ZE
ZESTEXAM

SBI Clerk Basic Percentage

Study Material — 17 PYQs (2020–2020) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts

SBI Clerk Basic Percentage is a frequently tested subtopic — 17 previous year questions from 2020–2020 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.

17 PYQs
2020–2020
0 Practice
MCQs
10 Key Points
to remember
Free
no login needed
Take Free Mock →Full Practice Set
Also for:IBPS POIBPS ClerkSBI PORBI Gr B
PYQs
17
Practice
0
Key Points
10
Access
Free
Previous Year Questions

SBI Clerk Basic Percentage — Past Exam Questions

17 questions from actual SBI Clerk papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution

Exam Q 12020Previous Year Pattern

The price of petrol increased from ₹80 per litre to ₹100 per litre. What is the percentage increase?

Exam Q 22020Previous Year Pattern

If 15% of a number is 45, what is the number?

Exam Q 32020Previous Year Pattern

In an exam, a student scored 72 marks out of 120. What is the percentage of marks obtained?

Exam Q 42020Previous Year Pattern

What is 25% of 480?

Exam Q 52020Previous Year Pattern

A shirt costs ₹800. Its price is increased by 20%. What is the new price?

Exam Q 62020Previous Year Pattern

A book was sold for ₹360 after a discount of 10%. What was the marked price?

Exam Q 72020Previous Year Pattern

A student scored 72% in English and 88% in Mathematics. If English has a weightage of 40% and Mathematics has a weightage of 60%, what is the student's overall percentage?

Exam Q 82020Previous Year Pattern

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

Exam Q 92020Previous Year Pattern

In an election, candidate A received 55% of the votes while candidate B received the remaining votes. If the total number of votes cast was 8000, how many more votes did A get than B?

Exam Q 102020Previous Year Pattern

A person's salary is increased by 15%. If his new salary is ₹46,000, what was his original salary?

Exam Q 112020Previous 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 122020Previous Year Pattern

In a school, 60% of students are boys. If there are 240 boys, how many girls are there in the school?

Exam Q 132020Previous Year Pattern

A shopkeeper sells an item at a loss of 12%. If he had sold it for ₹88 more, he would have made a profit of 8%. What is the cost price of the item?

Exam Q 142020Previous Year Pattern

A number is increased by 20%, then decreased by 20%. What is the net change in percentage?

Exam Q 152020Previous Year Pattern

The price of petrol increases by 25%. By what percentage should a consumer reduce consumption to keep expenditure unchanged?

Exam Q 162020Previous 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 172020Previous Year Pattern

In a college, 40% of students are boys and 60% are girls. Among boys, 25% play cricket. Among girls, 20% play cricket. What percentage of the total student population plays cricket?

Concept Notes

Basic Percentage— Rules & Concept

1.Core Concept

Read this first — the foundation of the topic

Basic Percentage is the foundation of all percentage problems in SSC CGL. It measures parts per hundred. The word 'percent' comes from Latin 'per centum' meaning 'by hundred'. Understanding this concept is crucial as it appears in 2-3 questions in every SSC CGL paper. Core Concept: Percentage is a way to express a fraction with denominator 100. When you say 25%, it means 25 out of 100 parts. Think of it as cutting a pie into 100 equal slices and taking some of them.

2.Key Rules

Core rules you must know cold

First, percentage is always calculated on a base value. Second, 100% means the complete quantity. Third, percentages can exceed 100% when the part is larger than the whole. Fourth, percentage change and percentage of a number are different concepts.

3.Formula Block

Memorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
• Percentage = (Part/Whole) × 100
• Part = (Percentage/100) × Whole
• Whole = (Part × 100)/Percentage
• Percentage to Fraction: x% = x/100
• Percentage to Decimal: x% = x/100 = 0.0x

4.Exam Patterns

What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
Powerful Shortcuts for Quick Calculation

Shortcut 1 - Common Percentage Conversions: • 50% = 1/2, 25% = 1/4, 20% = 1/5, 10% = 1/10 • 33.33% = 1/3, 66.67% = 2/3, 12.5% = 1/8, 16.67% = 1/6 Memorize these to solve faster without calculations

Shortcut 2 - Quick Mental Math Trick

• For 15% of any number: Take 10% + 5% • For 35% of any number: Take 30% + 5% • Break complex percentages into easier chunks

5.Worked Example

Solve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

Convert percentage to decimal: 24% = 24/100 = 0.24

2
Step 2

Multiply: 850 × 0.24

3
Step 3

Break it down: 850 × 0.24 = 850 × (20/100 + 4/100)

4
Step 4

Calculate: 850 × 0.20 = 170, and 850 × 0.04 = 34

5
Step 5

Add: 170 + 34 = 204 Answer: 24% of 850 = 204 Worked Example 2: What percentage is 156 of 240?

1
Step 1

Use formula: Percentage = (Part/Whole) × 100

2
Step 2

Substitute values: (156/240) × 100

3
Step 3

Simplify fraction: 156/240 = 13/20 (dividing by 12)

4
Step 4

Convert to decimal: 13/20 = 0.65

5
Step 5

Multiply by 100: 0.65 × 100 = 65% Answer: 156 is 65% of 240 Shortcut 3 - The Unitary Method for Percentages: If x% = y, then 1% = y/x, and 100% = (y × 100)/x This eliminates complex calculations in competitive exams.

6.Exam Traps

Common mistakes students make — avoid these

- The #1 Trap: Students confuse 'percentage of' with 'percentage more than'. For example, if A is 20% of B, it does NOT mean A is 20% more than B. '20% of B' means A = 0.20 × B. But '20% more than B' means A = B + 0.20 × B = 1.20 × B.

This confusion costs precious marks in exams. Another frequent error is forgetting to convert percentage back to the required form. Always check if the answer needs to be in percentage, decimal, or fraction format.

Key Points to Remember

  • Percentage means parts per hundred, always calculated on a base value
  • Quick conversion: 50% = 1/2, 25% = 1/4, 20% = 1/5, 10% = 1/10
  • Formula: Percentage = (Part/Whole) × 100
  • Memorize: 33.33% = 1/3, 66.67% = 2/3, 12.5% = 1/8
  • To find x% of a number, multiply the number by x/100
  • Shortcut: Break complex percentages into easier chunks (15% = 10% + 5%)
  • Part = (Percentage/100) × Whole gives the actual quantity
  • Whole = (Part × 100)/Percentage when base value is unknown
  • Never confuse 'percentage of' with 'percentage more than'
  • Always check if final answer needs percentage, decimal, or fraction form

Exam-Specific Tips

  • 100% represents the complete quantity or whole
  • 0.5% equals 1/200 in fractional form
  • Percentage formula: (Part/Whole) × 100
  • 12.5% conversion: 12.5/100 = 1/8
  • 16.67% (rounded) equals exactly 1/6
  • 37.5% equals 3/8 in simplest fraction form
  • To convert percentage to decimal: divide by 100
  • 87.5% equals 7/8 when expressed as a fraction

60-Second Revision — Basic Percentage

  • Remember: Percentage = (Part/Whole) × 100 for all basic problems
  • Formula: Part = (Percentage/100) × Whole for finding quantities
  • Trap: 'x% of y' ≠ 'x% more than y' - completely different meanings
  • Shortcut: Use fraction conversions (25% = 1/4) for faster calculations
  • Quick check: 50% should always give exactly half the original number
  • Mental math: Break percentages (15% = 10% + 5%) for speed
  • Always verify if answer format should be percentage, decimal, or fraction
Percentage Change→
Studied the notes? Now test yourself
See how Basic Percentage appears in the real SBI Clerk paper
Full timed mock · Instant All-India percentile · Free
Start Free Mock →Practice Panel
✓ Free forever for basic prep✓ No app download✓ Real exam-pattern questions
Test Basic Percentage under exam conditions
Free SBI Clerk mock · instant rank · no login
Free Mock →