count them once.

Position from the other end = Total − position + 1

This is the same formula rearranged: b = Total − a + 1.

People between two positions (both counted from the same end): larger − smaller − 1.

Why − 1: the difference in positions counts the gap plus one of the two people. If A is 8th and B is 21st, positions 9 to 20 are between them, which is 12 people: 21 − 8 − 1.

When the positions overlap

If A is 10th from the left and B is 10th from the right in a row of 15, then B is 15 − 10 + 1 = 6th from the left. B is now to the left of A, and there are 10 − 6 − 1 = 3 people between them. Always convert first and then look at which person is further left. Never assume the first-named person is on the left.

Swapped positions

When two people swap places, each takes the other's old position. Use the new position of one person together with the other person's old position from the other end.

If X was 7th from the left and Y was 12th from the right, and after swapping X is 15th from the left, then X is now in Y's old seat: 15th from the left and 12th from the right. Total = 15 + 12 − 1 = 26.

Minimum-number cases

"A is 10th from the front, B is 15th from the back, and there are 4 people between them. What is the minimum number of people in the queue?"

There are two possible orders:

  • A ahead of B: 10 + 4 + 15 = 29 people.
  • B ahead of A: B is then 10 − 4 − 1 = 5th from the front. Being 15th from the back, the total is 5 + 15 − 1 = 19.

The minimum is 19. When a question says "minimum" or "maximum", it is telling you that both orders are possible. Work out both and choose.

Comparison chains

Write the chain with > signs, one clue at a time. Fit each new person into the chain where the clues say, and leave a gap if a clue does not fix a place exactly. If two people are never compared, the question may ask something that "cannot be determined".

Six worked questions

Q1. In a queue, R is 9th from the front and 14th from the back. How many people are in the queue? (a) 21 (b) 22 (c) 23 (d) 24
9 + 14 − 1 = 22. Answer: (b) 22.

Q2. In a class of 40, a student ranks 12th from the top. What is the rank from the bottom? (a) 28th (b) 27th (c) 30th (d) 29th
40 − 12 + 1 = 29. Answer: (d) 29th.

Q3. In a row of 30, A is 8th from the left and B is 10th from the right. How many people are between them? (a) 11 (b) 12 (c) 13 (d) 14
B from the left: 30 − 10 + 1 = 21. Between positions 8 and 21: 21 − 8 − 1 = 12. Answer: (b) 12.

Q4. In a row, X is 7th from the left and Y is 12th from the right. They swap places, and X becomes 15th from the left. How many are in the row? (a) 25 (b) 26 (c) 27 (d) 34
X is now in Y's old seat, which is 12th from the right. 15 + 12 − 1 = 26. Answer: (b) 26.

Q5. In a queue, A is 10th from the front and B is 15th from the back. There are 4 people between them. What is the minimum number of people in the queue? (a) 19 (b) 24 (c) 25 (d) 29
If B is ahead of A, B is 5th from the front, so the total is 5 + 15 − 1 = 19. The other order gives 29. Answer: (a) 19.

Q6. Among five friends, P earns more than Q but less than R. S earns less than Q. T earns more than R. Who earns the least, and who is in the middle? (a) S; R (b) Q; P (c) S; P (d) S; Q
Chain: T > R > P > Q > S. S earns the least; P is third from either end. Answer: (c).

Common traps

TrapFix
Forgetting − 1 in the totalThe person is counted from both ends
Counting the two people as "between"Between = larger − smaller − 1
Subtracting positions from different endsConvert both to the same end first
Assuming the order in "minimum" questionsWork out both orders
Losing track in comparison chainsWrite the chain with > signs as you read

Practice

  1. M is 16th from the left and 20th from the right in a row. How many are in the row? (a) 34 (b) 35 (c) 36 (d) 37
  2. In a class of 50, a student ranks 18th from the bottom. What is the rank from the top? (a) 32nd (b) 34th (c) 33rd (d) 31st
  3. In a row of 40, A is 10th from the left and B is 12th from the right. How many are between them? (a) 17 (b) 18 (c) 19 (d) 20
  4. P is heavier than Q. R is heavier than P. S is lighter than Q. Who is the lightest? (a) P (b) Q (c) R (d) S
  5. In a queue, a person is 5th from the front and there are 7 people behind them. How many are in the queue? (a) 12 (b) 11 (c) 13 (d) 7
  6. In a row, A is 12th from the left and B is 17th from the right. They swap places, and A becomes 20th from the left. How many are in the row? (a) 35 (b) 29 (c) 37 (d) 36
  7. In a queue, X is 7th from the front and Y is 12th from the back. There are 3 people between them. What is the minimum number of people in the queue? (a) 22 (b) 18 (c) 14 (d) 16
  8. A is older than B. C is older than A. D is younger than B. E is older than C. Who is the second oldest? (a) C (b) B (c) A (d) E

Answers:

  1. (b) 35. 16 + 20 − 1.
  2. (c) 33rd. 50 − 18 + 1.
  3. (b) 18. B from the left: 40 − 12 + 1 = 29. Between: 29 − 10 − 1 = 18.
  4. (d) S. R > P > Q > S.
  5. (a) 12. 5 up to and including the person, plus 7 behind.
  6. (d) 36. A is now in B's old seat: 20th from the left and 17th from the right. 20 + 17 − 1 = 36.
  7. (c) 14. If Y is ahead of X, Y is 7 − 3 − 1 = 3rd from the front, and the total is 3 + 12 − 1 = 14. The other order gives 7 + 3 + 12 = 22.
  8. (a) C. E > C > A > B > D.

What to do next

  • Write out the two core formulas and, next to each, one line on why the − 1 is there.
  • Solve 20 ranking questions, labelling every position L or R before calculating.
  • Practise five "minimum number" questions, always writing both orders.
  • Continue with seating arrangements, which use the same end-counting, and review the reasoning plan to see where ranking fits in your week.

A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Staff Selection Commission website .

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