Direction Sense Test Questions
Direction sense questions track a person’s movements and ask where they end up, how far they are from the start, or which way they face. Draw a compass, mark the start as a point, update the facing direction after every turn, and use the Pythagoras theorem for the final distance when the moves are at right angles.
Direction sense is a common reasoning topic and it pairs closely with seating arrangements, where facing direction also decides left and right. It also builds the habit of tracking position step by step that coding-decoding and blood relations reward.
What Are Direction Sense Questions?
You’re given a journey in stages, such as “walks 5 km north, turns right, walks 3 km”, or the positions of two or three places relative to each other. The question then asks for the final direction from the start, the shortest distance from the start, the direction one point lies from another, or which way someone is facing. No outside knowledge is needed beyond the compass and what a turn does.
Directions and Turns
The four main directions are North, East, South and West. Between them lie North-East, South-East, South-West and North-West. Taking a right turn rotates you 90° clockwise, and a left turn rotates you 90° anticlockwise.
| You face | After a right turn | After a left turn |
|---|---|---|
| North | East | West |
| East | South | North |
| South | West | East |
| West | North | South |
A turn is always relative to the way you are currently facing, so update your facing direction after every turn before you take the next step.
Finding Distance and Direction from the Start
Treat the start as the point (0, 0), with East as positive x and North as positive y. Add up the east-west moves and the north-south moves separately:
- Net east-west: east moves minus west moves.
- Net north-south: north moves minus south moves.
- Direction from the start: read it from the signs, for example positive east and positive north means North-East.
- Distance from the start: if the net moves in the two directions are both non-zero, use Pythagoras: distance = √(east-west² + north-south²). If one of them is zero, the distance is just the other.
These right-angled triangles come up often, so it pays to recognise them: 3-4-5, 5-12-13, 8-15-17, 7-24-25, and their multiples such as 6-8-10 and 9-12-15.
Shadow Problems
A shadow always falls on the side opposite the sun. In the morning the sun is in the East, so shadows fall towards the West. In the evening the sun is in the West, so shadows fall towards the East. To find a person’s facing direction, use the shadow’s side relative to them, then work out which way they must face for that side to be their left or right.
A Step-by-Step Method
- Fix the start as (0, 0) and note the direction the person first faces.
- Take each move in order, and after every turn update the direction they face.
- Record the position after each move, using the signs for east, west, north and south.
- At the end, find the net displacement in each direction.
- Get the distance with Pythagoras if both net moves are non-zero, and read the direction from the signs.
Solved Examples
1. A man walks 5 km north, turns right and walks 3 km, then turns right again and walks 5 km. How far, and in which direction, is he from the start? Answer: 3 km east. He goes 5 km north, then 3 km east, then 5 km south. The north-south moves cancel, and 3 km east remains.
2. Rohan walks 6 km east, turns left and walks 8 km. How far is he from the start, and in which direction? Answer: 10 km, north-east. Facing east, a left turn points him north. He is 6 km east and 8 km north of the start, so the distance is √(6² + 8²) = √100 = 10 km.
3. A person walks 4 km south, turns left, walks 3 km, turns left again and walks 4 km. How far, and in which direction, is he from the start? Answer: 3 km east. Facing south, a left turn points east, so he walks 3 km east. Facing east, a left turn points north, so the last 4 km cancel the first 4 km south. He ends 3 km east of the start.
4. In the morning, a man’s shadow falls to his right. Which direction is he facing? Answer: south. A morning shadow falls to the west, so his right is west. The direction in which his right is west is south.
5. P is 8 m west of Q. R is 6 m north of Q. How far is P from R, and in which direction is P from R? Answer: 10 m, south-west. Put Q at the start, so P is at 8 west and R is at 6 north. From R, P is 8 m west and 6 m south, so the distance is √(8² + 6²) = 10 m, towards the south-west.
6. A person facing east turns 90° anticlockwise, then 45° clockwise. Which direction is he now facing? Answer: north-east. Turning 90° anticlockwise from east points him north. Turning 45° clockwise from north points him north-east.
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting to update the facing direction. A right turn depends on the way you face now, not the way you started.
- Adding distances instead of using net displacement. Moves in opposite directions cancel, so work out the net movement for each direction.
- Using Pythagoras too early. It only applies once you have one net east-west distance and one net north-south distance.
- Mixing up shadow rules. Morning shadows fall west and evening shadows fall east, because the shadow is always opposite the sun.
- Mixing up “from” and “to”. Ask the direction of whom from whom, because the answer flips when you swap them.
Practice Questions
Try each on paper, then check the answer.
1. A person walks 10 m west, turns right, walks 10 m, turns right again and walks 10 m. How far, and in which direction, is he from the start? Answer: 10 m north. West 10, then north 10, then east 10. The west and east moves cancel, leaving 10 m north.
2. A man walks 12 m north and then turns east and walks 5 m. How far is he from the start, and in which direction? Answer: 13 m, north-east. √(12² + 5²) = √169 = 13 m, and he is north and east of the start.
3. A person facing south turns left, then right, then right. Which direction is he now facing? Answer: west. South, left turn gives east. East, right turn gives south. South, right turn gives west.
4. In the evening, Priya’s shadow falls to her left. Which direction is she facing? Answer: south. An evening shadow falls to the east, so her left is east. Facing south, her left is east.
5. A man walks 15 m east, turns right and walks 8 m, turns right again and walks 15 m, then turns left and walks 4 m. How far, and in which direction, is he from the start? Answer: 12 m south. East 15 then south 8, west 15, then facing west a left turn points south for 4 m. The east and west moves cancel, and 8 + 4 = 12 m south remains.
6. A is 9 m east of B, and C is 12 m south of B. How far is A from C, and in which direction is A from C? Answer: 15 m, north-east. From C, A is 9 m east and 12 m north, so the distance is √(9² + 12²) = 15 m.
7. Rahul walks 3 km north, turns left and walks 4 km, then turns left again and walks 3 km. How far, and in which direction, is he from the start? Answer: 4 km west. North 3, then west 4 (a left turn from north), then south 3 (a left turn from west). The north-south moves cancel, leaving 4 km west.
8. A person walks 7 m south and then 24 m east. How far is he from the start, and in which direction? Answer: 25 m, south-east. √(7² + 24²) = √625 = 25 m, and he is south and east of the start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are direction sense test questions?
They describe a journey or the positions of a few places and ask for a final direction, a distance, or the way someone is facing. They test whether you can track position and turns step by step.
How do I solve direction sense questions quickly?
Start at (0, 0), take each move in order, update the facing direction after every turn, and work out the net distance east-west and north-south. Use Pythagoras for the distance if both are non-zero.
How do left and right turns change the direction I face?
A right turn rotates you 90° clockwise and a left turn rotates you 90° anticlockwise. Facing north, a right turn points you east and a left turn points you west.
How do I find the shortest distance from the start?
Add the net east-west movement and the net north-south movement separately. If both are non-zero, the distance is the square root of the sum of their squares, using Pythagoras.
How do shadow questions work in direction sense?
A shadow falls opposite the sun. In the morning the sun is in the east and shadows fall west, and in the evening the sun is in the west and shadows fall east.
Which exams ask direction sense questions?
They appear in the reasoning sections of placement tests and in many bank and SSC exams.