Abstract A computational analysis has been carried out to determine the configurational preference of a pair of 4'-n-pentyloxy-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (PBPCN) molecules with respect to translatory and orientational motions. The CNDO/2 method has been employed to evaluate the net atomic charge and atomic dipole components at each atomic centre of the molecule. Modified Rayleigh-Schrödinger perturbation theory along with multicentered-multipole expansion method has been employed to evaluate long-range intermolecular interactions, while a '6-exp' potential function has been assumed for short-range interactions. On the basis of stacking, in-plane and terminal interaction energy calculations, all possible geometrical arrangements of molecular pair have been considered. It has been observed that the molecule has a strong preference for stacking through a particular face, while the other configurations, such as stacking through the other face, in-plane and terminal interactions show, in general, an aligned structure along molecular axis. The results are discussed in the light of experimental as well as other theoretical observations.