Study Material — 13 PYQs (2021–2021) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SSC GD Constable Work & Wages is a frequently tested subtopic — 13 previous year questions from 2021–2021 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
A man is paid ₹40 per hour. If he works 8 hours a day for 5 days, what is his total earnings?
Exam Q 42021Previous Year Pattern
Three workers can complete a task in 8 days. How many days will it take for 4 workers to complete the same task, assuming all workers work at the same rate?
Exam Q 52021Previous Year Pattern
A contractor pays ₹600 per day to each worker. If 5 workers work for 10 days, what is the total amount paid by the contractor?
Exam Q 62021Previous Year Pattern
Two workers, P and Q, are paid ₹600 per day and ₹400 per day respectively. They work together for 5 days and complete a job. If P works alone for 2 additional days to finish remaining work, what is the total amount paid for the job?
Exam Q 72021Previous Year Pattern
A contractor hires 15 workers to complete a road in 24 days. After 8 days, he hires 5 more workers. How many days in total will the project take to complete?
Exam Q 82021Previous Year Pattern
A and B work on a project with wages in the ratio 3:2. A can complete the work alone in 18 days and B can complete it alone in 27 days. They work together for 6 days, then A leaves and B continues alone. If B's total wage is ₹4,800, what is A's total wage?
Exam Q 92021Previous Year Pattern
A and B together can complete a job in 12 days. A alone can complete it in 20 days. If A works for 5 days and then B works alone for the remaining days, how much will B earn if the total wage for the job is ₹4,800?
Exam Q 102021Previous Year Pattern
Three workers X, Y, and Z can complete a project in 30, 40, and 60 days respectively. They work together for 5 days, then X leaves. Y and Z continue for 4 more days, then Z leaves and Y finishes alone. If the total payment is ₹12,000 and wages are distributed by work done, how much does Y receive?
Exam Q 112021Previous Year Pattern
Two workers P and Q are paid ₹500 per day each. P can complete a task in 24 days and Q can complete it in 36 days. They work together for some days, then P leaves and Q continues alone for 6 more days to finish the task. How much more does Q earn than P?
Exam Q 122021Previous Year Pattern
A contractor hires workers for a project. If 8 workers complete the work in 15 days, and the contractor pays ₹120 per worker per day, how much total wage must be paid? Later, the contractor decides to complete the same work in 10 days. If the daily wage per worker remains ₹120, how many workers are needed, and what is the additional wage cost compared to the original plan?
Exam Q 132021Previous Year Pattern
Three workers M, N, and O are hired for a job. M's daily wage is ₹200, N's is ₹250, and O's is ₹300. M can complete the job in 30 days, N in 40 days, and O in 60 days. They work together for 8 days, then M and O leave and N continues alone for 10 more days. If the remaining work is completed by a fourth worker P in 5 days at ₹400 per day, what is the total wage paid for the entire project?
Concept Notes
Work & Wages— Rules & Concept
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Core Concept
Read 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.
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Formula Block
Memorise — 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
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Exam Patterns
What 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.
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Shortcuts
Use 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).
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Worked Example
Solve 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)
Common Mistake: 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
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