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Delhi Police Head Constable Population Problems

Study Material — 7 PYQs (2018–2020) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts

Delhi Police Head Constable Population Problems is a frequently tested subtopic — 7 previous year questions from 2018–2020 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.

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Previous Year Questions

Delhi Police Head Constable Population Problems — Past Exam Questions

7 questions from actual Delhi Police Head Constable papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution

Exam Q 12020Previous Year Pattern

The population of a city was 5,00,000 in 2020. It increased by 20% in 2021 and then decreased by 10% in 2022. What is the population of the city at the end of 2022?

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Exam Q 22019Previous Year Pattern

The population of a city was 500,000 in 2020. If the population increased by 20% in 2021 and then decreased by 10% in 2022, what was the population at the end of 2022?

Exam Q 32020Previous Year Pattern

The population of a city increases by 20% in the first year and by 25% in the second year. If the population at the end of the second year is 3,60,000, what was the population at the beginning of the first year?

Exam Q 42018Previous Year Pattern

The population of a city increases by 20% in the first year and decreases by 10% in the second year. If the population after two years is 2,16,000, what was the initial population of the city?

Exam Q 52019Previous Year Pattern

The population of a city was 5,00,000 in 2020. It increased by 20% in 2021 and then decreased by 10% in 2022. In 2023, it increased by 15%. What is the population of the city at the end of 2023?

Exam Q 62019Previous Year Pattern

The population of a city increases by 20% in the first year and by 25% in the second year. However, due to migration, the population decreases by 10% in the third year. If the population at the end of the third year is 16,20,000, what was the original population at the beginning of the first year?

Exam Q 72020Previous Year Pattern

The population of a city increases by 20% in the first year and by 25% in the second year. However, due to migration, the population decreases by 10% in the third year. If the population after three years is 16,20,000, what was the original population?

Concept Notes

Population Problems— Rules & Concept

💡
Core Concept
Read this first — the foundation of the topic
→CORE CONCEPT

Population problems follow the compound growth formula. If a population increases or decreases by a certain percentage each year, you apply that percentage repeatedly, not just once. This is different from simple interest — it's like compound interest

💡KEY RULES

Population grows or shrinks by a fixed percentage each year 2. The percentage applies to the NEW population each year, not the original 3. Use the compound formula, not simple addition/subtraction 4. Decrease and increase work the same way mathematically

🔢
Formula Block
Memorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
Final Population = Initial Population × (1 + r/100)^n

Where:

- r = rate of increase (use negative r for decrease)
- n = number of years
- If r = 5% increase, use (1 + 5/100) = 1.05
- If r = 10% decrease, use (1 - 10/100) = 0.90
📊
Exam Patterns
What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
1

Find final population after n years

2

Find initial population (work backwards)

3

Find rate of growth

4

Find time period

5

Mixed increase and decrease over different years

✏️
Worked Example
Solve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

Population after Year 1 = 50,000 × (1 + 10/100) = 50,000 × 1.10 = 55,000

2
Step 2

Population after Year 2 = 55,000 × (1 + 20/100) = 55,000 × 1.20 = 66,000 Alternative Direct Method: = 50,000 × 1.10 × 1.20 = 50,000 × 1.32 = 66,000 COMMON MISTAKE: Students add percentages directly: 10% + 20% = 30%, then calculate 50,000 × 1.30 = 65,000. This is WRONG because the 20% applies to the increased population, not the original. Always multiply the factors for each year.

Key Points to Remember

  • Population problems use compound growth formula: Final = Initial × (1 + r/100)^n
  • Percentage always applies to the CURRENT population, not the original amount
  • For decrease, use (1 - r/100) in the formula instead of (1 + r/100)
  • Multiple years with different rates: multiply all factors together for direct calculation
  • Never add percentages directly; always use multiplication of decimal factors
  • If asked for initial population, rearrange formula: Initial = Final ÷ (1 + r/100)^n

Exam-Specific Tips

  • Population formula: Final = Initial × (1 + r/100)^n where r is annual rate and n is years
  • For 10% increase, multiply by 1.10; for 10% decrease, multiply by 0.90
  • If population increases by p% one year and q% next year, combined factor = (1 + p/100) × (1 + q/100)
  • Compound population growth applies the percentage to the NEW amount each year, not original
  • For population decrease problems, the formula remains the same but r is treated as negative
  • Quick check: 50,000 population growing at 10% annually for 2 years = 50,000 × 1.21 = 60,500
Practice MCQs

Population Problems — Practice Questions

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

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Practice 1easy

A district's population was 400,000 in 2019. In 2020, it increased by 10%, and in 2021, it decreased by 10%. What is the population in 2021?

Practice 2easy

A city's population was 250,000 in 2019. It increased by 10% in 2020 and then increased by 20% in 2021. What was the population at the end of 2021?

Practice 3easy

A town's population decreased by 15% over one year. If the population at the end of the year was 170,000, what was the population at the beginning of the year?

Practice 4easy

A state's population increases by 25% to reach 1,250,000. What was the original population?

Practice 5easy

The population of village A is 80,000 and the population of village B is 120,000. By what percentage is village B's population more than village A's population?

Practice 6easy

If a population increases from 250,000 to 300,000, what is the percentage increase?

Practice 7easy

In a city, 45% of the population are males and the rest are females. If there are 220,000 females, how many males are there in the city?

Practice 8easy

A village population increased from 80,000 to 96,000 over two years. What was the percentage increase in population?

Practice 9easy

A village had a population of 80,000 in 2020. The population decreased by 15% in 2021. What was the population in 2021?

Practice 10easy

A town's population decreased by 10% in one year. If the population at the end of the year was 360,000, what was the population at the beginning of the year?

Practice 11easy

The population of town A is 250,000 and the population of town B is 200,000. By what percentage is town A's population more than town B's population?

Practice 12easy

The population of a city was 500,000 in 2020. If it increased by 20% in 2021, what was the population at the end of 2021?

Practice 13easy

If a region's population was 600,000 last year and it is now 660,000, what is the percentage increase?

Practice 14easy

A city's population grows from 400,000 to 480,000 over one year. What is the percentage growth rate?

Practice 15easy

A city's population grows by 25% in the first year and then by 20% in the second year. If the initial population was 100,000, what is the population after two years?

Practice 16easy

The population of a city is 500,000. If it increases by 20% in the first year, what will be the population after the first year?

Practice 17easy

The population of a city was 500,000 in 2020. If the population increased by 20% in 2021, what was the population at the end of 2021?

Practice 18easy

The population of a city was 500,000 in 2020. If it increased by 20% in 2021, what was the population at the end of 2021?

Practice 19medium

In a town, the male population is 55% of the total population. If the female population is 180,000, what is the total population of the town?

Practice 20medium

The population of a city was 500,000 in 2020. It increased by 20% in 2021 and then decreased by 10% in 2022. What is the population at the end of 2022?

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60-Second Revision — Population Problems

  • Formula: Final Population = Initial × (1 + r/100)^n — this is compound, not simple
  • Trap: Never add percentages from different years. Multiply the growth factors instead
  • Decrease: Use negative r or write (1 - r/100) — both methods give same answer
  • Multi-year: For different rates each year, write as Initial × (1.10) × (1.20) × (0.95) etc.
  • Reverse: If given final population, divide backwards: Initial = Final ÷ [(1 + r/100)^n]
  • Quick mental check: 10% increase twice ≈ 21% total (not 20%), because second 10% acts on larger base
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