BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Target Test Prep · GMAT

Choose how you want to prepare

Learn live with an expert or move at your own pace. Every option includes the complete TTP study system.

★★★★★5.0559 reviews
GMATLiveTeach 7 seats left
Chris Peckover
NEXT LIVE COHORT

Oct 13 to Jan 7, 2027

with Chris Peckover

Schedule
Tue, Thu · 8:00 to 10:00 PM ET
Included
40 live hours + 6 months of GMAT OnDemand
  • Live instruction and real-time questions
  • Class recordings and assigned practice
View class & enroll
Limited cohort · enrollment openTarget Test Prep
EALiveTeach 5 seats left
Logan Thompson
EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

Sep 6 to Dec 6, 2026

with Logan Thompson

Schedule
Sun · 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Included
40 hours of live online classes plus six months of access to the complete TTP EA OnDemand course.
  • 165+ EA Score Guarantee
  • 4,100+ Quant, Verbal, and Integrated Reasoning practice questions
  • 400+ hours of in-depth video lessons
  • 3,000+ step-by-step video solutions
View EA class & enroll
Limited cohort · enrollment openTarget Test Prep
GMATOnDemand Start anytime
SELF-PACED MASTERCLASS

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Complete access from day one. Study on your schedule.

715+ score guarantee
$0to start then $127/mo
  • Personalized study plan and analytics
  • Thousands of lessons and practice questions

Compare the format, schedule, and included access before enrolling. Prices and seat counts shown reflect the supplied offer details.

At a dinner party, 5 people are to be seated around a

Expert replies
by BTGmoderatorDC » Thu Apr 25, 2019 7:14 pm

Timer

00:00

Answers

A

B

C

D

E

Stats

Difficulty

At a dinner party, 5 people are to be seated around a circular table. 2 seating arrangements are considered different only when the positions of the people are different relative to each other. what is the total number of different possible seating arrangements for the group?

A. 5
B. 10
C. 24
D. 32
E. 120

OA C

Source: GMAT Prep
Join the discussion
Source: — Problem Solving |

by Jay@ManhattanReview » Thu Apr 25, 2019 8:35 pm
BTGmoderatorDC wrote:At a dinner party, 5 people are to be seated around a circular table. 2 seating arrangements are considered different only when the positions of the people are different relative to each other. what is the total number of different possible seating arrangements for the group?

A. 5
B. 10
C. 24
D. 32
E. 120

OA C

Source: GMAT Prep
Note that the number of distinct arrangments of n distinguishable objects to be placed in a row = n!; while that the number of distinct arrangments of n distinguishable objects to be placed in a circle = (n - 1)!

It is because, in the case of arrangement in a circle, two seating arrangements are NOT considered different when the positions of the people are NOT different relative to each other. For example, say there are four friends A, B, C, and D. The arrangement in rows ABCD and BCDA are certainly two different; however, If A, B, C, and D are seated in a round table arrangement the arrangement in circles ABCD and BCDA are NOT two different since the positions of the people in circular arrangement ABCD and in circular arrangement BCDA are NOT different relative to each other.

Thus, the total number of different possible seating arrangements for a group of 5 people = (5 - 1)! = 4! = 24

The correct answer: [spoiler][/spoiler]

Hope this helps!

-Jay
_________________
Manhattan Review GMAT Prep

Locations: GRE Manhattan | TOEFL Prep Courses San Diego | IELTS Prep Courses Denver | San Francisco ACT Tutoring | and many more...

Schedule your free consultation with an experienced GMAT Prep Advisor! Click here.
Join the discussion

by swerve » Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:22 am
Let 1,2,3,4,5 are people.

1. we fix the position of 1
2. we have \(4*3=12\) possible positions for left and right neighbors of 1.
3. for each position of\( x1y\) we have 2 possible positions for the last two people: \(ax1yb\) and \(bx1ya\).

Therefore, \(N=12*2=24\).
Join the discussion

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Mon May 06, 2019 7:13 pm
BTGmoderatorDC wrote:At a dinner party, 5 people are to be seated around a circular table. 2 seating arrangements are considered different only when the positions of the people are different relative to each other. what is the total number of different possible seating arrangements for the group?

A. 5
B. 10
C. 24
D. 32
E. 120

OA C

Source: GMAT Prep
When determining the number of ways to arrange a group around a circle, we subtract 1 from the total and set it to a factorial. Thus, the total number of possible sitting arrangements for 5 people around a circular table is (5 - 1)! = 4! = 24.

Answer: C

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]

Image

See why Target Test Prep is rated 5 out of 5 stars on BEAT the GMAT. Read our reviews

ImageImage
Join the discussion

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Mon May 06, 2019 7:13 pm
Scott@TargetTestPrep wrote:
BTGmoderatorDC wrote:At a dinner party, 5 people are to be seated around a circular table. 2 seating arrangements are considered different only when the positions of the people are different relative to each other. what is the total number of different possible seating arrangements for the group?

A. 5
B. 10
C. 24
D. 32
E. 120

OA C
If both Sue and Jane do make the team, the number of ways to select the team is 7C3 since we need to select 3 more players from the remaining 7 players:

7C3 = 7!/(3! x 4!) = (7 x 6 x 5)/3! = 35 ways

If both Sue and Jane do not make the team, the number of ways to select the team is 7C5:

7C5 = 7!/(5! x 2!) = (7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3)/(5 x 4 x 3 x 2) = 7 x 3 = 21 ways

So the total possible ways is 35 + 21 = 56.

Answer: C

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]

Image

See why Target Test Prep is rated 5 out of 5 stars on BEAT the GMAT. Read our reviews

ImageImage
Join the discussion

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Mon May 06, 2019 7:13 pm
Scott@TargetTestPrep wrote:
BTGmoderatorDC wrote:At a dinner party, 5 people are to be seated around a circular table. 2 seating arrangements are considered different only when the positions of the people are different relative to each other. what is the total number of different possible seating arrangements for the group?

A. 5
B. 10
C. 24
D. 32
E. 120

OA C
If both Sue and Jane do make the team, the number of ways to select the team is 7C3 since we need to select 3 more players from the remaining 7 players:

7C3 = 7!/(3! x 4!) = (7 x 6 x 5)/3! = 35 ways

If both Sue and Jane do not make the team, the number of ways to select the team is 7C5:

7C5 = 7!/(5! x 2!) = (7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3)/(5 x 4 x 3 x 2) = 7 x 3 = 21 ways

So the total possible ways is 35 + 21 = 56.

Answer: C

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]

Image

See why Target Test Prep is rated 5 out of 5 stars on BEAT the GMAT. Read our reviews

ImageImage
Join the discussion

BTGmoderatorDC wrote:
Thu Apr 25, 2019 7:14 pm
At a dinner party, 5 people are to be seated around a circular table. 2 seating arrangements are considered different only when the positions of the people are different relative to each other. what is the total number of different possible seating arrangements for the group?

A. 5
B. 10
C. 24
D. 32
E. 120

OA C

Source: GMAT Prep
Although we can quickly apply the circular arrangement formula (i.e., number of ways to arrange n objects in a circle = (n - 1)!), we can also solve the question using the Fundamental Counting Principle (FPC, aka the slot method). In the process of doing so, you'll also learn WHY the circular arrangement formula works

First label the five chairs as follows:
Image
We can seat the first guest in one of the 5 available chairs.
We can seat the next guest in one of the 4 remaining chairs.
We can seat the next guest in one of the 3 remaining chairs.
We can seat the next guest in one of the 2 remaining chairs.
We can seat the last guest in the 1 remaining chair.
So, the total number of ways to seat the guests = (5)(4)(3)(2)(1) = 120 ways

The answer, however, is NOT E, because we have inadvertently counted every possible arrangement 5 times.

For example, the five arrangements shown here...
Image
... are all the same, because the relative positions of the five people are the same in each case.

Since we have counted each unique arrangement 5 times, we must divide 120 by 5 to get 24 possible arrangements

Answer: C
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
Image
Join the discussion