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BANKERS TUTORIAL · IBPS & RRB · ORIGINAL PRACTICE & ANALYSIS

Practice & review: Permutations and combinations: order, roles and selection

Counting problems distinguish selecting a group from assigning ordered positions or distinct roles. The method depends on whether exchanging two chosen people creates a new outcome, and whether selections allow repetition or restrictions.

01 / 03Learn with a clear direction

3 min read Original learning material · Prepared 14 Oct 2026

The worked question on this page is original educational practice. It is not represented as a question from an official previous-year examination paper.

01 / UNDERSTANDING

Review the question

Construct an original committee question with one mandatory member, then test the answer through a small enumeration rather than formula recognition alone. Changing committee member to chairperson can alter the model despite identical people. An original checkpoint is: How many three-person teams can be chosen from six learners when one named learner must belong? Supported answer: 10 teams. Explain the decisive fact, then alter one condition and solve again. This is an original practice method, not a claim that the question appeared in an official past paper.

02 / UNDERSTANDING

The concept in context

Factorial notation is a compact description, not a substitute for modelling. Identical objects, circular arrangements and designated roles each change what counts as a distinct outcome. A useful study check is to state explicitly what makes two counted outcomes different, then enumerate a smaller version to check for double counting. Explain why the method fits.

03 / UNDERSTANDING

A worked learning case

Five learners are available for a two-person review team. With no roles there are five choose two, or ten, teams. If the team instead needs a coordinator and a recorder, there are five choices for coordinator followed by four for recorder, giving twenty assignments. The same pair produces two different role assignments.

ORIGINAL EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE

Try it before you check.

How many three-person teams can be chosen from six learners when one named learner must belong?

Show the answer and reasoning

10 teams.

The required learner is already selected, leaving two places to fill from the other five learners. Their order does not matter, so the count is five choose two, equal to five times four divided by two, or ten. Counting six choose three would include teams that omit the required learner.

Two traps to watch for.

  • Multiplying by extra orders after counting unordered teams.
  • Counting restricted cases without first fixing the required member.

YOUR TOPIC-SPECIFIC LEARNING MAP

Learn from the attempt

  1. State explicitly what makes two counted outcomes different.

  2. Fix required members or blocked positions before applying formulas.

  3. Enumerate a smaller version to check for double counting.

Explain the idea, apply it to a new situation, then check what changed in your reasoning.

BANKERS TUTORIAL · SOURCE NOTES

Keep the source alongside your notes.

Official links provide subject context and authoritative reference material. This guide’s explanation, scenario and question are original Bankers Tutorial learning content.

  1. www.ibps.in https://www.ibps.in/wp-content/uploads/Detailed-Notification_CRP-PO-XIV_7.8.24.pdf

For IBPS & RRB preparation, check the current official notice before relying on changing dates, rules or examination requirements.

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