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RRB NTPC Percentage Word Problems

Study Material — 15 PYQs (2018–2020) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts

RRB NTPC Percentage Word Problems is a frequently tested subtopic — 15 previous year questions from 2018–2020 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.

15 PYQs
2018–2020
24 Practice
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8 Key Points
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Previous Year Questions

RRB NTPC Percentage Word Problems — Past Exam Questions

15 questions from actual RRB NTPC papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution

Exam Q 12020Previous Year Pattern

A merchant bought goods for ₹8,000. He wants to make a profit of 25%. At what price should he sell the goods?

Exam Q 22020Previous Year Pattern

A shopkeeper marks his goods 40% above the cost price. If he gives a discount of 10% on the marked price, what is his profit percentage?

Exam Q 32020Previous Year Pattern

In an examination, 65% of students passed in English and 75% passed in Mathematics. If 15% failed in both subjects, what percentage of students passed in both subjects?

Exam Q 42020Previous Year Pattern

The price of a commodity increased by 20% in the first year and decreased by 25% in the second year. What is the net change in price over two years?

Exam Q 52020Previous Year Pattern

A student scored 45% marks in an examination and failed by 36 marks. If passing marks are 55%, how many total marks were there in the examination?

Exam Q 62020Previous Year Pattern

A town's population was 50,000 in 2020. It increased by 10% in 2021 and by 20% in 2022. What was the population in 2022?

Exam Q 72018Previous Year Pattern

A shopkeeper marks goods at 60% above the cost price. He then offers a discount of 25% on the marked price. If the cost price of an item is ₹800, what is his profit percentage?

Exam Q 82020Previous Year Pattern

A shopkeeper marks up goods by 40% above cost price. He then offers a discount of 20% on the marked price. If the cost price of an item is ₹500, what is his profit percentage?

Exam Q 92020Previous Year Pattern

In a school, 60% of students are boys. If 25% of boys and 40% of girls passed an exam, what percentage of the total students passed?

Exam Q 102020Previous Year Pattern

A person's salary increases by 20% in the first year and then decreases by 10% in the second year. If his final salary is ₹10,800, what was his original salary?

Exam Q 112020Previous Year Pattern

A merchant buys goods at ₹80 per unit. He sells 70% of the stock at 25% profit and the remaining 30% at 10% loss. What is his overall profit or loss percentage?

Exam Q 122020Previous Year Pattern

The price of petrol increases by 30%. By what percentage should a consumer reduce his consumption to keep his expenditure unchanged?

Exam Q 132020Previous Year Pattern

A shopkeeper marks up goods by 60% above cost price. He then offers a discount of 25% on the marked price. If the cost price of an item is ₹800, what is his profit percentage?

Exam Q 142020Previous Year Pattern

A person's salary increases by 20% in year 1 and by 25% in year 2. In year 3, the salary decreases by 10%. If the final salary after 3 years is ₹54,000, what was the original salary?

Exam Q 152020Previous Year Pattern

In an election, candidate A received 45% of votes, candidate B received 35% of votes, and the remaining votes were invalid. If candidate A won by 2,000 votes over candidate B, how many total votes were cast?

Concept Notes

Percentage Word Problems— Rules & Concept

Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
Core Concept

Percentage word problems involve finding parts of a whole, comparing quantities, or calculating increases and decreases in real scenarios like salary hikes, discounts, population growth, and election results

Key Rules

Always identify the base value first. The base is usually mentioned after 'of' or 'than'. When percentage increases, new value = original + increase. When percentage decreases, new value = original - decrease.

In comparison problems, identify which quantity is 100%.

Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
- Percentage = (Part/Whole) × 100
- Increase% = (Increase/Original) × 100
- Decrease% = (Decrease/Original) × 100
- New value after x% increase = Original × (100+x)/100
- New value after x% decrease = Original × (100-x)/100
- If A is x% more than B, then B is [x/(100+x)] × 100% less than A
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

SSC CGL typically asks about salary changes, price variations, population problems, election results, and mixture problems. Questions often involve successive percentage changes or finding original values when final values are given. Powerful Shortcut - The 'Of-Is' Method: In any percentage problem, identify the 'OF' value (base/whole) and 'IS' value (part). Then use: Percentage = (IS/OF) × 100. This works for all percentage word problems.

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

Let original salary = x

2
Step 2

After 20% increase = x × 120/100 = 1.2x

3
Step 3

After 15% decrease = 1.2x × 85/100 = 1.02x

4
Step 4

Given final salary = 10,200

5
Step 5

So, 1.02x = 10,200

6
Step 6

x = 10,200/1.02 = 10,000 Therefore, original salary = Rs. 10,000 Another Shortcut: For successive percentage changes, if there are a% increase followed by b% decrease, net effect = [a - b - (ab/100)]%. If positive, it's increase; if negative, it's decrease. Using this shortcut: Net effect = 20 - 15 - (20×15/100) = 5 - 3 = 2% increase So final salary = original × 1.02 = 10,200 Original = 10,200/1.02 = 10,000

Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these

Students often confuse the base value. Remember, percentages are always calculated on the original or given base value, not on intermediate results unless specifically mentioned.

Key Points to Remember

  • Always identify the base value first - it usually comes after 'of' or 'than'
  • Use 'Of-Is' method: Percentage = (IS value/OF value) × 100
  • For successive changes: Net effect = a - b - (ab/100) when a% increase then b% decrease
  • New value after x% increase = Original × (100+x)/100
  • New value after x% decrease = Original × (100-x)/100
  • If A is x% more than B, then B is [x/(100+x)] × 100% less than A
  • In comparison problems, identify which quantity represents 100%
  • Percentage increase/decrease is always calculated on the original value

Exam-Specific Tips

  • If price increases by 25%, consumption must decrease by 20% to keep expenditure same
  • When A is 20% more than B, then B is 16.67% less than A
  • Successive increases of 10% and 20% give net increase of 32%
  • If population grows by 10% annually, it becomes 1.21 times in 2 years
  • 50% of 40% = 20% (multiply percentages by dividing by 100)
  • In elections with two candidates, if winner gets 60%, margin of victory is 20%
  • If salary increases by 15% and tax by 10%, effective increase is 5% on net income
Practice MCQs

Percentage Word Problems — Practice Questions

24graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis · showing 20 of 24

All MCQs →
Practice 1easy

A student scored 72% in English and 68% in Mathematics. If the maximum marks in each subject is 100, what is the average percentage scored by the student?

Practice 2easy

A student scored 45% marks in an examination and failed by 36 marks. If the passing percentage is 55%, what are the total marks of the examination?

Practice 3easy

A shopkeeper marks his goods at 40% above the cost price. If he gives a discount of 10% on the marked price, what is his profit percentage?

Practice 4easy

A mobile phone costs ₹8000. During a sale, it is offered at 15% discount. What is the sale price?

Practice 5easy

In an examination, 35% of the students failed in Mathematics and 28% failed in English. If 10% failed in both subjects, what percentage of students passed in both subjects?

Practice 6easy

The price of a book increased by 25%. If the new price is ₹500, what was the original price?

Practice 7easy

A factory produces 1200 units in January. In February, production increased by 20%. How many units were produced in February?

Practice 8easy

The price of petrol increased by 20% last month and then decreased by 20% this month. If the original price was ₹80 per litre, what is the current price?

Practice 9easy

A shopkeeper buys a shirt for ₹400. He marks it up by 50% and then gives a discount of 20% on the marked price. What is his profit percentage?

Practice 10medium

A retailer buys goods at ₹80 per unit. He marks them up by 50% and offers a discount of 20% during a sale. Additionally, he gives a loyalty bonus of 5% off the discounted price to regular customers. What is the final selling price for a regular customer, and what is his profit percentage?

Practice 11medium

A shopkeeper marks up goods by 40% above cost price. He then offers a discount of 20% on the marked price. If the cost price of an item is ₹500, what is his profit percentage?

Practice 12medium

In a school, 60% of students are boys. If 25% of boys and 40% of girls participate in sports, what percentage of the total student population participates in sports?

Practice 13medium

A product's price is increased by 20%, then decreased by 25%, and finally increased by 10%. If the final price is ₹990, what was the original price?

Practice 14medium

In a college, 60% of students are boys and 40% are girls. If 25% of boys and 10% of girls participate in sports, what percentage of the total student population participates in sports?

Practice 15medium

A product's price was reduced by 30%, and then the new price was increased by 30%. If the final price is ₹273, what was the original price?

Practice 16medium

A person's salary increased by 20% in the first year. In the second year, it decreased by 10%. If his final salary is ₹10,800, what was his original salary?

Practice 17medium

A person's salary is increased by 15% in the first year and then decreased by 10% in the second year. If his final salary is ₹10,350, what was his original salary?

Practice 18medium

A shopkeeper marks up the cost price of an item by 40%. During a sale, he offers a discount of 25% on the marked price. If the cost price is ₹800, what is his profit percentage?

Practice 19hard

In a college, 40% of students are in Science, 35% are in Commerce, and the remaining are in Arts. If 20% of Science students and 30% of Commerce students pass an entrance exam, what percentage of the total student body passed the exam?

Practice 20hard

A book's price is increased by 20%, then a discount of 15% is offered on the new price. Later, an additional 10% discount is given on the already-discounted price. If the final price is ₹918, what was the original price?

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60-Second Revision — Percentage Word Problems

  • Remember: Base value identification is crucial - look for 'of' and 'than'
  • Formula: For successive changes a%, b% - Net effect = a + b + (ab/100)
  • Trick: Use (IS/OF) × 100 for any percentage problem
  • Trap: Don't calculate percentage on wrong base value
  • Quick: 25% = 1/4, 20% = 1/5, 50% = 1/2 for faster calculations
  • Pattern: Original value problems use reverse calculation with given final value
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