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Ranking and Order MCQs

Ranking and Order MCQs are multiple-choice questions on finding a person's position in a row or queue, rank from the top or bottom of a class, the number of people between two others, and ordering people by age, height or marks. Every question on MCQs360 shows its correct answer instantly, so you can check your formula and working.

Question 01 Ranking and Order

Six friends, Imtiaz, Javed, Mitali, Nadia, Shirin and Varun, scored different marks in a test. Imtiaz is scored fewer marks than Shirin but scored more marks than Javed. Mitali is scored more marks than Varun. Shirin is scored fewer marks than Nadia but scored more marks than Mitali. Javed is scored fewer marks than Shirin but scored more marks than Mitali. Who scored the lowest marks?

Correct answer B. Varun

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About Ranking and Order MCQs

Position questions give a person's place from one end of a row and ask for their place from the other end, or give two positions and ask for the total number of people. Interchange questions swap two people and use the new position to find the total. Questions about people between two others need care, since the two may or may not overlap.

Comparison questions give clues such as "younger than Zubair but older than Priya" and ask who is the oldest, youngest or in the middle. These are solved by writing the people in order as each clue is applied. Ranking questions are short and formula-based, making them quick marks in MDCAT, NTS, SSC and bank tests, provided you remember to subtract one for the person counted twice.

Key facts to remember

  • Total number of people in a row = position from the left + position from the right − 1.
  • Position from the right = total − position from the left + 1.
  • If a person is exactly in the middle and kth from either end, the row has 2k − 1 people.
  • In a class with no ties, rank from the bottom = total − rank from the top + 1.
  • When two people swap places, the new position of one person gives the old position of the other.

Exams that include Ranking and Order MCQs

Pakistan

  • MDCAT
  • NTS
  • GAT
  • ISSB
  • Army, Navy and PAF initial tests
  • PPSC
  • FPSC

India

  • SSC CGL
  • SSC CHSL
  • IBPS PO
  • IBPS Clerk
  • SBI PO
  • SBI Clerk
  • RRB NTPC
  • CAT

Bangladesh

  • BCS
  • Bangladesh Bank recruitment tests

How to prepare for Ranking and Order MCQs

  1. Memorise the total formula (left + right − 1) and derive the other formulas from it.
  2. Draw a short line with the known positions marked when the question asks how many people stand between two others.
  3. For minimum-number questions, check whether the two people's counted positions overlap.
  4. In comparison questions, write a simple chain such as A > B > C and update it after each clue.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find the total number of people in a row?

Add a person's position from the left to their position from the right and subtract one, since that person is counted twice. For example, someone 23rd from the left and 24th from the right is in a row of 46 people.

Which exams ask Ranking and Order MCQs?

Ranking and order questions appear in MDCAT, NTS and GAT tests, ISSB and forces initial tests, and PPSC and FPSC papers in Pakistan, SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, IBPS, SBI and RRB exams in India, and the BCS mental ability paper in Bangladesh.

What is a person's rank from the bottom?

With no ties, rank from the bottom equals total students minus rank from the top plus one. A student ranked 8th from the top in a class of 23 is therefore 16th from the bottom.

Last reviewed October 2026