Study Material — 13 PYQs (2020–2020) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SSC CPO Ages Problems is a frequently tested subtopic — 13 previous year questions from 2020–2020 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
13 questions from actual SSC CPO papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12020Previous Year Pattern
The ratio of ages of Aman and Bimal is 4:5. After 8 years, their ages will be in the ratio 6:7. What is Aman's current age?
Exam Q 22020Previous Year Pattern
The ratio of Chitra's age to Divya's age is 7:5. If the sum of their ages is 48 years, what is Divya's age?
Exam Q 32020Previous Year Pattern
Esha is 8 years older than Fiona. The ratio of their ages is 5:4. What is Esha's age?
Exam Q 42020Previous Year Pattern
Three years ago, Gita was twice as old as Hema. If Gita is currently 27 years old, what is Hema's current age?
Exam Q 52020Previous Year Pattern
The ratio of Esha's age to Faisal's age is 6:5. If the sum of their ages is 44 years, and after 8 years the ratio of their ages will be p:q in lowest terms, what is p + q?
Exam Q 62020Previous Year Pattern
Chitra's age is twice Deepak's age. After 10 years, Chitra's age will be 1.5 times Deepak's age. What is Deepak's current age?
Exam Q 72020Previous Year Pattern
The ratio of ages of Ravi and Sita is 7:5. After 6 years, the ratio will be 4:3. What is Ravi's current age?
Exam Q 82020Previous Year Pattern
The ratio of the present ages of Arun and Bhavna is 5:3. If Arun will be 40 years old after 8 years, what is Bhavna's present age?
Exam Q 92020Previous Year Pattern
Five years ago, the ratio of Priya's age to Qasim's age was 4:5. If Qasim is currently 30 years old, what is Priya's current age?
Exam Q 102020Previous Year Pattern
Twelve years ago, the ratio of ages of Mohan and Neha was 5:3. Twelve years hence, the ratio will be 7:5. What will be the ratio of their ages 6 years hence?
Exam Q 112020Previous Year Pattern
The present ages of Aisha and Bina are in the ratio 7:5. Six years hence, their ages will be in the ratio 5:4. If Chirag's age is 2 years less than Aisha's present age, what is Chirag's age?
Exam Q 122020Previous Year Pattern
Three years ago, the ratio of ages of Priya and Qureshi was 5:7. Three years hence, the ratio will be 7:9. What is the sum of their present ages?
Exam Q 132020Previous Year Pattern
The ratio of the present ages of Arun and Bhavna is 4:5. Five years ago, the ratio of their ages was 3:4. After how many years will the ratio of their ages be 6:7?
Concept Notes
Ages Problems— Rules & Concept
Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
Core Concept
Age problems involve finding current ages or ages at specific times when given ratios between different people's ages. The key insight is that while individual ages change over time, age differences remain constant
Key Rules
First, age difference between two people never changes. If A is 5 years older than B today, A will always be 5 years older. Second, when we add or subtract the same number of years to different ages, their ratio changes. Third, present age problems often give ratios at two different time points.
Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
• If ratio of ages is a:b, then ages are ax and bx where x is common factor
• After n years: (current age + n)
• Before n years: (current age - n)
• Age difference = |ax - bx| = |a - b|x
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
SSC CGL typically asks three types - current age ratios with future/past conditions, age ratios at two different time points, and problems involving sum of ages with ratios. Questions often involve 2-3 people with time shifts of 2-10 years.
ShortcutsUse these to save 30–60 seconds per question
For two-time-point problems, use the 'difference method'. If ratio changes from a:b to c:d after n years, then (cx-ax) = (dx-bx) where x is the time difference. This eliminates one variable immediately.
Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1
Let current ages be 3x and 4x
2
Step 2
After 6 years, ages become (3x+6) and (4x+6)
3
Step 3
New ratio = (3x+6):(4x+6) = 4:5
4
Step 4
Cross multiply: 5(3x+6) = 4(4x+6)
5
Step 5
15x + 30 = 16x + 24
6
Step 6
30 - 24 = 16x - 15x
7
Step 7
6 = x
8
Step 8
Current ages are 3×6 = 18 years and 4×6 = 24 years
Verification: After 6 years, ages are 24 and 30, ratio = 24:30 = 4:5 ✓
Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these
Students often forget to add/subtract years from both ages equally. Another error is setting up wrong equations when dealing with 'before' scenarios - remember to subtract years, not add them.
Key Points to Remember
Age difference between two people remains constant throughout their lives
Current ages in ratio a:b can be written as ax and bx
After n years formula: current age + n, Before n years: current age - n
When same number is added to numerator and denominator, ratio changes
Cross multiplication method works best for solving age ratio equations
Sum of ages increases by (number of people × years passed)
Two time-point problems require setting up two separate ratio equations
Always verify your answer by checking if it satisfies given conditions
Exam-Specific Tips
Age problems appear in 1-2 questions per SSC CGL Tier-1 paper consistently
Most common time shifts asked are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 years
Three-person age problems have appeared in 15% of recent SSC papers
Father-son age problems typically use ratios like 5:2, 7:3, or 9:4
Age sum problems often involve total ages of 60, 80, 100, or 120 years
Present age is usually a multiple of the ratio terms in 80% of questions
Negative age solutions indicate error in problem setup or calculation
Practice MCQs
Ages Problems — Practice Questions
1graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis