How Can You Solve Ranking Questions?

Ranking questions assess your ability to determine the relative positions or orders of individuals or objects based on given information. These questions often appear in law entrance exams and evaluate your logical and analytical skills. 

Understanding Ranking

Ranking questions involve arranging a group of individuals or objects in a specific order or sequence based on certain criteria. Your task is to determine the positions or ranks of the elements according to the information provided.

Strategies for Solving Ranking Questions

• Read the Information: Carefully read the information provided about the ranking. Understand the given positions, relationships and any constraints.
• Identify Fixed Positions: Look for any fixed positions or individuals mentioned in the information. These can serve as anchor points for determining the ranks of other elements.
• Deduce Ranks: Use the clues, hints or constraints provided to deduce the ranks of other elements. Apply these constraints systematically.
• Use Counting Techniques: If the ranks are consecutive, use counting techniques to determine the positions of individuals or objects.
• Draw a Diagram: If needed, draw a diagram or chart to represent the ranking sequence. Mark the known positions and use numbers or symbols to represent the ranks.
• Trial and Error: If one approach isn’t working, try different possibilities until you find a consistent ranking that satisfies all constraints.
• Eliminate Options: If provided with multiple-choice options, test each option by applying the given information to see which one fits.

Examples

Example 1: Simple Ranking:

Five students – Alex, Bob, Carol, Dave and Eve – are ranked based on their test scores. Carol is ranked second. Dave is ranked higher than Bob. Who is ranked first?

Solution: Alex is ranked first.

Example 2: Consecutive Ranking:

Ten participants – Alice, Ben, Chris, Dana, Eve, Frank, Gina, Harry, Ivy and Jack – are ranked consecutively. Alice is ranked fourth. Dana is ranked immediately after Ben. Who is ranked sixth?

Solution: Frank is ranked sixth.

Example 3: Mixed Ranking:

Seven friends – Alex, Bob, Carol, Dave, Eve, Frank and Gina – are ranked in a mixed order. Bob is ranked fourth from the top. Dave is ranked immediately after Alex. Who is ranked third from the bottom?

Solution: Gina is ranked third from the bottom.

Example 4: Relative Ranking:

Eight colleagues – Alice, Bob, Carol, Dave, Eve, Frank, Gina and Harry – are ranked based on their performance. Eve is ranked higher than Carol but lower than Frank. Who is ranked third?

Solution: Harry is ranked third.

Example 5: Complex Ranking:

Twelve students – Alex, Bob, Carol, Dave, Eve, Frank, Gina, Harry, Ivy, Jack, Kate and Leo – are ranked based on their ages. Eve is ranked seventh. Dave is ranked higher than both Bob and Ivy. Who is ranked ninth?

Solution: Ivy is ranked ninth.