Today, we will be covering a very important topic from the quantitative aptitude section viz.

Percentage. These formulas and shortcuts will be helpful for your upcoming SSC and Railway
Exams. If you like it let us know by giving it an upvote. You can also go through the 5 Most
Critical Questions with Short Tricks on Boat & Stream for Upcoming SSC Exams 2021 we have
covered earlier.

Percentage

The percentage is per-cent which means parts per hundred.

Percent sign

The percent sign is the symbol: %

It is written to the right side of the number: 50%

Percentage Definition

Percentage is a value that represents the proportion of one number to another number.

1 percent represents 1/100 fraction.

If we have to convert percentage into a fraction than it is divide by 100.

Example 1: if we write 45% then its equal to 45/100 or in fraction 9/20 or in decimal 0.45

If we have to convert a fraction into a percentage, we have to multiple with 100.

Example 2: if we write 3/5 in fraction it is equal to 60% =3/5×100=60.

Convert Percentage into Decimal:

20% = 20/100 = 0.5

Convert Decimal into Percentage:

0.25 = (0.25 × 100) % = 25%

1.50 = (1.50 × 100) % = 150%

Here is a table of commonly used values shown in Percent, Decimal and Fraction:
 Types of Formulas and Short Tricks
Type 1: Percentage Increase/Decrease:

If the price of a commodity increases by R%, then the reduction in consumption so as not to
increase the expenditure is: [R/ (100 + R)] x 100%

If the price of a commodity decreases by R%, then the increase in consumption so as not to
decrease the expenditure is: [R/ (100 – R)] x 100%

Type 2: Results on Population:

Let the population of a town be P now and suppose it increases at the rate of R% per annum,
then:

1. Population after n years = P (1 + R/100) n

 2. Population n years ago =P/ (1 + R/100) n

Type 3: Results on Depreciation:

Let the present value of a machine be P. Suppose it depreciates at the rate of R% per annum.
Then:

1. Value of the machine after n years = P (1 – R/100) n

2. Value of the machine n years ago = P/ [(1 – R/100)] n
3. If A is R% more than B, then B is less than A by = [R/ (100 + R)] x 100%
4. If A is R% less than B, then B is more than A by = [R/ (100 – R)] x 100%

Note: For two successive changes of x% and y%, net change = {x + y +xy/100}%

Other Important Concepts of Percentage

Concept 1
1. A+B+AB/100 When A and B both are the positive change
2. A-B-AB/100 When A is positive change and B is a negative change
3. -A+B-AB/100 When A is negative change and B is a positive change.
4. -A-B+AB/100 When A and B both are the negative change.

Important: There is no need to remember the above formulas, you have to just remember
±A ± B ±AB/100 and put the sign of change, if negative, then (-) and positive then, (+) but keep
in mind that sign of AB is the product of signs of A and B.

Example1: The price of a book is reduced by 10% and the sale of the book is increased by 15%.
Find the net effect on revenue.

Example2: If the length and breadth of a rectangle are increased by 5% and 8% respectively.
Find the % change in the area of the rectangle.

Concept 2:
New solution × new % = old solution × old %
This formula is applicable to the commodity which is constant in the solution or mixture, its
quantity doesn’t change after mixing in solution.
Example3: A mixture of sand and water contains 20% sand by weight. Of it, 12 kg of water is
evaporated and the mixture now contains 30% sand.
Solution: In this sand is constant in the mixture. So we will apply this formula on the sand, not
on the water.
(a)Find the original mixture.
Let the original mixture is P kg, So new mixture = (P-12) kg
old% = 20 and new % = 30
new solution × new % = old solution × old %
(P-12)× 30% = P × 20%
3P – 36 = 2P
P = 36 Kg.
(b) Find the quantity of sand and water in the original mixture.
Quantity of sand in original mixture = 20% of 36 = 7.2 Kg
Quantity of water in original mixture = 80% 0f 36 = 28.8 Kg
OR = Quantity of mixture – quantity of sand = 36 -7.2 = 28.8 Kg
Example 4: 30 litres of a mixture of alcohol and water contains 20% alcohol. How many litres of
water must be added to make the alcohol 15% in the new mixture?
Solution: only water is added to the mixture so, there is no change in alcohol. We will apply
the above formula on alcohol. Let water added is P litres.
Old mixture = 30 litres, old % of alcohol = 20%
New mixture = 30+P litres, new % of alcohol = 15
using, new solution × new % = old solution × old %
(30+P) × 15% = 30 × 20%
P = 10 litres , hence 10 litres of water is added.

Concept 3:

Example 5: If the price of milk increased by 25%, by how much percent must Rahul decrease his
consumption, so as his expenditure remains the same.
Solution: Let the price of milk is 20 Rs/litre and Rahul consumes 1-litre milk.
Expenditure of Rahul = price × consumption
Now price of milk is increased by 25%, so the new price is (125/100)× 20 = 25 Rs.
but his expenditure remains the same
So, new consumption × new price = old price × old consumption
new consumption × 25 = 20 × old consumption
new consumption =(20/25) × old consumption
new consumption% = (20/25)× old consumption × 100
new consumption% = 80% of old consumption
decrease in consumption = 20 %

Using the above trick: Given, price % is increased so the sign will be (+) and consumption %
will decrease.
Decrease in consumption =(25/125) × 100 = 20%
Example 6: If the price of milk decreases by 25%, by how much percent must Rahul increase his
consumption, so as his expenditure remains the same.
Solution: Let the price of milk is 20 Rs/litre and Rahul consumes 1-litre milk.
Expenditure of Rahul = price × consumption
Now the price of milk is decreased by 25%, so the new price is × 20 = 15 Rs.
but his expenditure remains the same
So, new consumption × new price = old price × old consumption
new consumption × 15 = 20 × old consumption
new consumption = (20/15)× old consumption
new consumption% = (20/15)× old consumption × 100
new consumption% = 133(1/3)% of old consumption
increase in consumption = 33(1/3) %

Using the above trick: given price % is decreased so the sign will be (-) and consumption % will
increase.
Increase in consumption = (25/75) x 100 = 33(1/3)%

Concept 4:

Example 7: The population of a town is 6000. It increases 10% during the 1st year, increases
25% during the 2nd year and then again decreases by 10% during the 3rd year. What is the
population after 3 years?

Example 8: The population of a village increases by 10% during the first year, decreased by 12%
during the 2nd year and again decreased by 15% during the 3rd year. If the population at the end
of the 3rd year is 2057.

Important Questions with Short Tricks on Percentage

Question 1: If the radius of a circle is increased by 50%, its area is increased by
(1) 125%
(2) 100%
(3) 75%
(4) 50%
Solution:
Let the old area to be 100
50% increase means 150%
So, 100 x 150% x 150% because of 2 dimensional

Increase = 225-100= 125%

Short Trick:
Formula:- a + b+ (a x b)/100
50% + 50% + 50% of 50%
100% + 25% = 125%

Question 2: The price of an article is reduced by 25% but the daily sale of the article is increased
by 30%. The net effect on the daily sale receipt is

(1) increase

(2) decrease
(3) 2% increase
(4) 2% decrease
Solution:
Let the price of the article be Rs 100 and the daily sale be 100 units
Revenue per day = 100 x 100 = Rs 10000
Case II:
New receipts = 75 x 130 = Rs 9750
Decrease = (10000 – 9750) = 250

% decrease =
Short Trick 1:
Let the daily sale is 100

So,
Means: 100- 97.5 = 2.5 % decrease
Decreases by 2.5%
Short Trick: 2:
-25% + 30 % + (-25%) of (30%)
= 2.5 % decrease

Question 3: In a test consisting of 80 questions carrying one mark each, Arpita answer 65% of
the first 40 questions correctly. What percent of the other 40 questions does she need to
answer correctly to score 75% on the entire test?
(1) 60
(2) 80
(3) 75
(4) 85
Solution:
According to question = (x% of remaining 40 ques.) + (65% of already done 40 question) = 75%
of total 80 questions

40x + 2600 = 6000

40x = 3400
x = 85 %
Simple Way:

65% of 40 questions = 26 questions

Thus, she gets 26 marks
But she needs to score 75% of 80

Req. marks = 60 – 26 = 34 marks

Now, x% of 40 = 34

Question 4: If Ravi's salary is 25% more than Raju's salary, then the percentage by which Raju's
salary is less than Ravi's salary is ________
(1) 15
(2) 20
(3) 25
(4) 32
Solution:

Ravi's=
This means if Raju's salary is Rs 4 then Ravi's salary in Rs 5.

They Req%
Short Trick:

Question 5: In a village, each of the 60% of families has a cow; each of the 30% of families has
buffalo and each of the 15% of families has both a cow and a buffalo. In all there are 96 families
in the village. How many families do not have a cow or a buffalo?
(1) 20
(2) 24
(3) 26
(4) 28
Solution:
Families have cow = + 60%
Families have buffalo = + 30%
Families have both = - 15%
= 75%
Don't have any = 25% of 96 = 24