Study Material — 6 PYQs (2021–2021) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SBI PO Work & Wages is a frequently tested subtopic — 6 previous year questions from 2021–2021 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
6 questions from actual SBI PO papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12021Previous Year Pattern
A and B together can complete a piece of work in 12 days. If A's daily wage is ₹500 and B's daily wage is ₹300, and they are paid in the ratio of work done, how much will B earn if the total payment for the work is ₹9,600?
Exam Q 22021Previous Year Pattern
A contractor hires two workers. Worker M earns ₹400 per day and Worker N earns ₹600 per day. If M works for 10 days and N works for 8 days on the same project, what is the ratio of their total earnings?
Exam Q 32021Previous Year Pattern
Three workers A, B, and C are paid ₹1,200, ₹1,500, and ₹1,800 respectively per day. If they work together for 8 days and complete a project, and payment is distributed based on daily wages, what is A's share of the total payment of ₹28,800?
Exam Q 42021Previous Year Pattern
Two painters, Raj and Priya, can paint a wall together in 10 days. Raj's daily wage is ₹800 and Priya's daily wage is ₹1,200. If they work together for 10 days and receive a total payment of ₹20,000, how much does Priya earn?
Exam Q 52021Previous Year Pattern
A contractor hires 8 workers to complete a job in 15 days. After 5 days, 2 workers leave. How many additional days will it take to complete the remaining work?
Exam Q 62021Previous Year Pattern
Two partners, P and Q, start a business. P invests capital and works full-time, while Q only invests capital without working. Their profit is to be divided in the ratio of capital invested. However, P is also entitled to a salary of ₹5000 per month for his work. In a year, if the total profit (before P's salary) is ₹180,000 and P's capital is ₹3,00,000 while Q's capital is ₹2,00,000, what is Q's share of the profit after P receives his salary?
Concept Notes
Work & Wages— Rules & Concept
Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
Core Concept
When multiple people work together and complete a job, their wages should be divided in the ratio of their work rates or efficiency. If A can do work in 10 days and B in 15 days, A is more efficient and deserves higher wages
Key Rules
(1) Wages ∝ Work Rate (2) Wages ∝ 1/Time taken (3) Total wages = Sum of individual wages (4) If workers work for different durations, wages depend on both efficiency and time worked.
Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
Wage Ratio = Work Rate Ratio = 1/Time Ratio
A's wage : B's wage = (1/A's time) : (1/B's time)
If working together: Combined rate = 1/A + 1/B
Wage distribution = (Individual rate / Combined rate) × Total wages
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
SSC CGL frequently asks wage distribution problems with 2-3 workers having different efficiencies. Common variations include workers joining/leaving at different times, and finding individual wages from total payment.
ShortcutsUse these to save 30–60 seconds per question
For time-based problems, flip the time values to get wage ratios directly. If A takes 6 days and B takes 9 days, wage ratio = 9:6 = 3:2 (notice the flip).
Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1
Find work rates
A's rate = 1/12 work per day
B's rate = 1/15 work per day
2
Step 2
Calculate wage ratio
Wage ratio = Rate ratio = (1/12) : (1/15)
Taking LCM of 12 and 15 = 60
(1/12) = 5/60 and (1/15) = 4/60
So ratio = 5:4
3
Step 3
Distribute wages
Total parts = 5 + 4 = 9
A's wage = (5/9) × 1350 = Rs 750
B's wage = (4/9) × 1350 = Rs 600
Verification: 750 + 600 = 1350 ✓
Shortcut for this: Time ratio = 12:15 = 4:5, so wage ratio = 5:4 (flipped)
Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these
Students often forget to flip time ratios when calculating wage ratios. Remember: higher efficiency (less time) means higher wages. Also, when workers work for different durations, multiply efficiency by time worked to get actual work contribution.
Key Points to Remember
Wages are always proportional to work rate or efficiency of workers
Wage ratio = 1/Time ratio (flip the time values to get wage ratio)
If A takes 'm' days and B takes 'n' days, wage ratio = n:m
Combined work rate = sum of individual work rates
When workers work different hours, multiply rate by time for wage calculation
Total wages distributed = sum of all individual wages
Higher efficiency worker gets larger share of wages
Wage distribution formula: (Individual rate/Total rate) × Total wages
Exam-Specific Tips
Work rate is always reciprocal of time taken (Rate = 1/Time)
Wage ratio equals work rate ratio in direct proportion
LCM method used to compare fractions in work rate calculations
Combined efficiency = sum of individual efficiencies when working together
Time ratio and wage ratio are inverse to each other
Proportion formula: A:B = x:y means A/B = x/y
Work done = Rate × Time for individual contribution calculation
Practice MCQs
Work & Wages — Practice Questions
2graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis
A project requires 1200 worker-days of effort. A team of workers is assigned, where each worker is paid ₹400 per day. If the project must be completed in 15 days, and the contractor wants to minimize labor costs while meeting the deadline, how many workers must be hired, and what will be the total cost? (Assume workers work every day and partial workers are not allowed.)
Practice 2hard
A factory employs workers on two shifts. The day shift has 20 workers who work 8 hours per day, and the night shift has 15 workers who work 10 hours per day. If day shift workers are paid ₹200 per hour and night shift workers are paid ₹250 per hour, and the factory operates for 26 days per month, what is the difference between the total monthly wages of the night shift and day shift?
60-Second Revision — Work & Wages
Remember: Wage ratio = 1/Time ratio (always flip time values)
Formula: Individual wage = (Own rate/Combined rate) × Total wages
Trick: For times a:b, wages will be b:a
Trap: Don't forget to multiply by working hours if different
Quick check: Sum of distributed wages = Total wages given
Pattern: Higher efficiency = Less time = More wages