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RRB NTPC Successive Profit & Loss

Study Material — 1 PYQs (2018–2018) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts

RRB NTPC Successive Profit & Loss is a frequently tested subtopic — 1 previous year questions from 2018–2018 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.

1 PYQs
2018–2018
41 Practice
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8 Key Points
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Previous Year Questions

RRB NTPC Successive Profit & Loss — Past Exam Questions

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

Exam Q 12018Previous Year Pattern

A shopkeeper bought a product for ₹500. He marked it up by 40% and then offered a discount of 10% on the marked price. Later, he sold the remaining stock at a loss of 5% on the cost price. If he sold 60% of the total stock at the first selling price and 40% at the loss, what is his overall profit or loss percentage?

Concept Notes

Successive Profit & Loss— Rules & Concept

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

When profits and losses are applied one after another, we cannot simply add or subtract the percentages. Each percentage change acts on the new value, not the original price

Key Rules

If successive changes of a% and b% occur, the net effect formula is: Net% = a + b + (ab)/100. Use positive values for profit and negative values for loss. For three successive changes a%, b%, c%, first find net effect of any two, then apply the third change.

Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
• Two successive changes: Net% = a + b + (ab)/100
• Selling price after successive changes: SP = CP × (100+a)/100 × (100+b)/100
• Overall profit/loss = Net% of original cost price
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

Questions typically involve 2-3 successive transactions. Common scenarios include buying-selling chains, discount followed by profit, or multiple markups. SSC often asks for overall profit/loss percentage or final selling price.

ShortcutsUse these to save 30–60 seconds per question

For quick calculation, convert percentages to multipliers. 20% profit = 1.2, 10% loss = 0.9. Multiply all factors: 1.2 × 0.9 = 1.08 = 8% overall profit.

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

Identify the changes First transaction: +20% (profit) Second transaction: -10% (loss)

2
Step 2

Apply the formula Net% = a + b + (ab)/100 Net% = 20 + (-10) + (20 × (-10))/100 Net% = 20 - 10 - 200/100 Net% = 10 - 2 = 8%

3
Step 3

Verify using multiplier method Final value = 1000 × 1.20 × 0.90 = 1000 × 1.08 = 1080 Profit = 1080 - 1000 = 80 Profit% = 80/1000 × 100 = 8% Answer: 8% overall profit Alternate Method using SP calculation: After first sale: 1000 × 120/100 = 1200 After second sale: 1200 × 90/100 = 1080 Net profit = 1080 - 1000 = 80 Profit% = 8%

Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these

Students often add percentages directly (20% - 10% = 10%) ignoring the compounding effect. Always remember that each subsequent percentage works on the changed value, not the original price. The interaction term (ab)/100 is crucial and frequently overlooked.

Key Points to Remember

  • Successive changes cannot be added directly due to compounding effect
  • Formula for two changes: Net% = a + b + (ab)/100
  • Use positive values for profit, negative for loss in the formula
  • Multiplier method: Convert percentages to decimals and multiply
  • Each subsequent change acts on the new value, not original price
  • Interaction term (ab)/100 is often the key to correct answers
  • Three changes: Find net of first two, then apply third change
  • Final amount = Original × (100+a)/100 × (100+b)/100

Exam-Specific Tips

  • Net percentage formula for successive changes: a + b + (ab)/100
  • 20% profit converts to multiplier 1.2, 25% loss converts to 0.75
  • For equal successive profits of x%, net effect is x + x + x²/100
  • Two successive discounts of 10% each give net discount of 19%
  • Successive changes of +50% and -20% result in +20% net change
  • Three successive profits of 10% each give net profit of 33.1%
  • Formula remains same whether dealing with CP, SP, or marked price
Practice MCQs

Successive Profit & Loss — Practice Questions

41graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis · showing 20 of 41

All MCQs →
Practice 1easy

A vendor buys apples at ₹80 per dozen. He sells them at a profit of 25%. A retailer buys from the vendor at this price and sells at a profit of 20%. What is the final selling price per apple?

Practice 2easy

A merchant sells goods at a loss of 10% in the first transaction. In the second transaction, he sells the same goods at a profit of 20% on the price he paid in the first transaction. If the original cost was ₹1000, what is the final selling price?

Practice 3easy

A trader buys goods for ₹1,200. He sells 60% of the goods at a profit of 25% and the remaining 40% at a loss of 10%. What is his overall profit or loss?

Practice 4easy

A person buys an article for ₹2,000. He sells it for ₹2,400. Later, he buys another identical article for ₹2,200 and sells it for ₹2,640. What is his overall profit percentage across both transactions?

Practice 5easy

A merchant sells an item at a loss of 15%. If he had sold it for ₹80 more, he would have made a profit of 5%. What is the cost price of the item?

Practice 6easy

A shopkeeper buys an item for ₹500. He marks it up by 20% and then offers a discount of 10% on the marked price. What is his overall profit percentage?

Practice 7easy

A manufacturer sells goods to a wholesaler at a profit of 40%. The wholesaler sells to a retailer at a profit of 25%. The retailer sells to a customer at a profit of 20%. If the customer pays ₹4200, what was the manufacturer's cost price?

Practice 8easy

A shopkeeper sells an item at a profit of 30%. The buyer sells it further at a profit of 40%. If the final selling price is ₹2184, what was the original cost price?

Practice 9easy

A shopkeeper sells an item at a profit of 15%. The buyer sells it at a profit of 10%. If the final selling price is ₹1265, what was the shopkeeper's cost price?

Practice 10easy

A shopkeeper buys an article for ₹500. He sells it at a profit of 20%, and then the buyer sells it at a profit of 25%. What is the final selling price?

Practice 11easy

A trader buys goods for ₹2000. He sells them at a profit of 30%. The buyer then sells these goods at a loss of 20%. What is the overall profit or loss percentage for the original buyer (the trader)?

Practice 12easy

A vendor buys oranges at ₹100 per dozen and sells them at a profit of 25%. A retailer buys from the vendor at this price and sells at a profit of 20%. What is the selling price per orange by the retailer?

Practice 13easy

A person buys a watch for ₹2000 and sells it at a loss of 5%. The buyer then sells it at a profit of 20%. What is the final selling price?

Practice 14easy

A trader buys an article for ₹400 and sells it at a profit of 15%. The buyer then sells it at a profit of 10%. What is the overall profit percentage on the original cost price?

Practice 15easy

A merchant sells goods at a loss of 10%, and the buyer resells them at a loss of 20%. If the original cost price was ₹1000, what is the final selling price?

Practice 16easy

A shopkeeper buys an item for ₹500. He sells it at a profit of 20%, and then the buyer sells it further at a profit of 25%. What is the final selling price?

Practice 17medium

A vendor buys apples at ₹10 per kg. He sells 40% of the apples at ₹15 per kg, 35% at ₹12 per kg, and the remaining at ₹8 per kg. What is his overall profit or loss percentage?

Practice 18medium

A manufacturer sells goods to a distributor at a profit of 30%. The distributor sells to a shopkeeper at a profit of 20%. The shopkeeper sells to a customer at a profit of 25%. If the customer pays ₹19,500, what is the manufacturer's cost price?

Practice 19medium

A trader buys goods for ₹8,000. He marks them up by 50% but then gives two successive discounts of 20% and 10% respectively. What is his profit or loss percentage?

Practice 20medium

A merchant sells an article at a profit of 25% to a wholesaler. The wholesaler then sells it at a loss of 10% to a retailer. The retailer sells it to a customer at a profit of 20%. If the customer pays ₹2,700, what was the merchant's cost price?

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60-Second Revision — Successive Profit & Loss

  • Remember: Net% = a + b + (ab)/100 for two successive changes
  • Trick: Use multipliers for faster calculation - multiply all factors
  • Formula: SP = CP × (100+a)/100 × (100+b)/100
  • Trap: Never add successive percentages directly
  • Method: For three changes, find net of any two first, then apply third
  • Quick check: Positive result means profit, negative means loss
←False Weight / Fraudulent Dealer
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