Example 1
A man faces North. He turns right, then left, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
Answer: A) West
Right = +90°, left = −90°. Net turn = -90°, from North that is West.
Direction Sense reasoning questions for competitive exams: rules, worked examples and practice
Direction sense questions track turns and distances to find a final direction or distance from the start. Draw a quick sketch.
Key rules and formulas
- A right turn is 90° clockwise; a left turn is 90° anticlockwise.
- Add the net turn: two rights make a U-turn (180°).
- Straight-line distance from the start: use Pythagoras on the net east-west and north-south movement.
- Shadows: in the morning the sun is in the east, so shadows fall west.
Common traps
- Turning relative to the page instead of the person's facing direction.
- Adding all distances instead of the net displacement.
Where Direction Sense is asked
- IBPS Clerk Prelims (Reasoning Ability)
- IBPS PO Prelims (Reasoning Ability)
- RRB Group D (General Intelligence & Reasoning)
- RRB NTPC CBT 1 (General Intelligence & Reasoning)
- SBI Clerk Prelims (Reasoning Ability)
- SBI PO Prelims (Reasoning Ability)
- SSC CGL Tier 1 (General Intelligence & Reasoning)
- SSC CGL Tier 2 (General Intelligence, Reasoning & General Intelligence)
- SSC CHSL Tier 1 (General Intelligence)
Worked examples
Example 2
A man faces East. He turns left, then right, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
Answer: D) South
Right = +90°, left = −90°. Net turn = 90°, from East that is South.
Example 3
Nikhil walks 8 km north, then turns right and walks 15 km. How far is Nikhil from the starting point?
Answer: B) 17 km
The path makes a right angle: distance = √(8² + 15²) = √289 = 17 km.
More Direction Sense practice questions
- A man faces South. He turns left, then right, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- Ojas walks 8 km north, then turns right and walks 15 km. How far is Ojas from the starting point?
- A man faces East. He turns left, then left, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces South. He turns left, then left, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces North. He turns right, then left, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces South. He turns left, then right, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces West. He turns right, then right, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces East. He turns right, then left, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- Aman walks 12 km north, then turns right and walks 16 km. How far is Aman from the starting point?
- A man faces South. He turns right, then left, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces East. He turns right, then right, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces North. He turns left, then right, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces West. He turns left, then left, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces North. He turns right, then right, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces North. He turns left, then right, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces North. He turns right, then right, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces East. He turns left, then right, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces West. He turns right, then right, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces East. He turns right, then right, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces North. He turns left, then left, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces South. He turns right, then left, then right, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces North. He turns left, then left, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
- A man faces South. He turns left, then left, then left, each time by 90°. Which direction is he facing now?
Frequently asked questions
What is Direction Sense in competitive exams?
Direction sense questions track turns and distances to find a final direction or distance from the start. Draw a quick sketch.
Which exams ask Direction Sense questions?
On MockBazaar, Direction Sense questions appear in IBPS Clerk Prelims, IBPS PO Prelims, RRB Group D, RRB NTPC CBT 1, SBI Clerk Prelims, SBI PO Prelims, SSC CGL Tier 1, SSC CGL Tier 2, SSC CHSL Tier 1.
What is the most common mistake in Direction Sense?
Turning relative to the page instead of the person's facing direction.