Ranking

• How ranking and ordering puzzles determine position, score order, or age sequence from partial clues.
• To build rank ladders and use relative comparisons (taller than, scored more than).
• To combine ranking with ties, gaps, and reverse rank (second from top = rank 2).
• To solve height/weight/marks ordering problems efficiently for exams.

Level 1 — Foundations

Verbal: Ranking places entities on a line from 1st to nth where 1st is highest/best/oldest unless the question says otherwise — read the direction once.

Clue types:

Tools: Draw a vertical ladder (rank 1 at top) or horizontal number line. Fill fixed ranks first ("Meera is 1st"), then relative pairs.

Transitivity: If A > B and B > C, then A > C — chain to collapse three clues into one.

Level 2 — Exam depth

Ties: "A and B tied for 2nd" → both rank 2, next person is rank 4 (skip 3). CBSE-style questions often forget skipped ranks — check marking scheme notes.

Dual ordering: Sometimes height and marks are separate — use two ladders, same names, do not mix columns.

Maximum/minimum rank questions: "What is the lowest rank Ravi could have?" → optimise by pushing Ravi down while keeping other clues valid.

Speed trick: Count entities n. If n−1 independent comparisons form a chain covering everyone, ranking is complete without guessing.

Common exam pattern: 5 people, 3 clues, find rank of X — draw 5 slots, eliminate impossible slots for X one clue at a time.

Rank five students by marks from three clues

Anya, Ben, Cara, Dev, Eva — highest marks = rank 1.
(1) Anya ranked above Ben and Cara. (2) Dev is not in top 2. (3) Eva is immediately below Anya. (4) Ben is last.

Step 1 — Ben = rank 5.
Step 2 — Anya above Ben and Cara → Anya ∈ {1,2,3,4}; Cara ∈ {1,2,3,4}.
Step 3 — Eva immediately below Anya → pair (Anya, Eva) as consecutive with Eva lower.
         If Anya=1 → Eva=2. Dev not top 2 → Dev ∈ {3,4,5}; Ben=5 → Dev=3 or 4; Cara fills rest.
Step 4 — Anya above Cara → Cara not 1. Try Anya=1,Eva=2,Dev=3,Cara=4,Ben=5 ✓
Step 5 — **Anya=1, Eva=2, Dev=3, Cara=4, Ben=5**. Rank of Dev = **3**.

Find rank gap from 'two people between'

If Amit is rank 2 and "two persons between Amit and Priya", Priya is rank 5 (not rank 4).
Between = strictly in the middle positions: ranks 3 and 4 are the two between → Priya = 5.

• Six runners: who finished 1st if A beat B, B beat C, and D was last?
• Rank 1 at top vs rank 1 as shortest — how does clue "above" change?
• Clue: "Only one person scored more than Rita" — what is Rita's rank?
• Stretch: 7 people, no ties — minimum clues to fix full order?

Revision tip: Revisit adjacent topics in Analytical Reasoning before mixed practice on Ranking.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Ranking.

Draw your ladder once and label direction (1 = top / best). For "minimum rank of X" questions, push X as low as possible while keeping other clues true — this is optimisation on a ranking line. Write alternate rankings as small branches only when two clues conflict on paper; most CBSE items have unique solutions. Drill between and immediately language daily — one misread word changes the entire order.