Ordering questions: how to solve them, with 8 practice questions

By Jon Petruch · Updated 9 November 2026

Key takeaways

• Ordering questions give clues about who is taller, faster, older or sits where. Your child has to work out the full order, or as much of it as the clues allow.
• Never solve them in your head. Draw a line or a row of boxes, and place each clue on it.
• Place the fixed clues first ("Pia sits in seat 3", "Sam finished last"), then the linked clues ("directly behind"), then the loose ones ("somewhere before").
• Read the question word carefully: must be true, could be true and cannot be true need different thinking.
• These questions appear in verbal reasoning and thinking skills sections, including EduTest-style and AAS-style papers and the NSW Selective Thinking Skills test.

What is an ordering question?

An ordering question gives a few clues about how people or things compare, and asks one question about the order. For example: who finished third, which book is in the middle, or which statement must be true.

The questions themselves aren't hard. They're hard to do in your head. In my classes, nearly every wrong answer came from a student who "just knew" the order without drawing it. The students who drew a quick line almost never lost the mark.

The method: draw, fix, link, check

1. Draw the frame. For heights or scores, draw a vertical line with highest at the top. For seats, positions or days, draw a row of numbered boxes.
2. Place the fixed clues. These are clues that name an exact spot: "seat 3", "last", "on Wednesday".
3. Place the linked clues. These pair two people tightly: "directly behind", "the day after", "next to".
4. Place the loose clues. These only give a direction: "before", "older than", "higher than". Use arrows if a position isn't settled yet.
5. Check every clue against your final order. Then answer the exact question asked.

Worked example 1: a race

Five runners finished a race. Priya finished ahead of Tom but behind Leo. Sam finished last. Kai finished directly behind Tom. Who finished third?

• Fixed: Sam is 5th.
• Linked: Kai is directly behind Tom, so Tom and Kai are next to each other.
• Loose: Leo is ahead of Priya, and Priya is ahead of Tom.
• That gives Leo, then Priya, then Tom, then Kai. With Sam in 5th, Leo, Priya, Tom and Kai fill places 1 to 4 in that order.
• Order: Leo, Priya, Tom, Kai, Sam.

Answer: Tom.

Worked example 2: cannot be true

Ella arrived before Finn. Grace arrived after Finn. Harry arrived before Grace. Which of these cannot be true? A. Harry arrived first B. Finn arrived before Harry C. Grace arrived third D. Ella arrived second

• Ella, then Finn, then Grace. Harry is somewhere before Grace.
• Everyone arrived before Grace, so Grace must be 4th of 4.
• A could be true (Harry, Ella, Finn, Grace). B could be true (Ella, Finn, Harry, Grace). D could be true (Harry, Ella, Finn, Grace).

Answer: C. Grace can't be third, because all three others arrived before her.

For "could be" and "cannot be" questions, test each option rather than trying to find one fixed order.

Practice questions

Have your child draw a frame for every question. Exam pace is about 60 to 90 seconds per question.

Question 1. Ava is taller than Ben. Ben is taller than Cara. Who is the shortest? A. Ava B. Ben C. Cara D. It can't be worked out

Question 2. Mia is older than Noah. Olivia is younger than Noah but older than Pete. Who is the second oldest? A. Mia B. Noah C. Olivia D. Pete

Question 3. Five students sat a test. Jack scored higher than Lily. Max scored lower than Lily but higher than Nina. Owen scored higher than Jack. Which of these must be true? A. Nina scored the lowest B. Max scored higher than Jack C. Lily scored the highest D. Owen scored lower than Max

Question 4. Five books are on a shelf, numbered 1 to 5 from left to right. The dictionary is at the far left. The biography is next to the dictionary. The cookbook is directly to the right of the atlas. The encyclopedia is not at either end. Which book is in the middle? A. Atlas B. Biography C. Encyclopedia D. Cookbook

Question 5. Five friends each have a swimming lesson on a different weekday, Monday to Friday. Isla swims on Wednesday. Jai swims the day after Isla. Kim swims earlier in the week than Luca. Luca doesn't swim on Friday. Who swims on Friday? A. Kim B. Luca C. Ming D. Jai

Question 6. Five people sit in a row of seats numbered 1 to 5. Pia sits in seat 3. Quinn sits next to Pia. Sara sits directly to the right of Rob, in the next higher-numbered seat. Rob's seat number is lower than Quinn's. Tia takes the remaining seat. Who sits in seat 5? A. Quinn B. Rob C. Sara D. Tia

Question 7. In a spelling bee, Zoe finished ahead of Yusuf. Will finished behind Yusuf but ahead of Xavier. Vera finished ahead of Zoe. Which of these could be true? A. Xavier finished first B. Yusuf finished third C. Will finished ahead of Zoe D. Vera finished last

Question 8. Four parcels are weighed. The red parcel is heavier than the blue parcel. The green parcel is lighter than the blue parcel. The yellow parcel is heavier than the green parcel. Which of these cannot be true? A. The yellow parcel is the heaviest B. The green parcel is the lightest C. The blue parcel is the heaviest D. The yellow parcel is lighter than the blue parcel

Answers and working

1. C (Cara). Ava, then Ben, then Cara, from tallest to shortest.

2. B (Noah). Mia, Noah, Olivia, Pete, from oldest to youngest.

3. A. Order from highest: Owen, Jack, Lily, Max, Nina. Nina is lowest, and every other option contradicts the order.

4. C (Encyclopedia). Dictionary in seat 1. The biography must be in seat 2, the only seat next to the dictionary. The atlas and cookbook need two seats side by side from 3, 4 and 5. If they take 3 and 4, the encyclopedia goes in seat 5, at an end, which isn't allowed. So the encyclopedia is in seat 3, the atlas in 4 and the cookbook in 5. Order: Dictionary, Biography, Encyclopedia, Atlas, Cookbook.

5. C (Ming). Isla is Wednesday, so Jai is Thursday. Monday, Tuesday and Friday are left for Kim, Luca and Ming. Luca isn't on Friday, and Kim is earlier than Luca, so Kim is Monday and Luca is Tuesday. Ming is Friday. The fifth name only appears in the options, which is a common trick: always check who hasn't been placed.

6. D (Tia). Pia is in seat 3. Rob and Sara need two seats side by side: either 1 and 2, or 4 and 5. Quinn is next to Pia, in seat 2 or 4. If Rob and Sara are in 4 and 5, Quinn is in seat 2, but then Rob's number (4) is higher than Quinn's (2), which breaks a clue. So Rob is in 1, Sara in 2 and Quinn in 4. Order: Rob, Sara, Pia, Quinn, Tia.

7. B. We know Vera is ahead of Zoe, Zoe ahead of Yusuf, Yusuf ahead of Will, and Will ahead of Xavier. That gives one order for all five: Vera, Zoe, Yusuf, Will, Xavier. Yusuf is third, so B could be true (in fact, it must be). A, C and D all contradict the order. "Could be true" questions sometimes have an option that must be true. It still counts.

8. C. Red is heavier than blue, and blue is heavier than green. So blue can never be the heaviest, because red is always heavier. A could be true (yellow, red, blue, green). B is always true, since green is lighter than blue, red and yellow. D could be true (red, blue, yellow, green). Only C is impossible.

Common mistakes

• Solving in your head. Draw it, even when it feels easy.
• Forgetting someone. Count the names before you answer.
• Treating "before" as "directly before". "Before" can mean any earlier spot. Only "directly" or "immediately" means next to.
• Answering a different question. "Second oldest" isn't "second youngest". Underline the question words.

Where to practise

Ordering questions sit alongside other logic types. See logic questions in EduTest verbal reasoning, word rearrangement questions and our thinking skills guide.

For full timed papers with every answer explained, try our NSW Selective practice tests, EduTest practice tests or AAS-style scholarship tests. Start with a free sample.

Frequently asked questions

Which tests include ordering questions?

They commonly appear in verbal reasoning and thinking skills sections, including EduTest-style and AAS-style scholarship papers and the NSW Selective and OC Thinking Skills tests.

Should my child draw a diagram in the exam?

Yes. In paper tests, use the margin. In on-screen tests, use the scrap paper provided. A ten-second sketch saves far more time than it costs.

What's the difference between "must be true" and "could be true"?

"Must be true" holds in every possible order. "Could be true" only needs one possible order where it works. "Cannot be true" fails in every possible order.

How can my child get faster?

Do five questions a day with the same steps every time: draw, fixed clues, linked clues, loose clues, check. Speed follows once the steps become automatic.

These are original practice questions written by Practice Tests & Exams. They are not taken from any official test.