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Updated: September 2026 · Based on SSC CGL PYQ analysis (2016–2025)
Direction questions trip people up for one reason: they try to picture the turns in their head. Don’t. The single skill that makes this topic easy is to draw every move — a short arrow for each step, turning your pen as the person turns. Once the path is on paper, “how far” and “which direction” are just measurements. This guide gives you that draw-it method, the left/right turn logic that confuses everyone, the shortest-distance shortcut, and the shadow tricks — with clear diagrams throughout.
Quick answer: Solve every direction & distance question by drawing it. Mark the start, draw each movement as an arrow in the correct compass direction (turning as the person turns), then read the answer off your sketch. For “how far from the start,” if the path forms a right angle, the shortest distance is the hypotenuse: √(a² + b²). Remember the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, so morning shadows fall towards the West and evening shadows towards the East.
On this page:
The 8 directions (your compass)
Every question lives on this compass. North is always up on your sketch, and the four “corner” directions (NE, SE, SW, NW) sit exactly between the main four.
Always draw North up. Clockwise from North: N → E → S → W. The gold arrow marks North.
The draw-it method — step by step
Four moves solve almost every question:
- Mark the start with a dot, and note the initial facing direction if given.
- Draw each movement as an arrow in the correct direction, writing the distance on it.
- Turn your pen when the person turns — a turn is always relative to the direction they’re currently facing.
- Read the answer: for “how far,” measure start-to-end; for “which direction,” read the compass line from start to end.
Worked example. A man walks 5 km North, turns right and walks 3 km, then turns right again and walks 5 km. How far is he from the start, and in which direction?
The 5 km North and 5 km South cancel out. He ends up 3 km East of the start.
Answer: he is 3 km away, to the East of the starting point. Notice how the two 5-km legs cancelled — obvious on paper, easy to miss in your head.
Left & right turn logic (the big trap)
This is where most marks are lost. “Left” and “right” depend on which way the person is currently facing — so a right turn does not always mean East. Keep this table in your head:
| Currently facing | Turn right → now facing | Turn left → now facing |
|---|---|---|
| North | East | West |
| East | South | North |
| South | West | East |
| West | North | South |
The shortcut: a right turn moves you clockwise (N → E → S → W), and a left turn moves you anticlockwise (N → W → S → E). If you always draw North up and rotate your pen, you’ll never confuse the two.
Shortest distance — the Pythagoras shortcut
When the question asks the shortest distance from the start and the path bends at a right angle, don’t add the legs — the shortest distance is the straight line across, found with Pythagoras: √(a² + b²).
4 East + 3 North → shortest distance = √(4² + 3²) = √25 = 5 km. Memorise the 3-4-5 and 5-12-13 triples.
Turn this method into exam speed 🎯
Direction questions are quick marks — but only if you can sketch the path in seconds under pressure. The reasoning section is a fixed 15-minute lock with no going back, so timed practice is everything. Try a free sectional mock and see your real speed.
Shadow & sun-based directions
A whole family of questions uses the sun. Two facts settle all of them:
- The sun rises in the East and sets in the West.
- A shadow always falls opposite to the sun. So in the morning (sun in the East) shadows point West; in the evening (sun in the West) shadows point East.
Quick tests: if you face the sunrise (East), your left hand points North and your right hand points South. And around noon the sun is nearly overhead, so shadows are very short or fall almost straight down — a classic “no clear shadow direction” trap.
Most-repeated question types
Based on a trend analysis of SSC-style reasoning papers (2016–2025). Treat the weighting as a PYQ-trend estimate — SSC publishes no official topic weightage — not a guarantee.
| Type | How often (trend) | Key skill |
|---|---|---|
| Path with turns → final direction | Very high | Draw-it + turn logic |
| Shortest distance from start | High | Pythagoras |
| Net displacement (how far / which way) | High | Cancel opposite legs |
| Shadow / sun-based | Medium | Sunrise-East rule |
| Left-right facing after turns | Medium | Clockwise/anticlockwise |
Common mistakes that cost marks
- Solving in your head. Always draw — the turns are where mental tracking fails.
- Assuming right = East. A turn is relative to the current facing direction, not the compass.
- Adding the legs for “shortest distance.” Use Pythagoras across the right angle instead.
- Forgetting opposite legs cancel. 5 North and 5 South leave zero vertical distance.
- Reversing shadows. The shadow falls opposite the sun — morning shadows go West, not East.
Practice mini-set (self-test)
Draw each one first, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1. A boy walks 3 km East, then 4 km North. How far is he from the start?
Show answer
5 km. Right angle with legs 3 and 4 → √(3² + 4²) = √25 = 5 km.
Q2. A man faces North, turns right, then right again. Which direction is he facing now?
Show answer
South. North → (right) East → (right) South.
Q3. Walking towards the rising sun, a girl turns to her left. Which direction is she facing?
Show answer
North. The rising sun is East; her left is North.
Q4. A person walks 6 km South, 4 km West, 6 km North. How far and in which direction from the start?
Show answer
4 km, West. The 6 South and 6 North cancel; only 4 km West remains.
Q5. In the evening, a pole’s shadow falls towards a man. Which direction is he facing?
Show answer
East. Evening sun is in the West, so shadows fall East — the shadow pointing at him means he is to the East.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to solve direction and distance questions?
Draw every move. Mark the start, draw each step as an arrow in the correct direction, turn your pen whenever the person turns, and then read the answer off the sketch. Drawing is far faster and safer than tracking turns in your head.
How do I find the shortest distance from the starting point?
If the path bends at a right angle, the shortest distance is the straight line across the two legs, found with Pythagoras: the square root of the sum of the squares of the two legs. Memorising triples like 3-4-5 and 5-12-13 makes this instant.
Does turning right always mean facing East?
No. A turn is relative to the direction you are currently facing. Turning right moves you clockwise (North to East to South to West), so the result depends on where you started facing.
Which direction do shadows fall in the morning and evening?
The sun rises in the East, so morning shadows fall towards the West. The sun sets in the West, so evening shadows fall towards the East. A shadow always points opposite to the sun.
If I face the sunrise, which way is North?
Facing the sunrise means facing East, so your left hand points North and your right hand points South, with West behind you.
Is direction and distance important for SSC CGL and other exams?
Yes. It is a regularly asked reasoning topic across SSC, banking and railway exams, and it is high-accuracy once you use the draw-it method — making it a reliable scorer in the 15-minute locked reasoning section.
📌 Related reading
- SSC CGL Blood Relations Tricks — the family-tree method
- SSC CGL Syllogism Tricks — the Venn diagram method
- SSC CGL Coding-Decoding Tricks — EJOTY & opposite-letter method
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