Direction Sense – Complete Guide for Competitive Exams

Introduction

Direction Sense is an important topic in the Reasoning Ability section of many competitive exams such as SSC, Banking, Railway, Defence, State Exams, and other aptitude tests. Questions from this topic test a candidate’s ability to understand directions, distances, and spatial orientation.

With regular practice, Direction Sense questions can be solved quickly and accurately.

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Basic Directions

There are four main directions:

• North (N)
• South (S)
• East (E)
• West (W)

Opposite Directions

• North ↔ South
• East ↔ West

Right and Left Turns

• Facing North:
  • Right → East
  • Left → West
• Facing South:
  • Right → West
  • Left → East
• Facing East:
  • Right → South
  • Left → North
• Facing West:
  • Right → North
  • Left → South

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Types of Direction Sense Questions

1. Distance and Direction Based

These questions involve movement in different directions and ask for the final distance or direction.

Example:
A person walks 10 m north, then 5 m east, and then 10 m south.
👉 Final position is 5 m East from the starting point.

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2. Finding the Final Direction

You may be asked to determine the direction a person is facing after a series of turns.

Example:
If a person faces East and turns right, then left, then right again,
👉 Final direction = South

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3. Shortest Distance

These questions ask for the minimum distance between the starting and ending points.

💡 Tip: Always imagine or draw a rough diagram.

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4. Shadow-Based Direction Questions

These questions use the position of the sun to determine directions.

• Morning → Sun in the East
• Evening → Sun in the West
• At noon → Sun in the South (in India)

1. A person walks 10 m north, then 5 m east, and then 10 m south. In which direction is he from the starting point?
2. A man is facing north. He turns 90° clockwise, then 180° anticlockwise, and again 90° clockwise. Which direction is he facing now?
3. A girl walks 12 m towards south, then turns right and walks 8 m. How far and in which direction is she from the starting point?
4. A person starts from point A, walks 15 m north, turns right and walks 10 m, then turns right again and walks 15 m. Where is he now with respect to point A?
5. Ram walks 5 m west, then 3 m south, then 5 m east. How far is he from his starting point?
6. A man walks 20 m towards east, then turns left and walks 10 m, then turns left again and walks 20 m. In which direction is he now from the starting point?
7. A boy starts walking from his house. He walks 6 m north, then turns right and walks 8 m, then turns right and walks 6 m. How far is he from his house?
8. A person faces west and turns clockwise three times, each turn of 90°. Which direction is he facing finally?
9. A man walks 7 m north, then 24 m east, and then 7 m south. How far is he from the starting point?
10. A girl walks 4 m east, then turns left and walks 3 m, then turns left and walks 4 m. In which direction is she from the starting point?
11. A person walks 10 m north, then turns right and walks 10 m, then turns right and walks 10 m, then turns left and walks 5 m. How far and in which direction is he from the starting point?
12. A man is facing south. He turns right, then left, and again right. Which direction is he facing now?
13. Ravi walks 8 m west, then turns left and walks 6 m, then turns left again and walks 8 m. How far is he from the starting point?
14. A person walks 5 m north, then 5 m east, then 5 m south, and then 5 m west. Where is he now?
15. A boy walks 10 m east, then 10 m south, then 10 m west, and finally 10 m north. How far is he from his starting point?
16. A person walks 15 m north, then turns left and walks 20 m, then turns left again and walks 15 m. In which direction is he from the starting point?
17. A man walks 12 m south, then turns right and walks 5 m, then turns right again and walks 12 m. How far is he from the starting point?
18. A person faces north. He turns 270° clockwise. Which direction is he facing now?
19. A girl walks 9 m east, then 12 m north, and then 9 m west. How far is she from the starting point?
20. A man walks 6 m north, then turns right and walks 8 m, then turns left and walks 4 m. In which direction is he from the starting point?
21. A person walks 10 m south, then 10 m east, then 10 m north. How far is he from the starting point?
22. A boy walks 3 m north, then 4 m east, and then 3 m south. In which direction is he from the starting point?
23. A man starts walking towards east. After walking 10 m, he turns left and walks 5 m, then turns right and walks 10 m. How far is he from the starting point?
24. A person walks 7 m west, then turns right and walks 7 m, then turns right again and walks 7 m. In which direction is he from the starting point?
25. A girl walks 5 m north, then turns right and walks 12 m, then turns left and walks 5 m. How far is she from the starting point?

Answer

East

North

√(208) m, South-West

10 m East

3 m South

South

8 m

South

24 m East

West

5 m East

West

6 m

At the starting point

0 m

20 m West

5 m

West

12 m North

North-East

10 m East

East

15 m

South

12 m East