Direction Test

1. What It Is

  • Direction Test questions assess your ability to understand and visualize directions.
  • You are usually given starting points, turns, distances, or relative positions, and you have to find the final direction or position.
  • Common in exams because they test spatial and logical reasoning.

Examples:

  • “A starts walking north, turns right, then left. Which direction is A facing now?”
  • “Point P is 5 km east of Q. Point R is 3 km north of P. Distance between Q and R?”

2. How to Approach

  1. Visualize the problem – mentally or by drawing a diagram.
  2. Mark the starting direction – North, South, East, West.
  3. Follow each movement step by step – turn left/right, move forward/backward.
  4. Determine the final direction or distance.
  5. Use right-angle assumptions unless mentioned otherwise.

3. Rules & Key Points

  • Directions: North (N), South (S), East (E), West (W)
  • Left/Right: Always relative to current facing direction.
  • Opposite direction: North ↔ South, East ↔ West
  • Distance: Usually along straight paths; use Pythagoras theorem for diagonal displacement
  • Relative position: When one point is “north-east” of another → x and y coordinates

4. Tricks & Shortcuts

  1. Draw a small diagram → easiest way to avoid mistakes.
  2. Use clockwise and anti-clockwise logic for turns.
  3. For distance, if movement is perpendicular → apply Pythagoras:
  4. Remember directions relative to initial facing, not final.
  5. For multiple turns → track current facing after each turn.

5. Types of Direction Test Questions

  1. Final Direction Problems – find which way person is facing.
  2. Distance and Displacement – shortest distance from start to endpoint.
  3. Relative Direction – one point relative to another.
  4. Combination of Distance & Direction – movement with turns.
  5. Puzzle-Type / Multi-Step Movement – several movements, final location/direction asked.

6. Stepwise Solving Strategy

  1. Identify starting direction and position.
  2. Follow each instruction step by step – turn, move forward/backward.
  3. Draw arrows or diagram to track path.
  4. Apply relative position rules if points are given.
  5. Use Pythagoras for distance or diagonal calculations.
  6. Find final direction or shortest distance as asked.

7. Easy Practice Questions

1. Final Direction

Question: A starts facing north. He turns right, then turns right again. Which direction is he facing now?

Solution:

  • Start: North
  • 1st turn right → East
  • 2nd turn right → South ✅
  • Answer: South

2. Distance Calculation

Question: A walks 3 km east, then 4 km north. How far is he from starting point?

Solution:

  • Use Pythagoras theorem: ✅
  • Answer: 5 km

3. Relative Position

Question: Point P is 5 km north of Q. Point R is 3 km east of Q. What is the direction of R from P?

Solution:

  • P is north of Q, R is east of Q → From P, R is south-east ✅
  • Answer: South-East

4. Turn and Move

Question: B starts facing west. He turns left and walks 5 km. Then turns right and walks 3 km. Which direction is he facing?

Solution:

  • Start: West
  • Left turn → South
  • Walk 5 km
  • Right turn → West ✅
  • Answer: West

5. Simple Multi-Step

Question: C starts facing east, turns right, walks 4 km, turns left, walks 3 km. Which direction is he facing now?

Solution:

  • Start: East
  • Right turn → South
  • Walk 4 km
  • Left turn → East ✅
  • Answer: East

8. Difficult Practice Questions

6. Multi-Turn

Question: A starts facing north, turns right, walks 6 km, turns left, walks 3 km, turns left again. Which direction is he facing?

Solution:

  • Start: North
  • Right → East → Walk 6 km
  • Left → North → Walk 3 km
  • Left → West ✅
  • Answer: West

7. Distance + Direction

Question: D walks 4 km north, 3 km east, 4 km south. How far and in which direction is he from starting point?

Solution:

  • Net north-south = 4 – 4 = 0 → same latitude
  • East displacement = 3 → Net 3 km east
  • Distance = 3 km, Direction = East ✅
  • Answer: 3 km East

8. Diagonal Movement

Question: E walks 3 km north-east, then 3 km south-east. What is the final position relative to start?

Solution:

  • North-East → x=3/√2, y=3/√2
  • South-East → x=3/√2, y=–3/√2
  • Total displacement: x=3/√2 + 3/√2 = 3√2, y=0 → East ✅
  • Answer: 3√2 km East

9. Complex Multi-Step

Question: F starts facing west, walks 2 km, turns right, walks 3 km, turns left, walks 2 km. Which direction is he facing?

Solution:

  • Start: West
  • Walk 2 km → West
  • Right → North → Walk 3 km
  • Left → West → Walk 2 km ✅
  • Answer: West

10. Relative Position

Question: G is 5 km east of H. H is 3 km north of J. What is G’s direction from J?

Solution:

  • H = 3 km north of J
  • G = 5 km east of H → Relative to J: East + North = North-East ✅
  • Answer: North-East

✅ Quick Tips

  1. Draw arrows and diagrams → visualize better.
  2. Track current facing after each turn.
  3. For distance, apply Pythagoras theorem if needed.
  4. Remember left/right is relative to current facing.

For relative position of points → consider coordinates / north-south-east-west.