Study Material — 10 PYQs (2020–2020) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SSC GD Constable Successive Profit & Loss is a frequently tested subtopic — 10 previous year questions from 2020–2020 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
SSC GD Constable Successive Profit & Loss — Past Exam Questions
10 questions from actual SSC GD Constable papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12020Previous Year Pattern
A shopkeeper buys an item for ₹500. He marks it up by 20% and then gives a discount of 10% on the marked price. What is his profit percentage?
Exam Q 22020Previous Year Pattern
A shopkeeper first increases the price of an item by 30%, then decreases it by 20%. If the final price is ₹1040, what was the original price?
Exam Q 32020Previous Year Pattern
A vendor buys apples at ₹10 per kg and sells them at a profit of 25%. Due to wastage, he loses 5 kg out of every 100 kg purchased. What is his overall profit percentage?
Exam Q 42020Previous Year Pattern
A trader buys goods for ₹1000 and marks them up by 50%. He then offers a discount of 20% on the marked price. Later, he offers an additional discount of 10% on the already discounted price. What is his final profit percentage?
Exam Q 52020Previous Year Pattern
A merchant sells an item at a loss of 15%. If he had sold it for ₹120 more, he would have made a profit of 5%. What is the cost price of the item?
Exam Q 62020Previous Year Pattern
A retailer buys an item for ₹400. He marks it up by 60% but then gives two successive discounts of 15% and 10%. What is his profit or loss percentage?
Exam Q 72020Previous Year Pattern
A shopkeeper buys goods for ₹3000. He sells 50% of the stock at a profit of 30% and 30% of the stock at a profit of 10%. The remaining stock is sold at a loss of 5%. What is his overall profit or loss percentage?
Exam Q 82020Previous Year Pattern
A trader buys an article for ₹1200. He first sells it at a profit of 20%, but the buyer returns it. He then sells the same article at a loss of 10%. What is his overall profit or loss percentage?
Exam Q 92020Previous Year Pattern
A merchant purchases goods for ₹2000. He sells 60% of the stock at a profit of 25% and the remaining 40% at a loss of 15%. What is his overall profit or loss percentage?
Exam Q 102020Previous Year Pattern
A vendor buys apples for ₹40 per kg. He sells 60% of the apples at ₹60 per kg and the remaining 40% at ₹50 per kg. What is his overall profit 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
• 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
5graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis
A manufacturer sells goods to a wholesaler at a profit of 20%. The wholesaler sells to a retailer at a profit of 25%. The retailer sells to the customer at a profit of 30%. If the customer pays ₹1950, what was the manufacturer's cost price?
Practice 2hard
A manufacturer sells to a wholesaler at a 20% profit. The wholesaler sells to a retailer at a 25% profit. The retailer sells to a customer at a 40% profit. If the customer pays ₹4200, what is the manufacturer's cost price?
Practice 3hard
A shopkeeper marks up goods by 50% above cost price. He gives a discount of 10% on the marked price to the first customer and sells at a profit of 35% to the second customer. If the cost price is ₹1000, what discount percentage did he give to the second customer?
Practice 4hard
A trader buys goods at ₹2000 per unit. He sells 60% of the stock at a 30% profit and the remaining 40% at a 10% loss. What is his overall profit or loss percentage?
Practice 5hard
A shopkeeper buys an article at ₹500. He marks it up by 40%, then offers a discount of 10% on the marked price. Later, he sells the remaining stock at a further discount of 20% on the already-discounted price. What is his overall profit or loss percentage on the final transaction?
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