Percentage Practice Questions for SSC & Railway Exams – Set 1
Percentage is one of the most important arithmetic topics for competitive examinations such as SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, SSC MTS, SSC GD, RRB NTPC and Railway Group D.
Questions based on percentage are not limited to direct percentage calculations. The concept is also used in Profit and Loss, Discount, Simple Interest, Compound Interest, Data Interpretation, Population, Election, Income-Expenditure and Marks-based problems.
This practice set contains 25 carefully selected percentage questions, starting with basic calculations and gradually moving towards competitive-exam-level applications.
Before attempting the questions, students should revise basic percentage formulas and fraction-percentage conversions.
Percentage Practice Questions – Set 1
Question 1
Find 35% of 480.
A) 158
B) 162
C) 168
D) 172
Answer: C) 168
Explanation:
35% of 480 = (35/100) × 480 = 168
Question 2
72 is what percentage of 240?
A) 25%
B) 30%
C) 32%
D) 36%
Answer: B) 30%
Explanation:
Required percentage = (72/240) × 100 = 30%
Question 3
If 40% of a number is 280, find the number.
A) 600
B) 650
C) 700
D) 750
Answer: C) 700
Explanation:
40% of number = 280
Number = 280 × 100/40 = 700
Question 4
A number increases from 500 to 650. What is the percentage increase?
A) 20%
B) 25%
C) 30%
D) 35%
Answer: C) 30%
Explanation:
Increase = 650 - 500 = 150
Percentage increase = (150/500) × 100 = 30%
Question 5
The price of an article decreases from ₹1,200 to ₹960. Find the percentage decrease.
A) 15%
B) 18%
C) 20%
D) 25%
Answer: C) 20%
Explanation:
Decrease = 1200 - 960 = ₹240
Percentage decrease = (240/1200) × 100 = 20%
Successive Percentage Questions
Question 6
A number is increased by 20% and then increased again by 25%. What is the overall percentage increase?
A) 40%
B) 45%
C) 48%
D) 50%
Answer: D) 50%
Explanation:
Net change = 20 + 25 + (20 × 25)/100
= 45 + 5
= 50%
Question 7
A number is increased by 30% and then decreased by 20%. What is the net percentage change?
A) 2% increase
B) 4% increase
C) 6% increase
D) 10% increase
Answer: B) 4% increase
Explanation:
Net change = 30 - 20 - (30 × 20)/100
= 10 - 6
= 4% increase
Question 8
The price of an article is increased by 25% and subsequently decreased by 20%. What is the net percentage change?
A) 5% increase
B) 5% decrease
C) No change
D) 4% decrease
Answer: C) No change
Explanation:
Assume the original price is ₹100.
After 25% increase = ₹125
After 20% decrease = 125 × 80/100 = ₹100
Therefore, there is no change.
Question 9
A number is increased by 10% and then decreased by 10%. What is the net effect?
A) 1% increase
B) 1% decrease
C) No change
D) 2% decrease
Answer: B) 1% decrease
Explanation:
For equal successive increase and decrease:
Net decrease = 10²/100 = 1%
Income and Expenditure Questions
Question 10
A person's monthly income is ₹40,000. If the income increases by 15%, what will be the new monthly income?
A) ₹44,000
B) ₹45,000
C) ₹46,000
D) ₹48,000
Answer: C) ₹46,000
Explanation:
Increase = 15% of ₹40,000 = ₹6,000
New income = ₹40,000 + ₹6,000 = ₹46,000
Question 11
The price of rice increases by 25%. By what percentage should consumption be reduced so that expenditure on rice remains unchanged?
A) 15%
B) 20%
C) 25%
D) 30%
Answer: B) 20%
Explanation:
Required reduction:
25/(100 + 25) × 100
= 25/125 × 100
= 20%
Question 12
The price of sugar decreases by 20%. By what percentage can consumption be increased so that expenditure remains unchanged?
A) 20%
B) 22.5%
C) 25%
D) 30%
Answer: C) 25%
Explanation:
Assume original price = ₹100.
New price = ₹80.
For the same expenditure:
Increase in consumption = (20/80) × 100 = 25%
Question 13
A person's income increases by 20%, while expenditure increases by 10%. Initially, the person earns ₹30,000 and spends ₹20,000 per month. By what percentage do the person's savings increase?
A) 30%
B) 35%
C) 40%
D) 45%
Answer: C) 40%
Explanation:
Original savings:
₹30,000 - ₹20,000 = ₹10,000
New income:
₹30,000 × 120/100 = ₹36,000
New expenditure:
₹20,000 × 110/100 = ₹22,000
New savings:
₹36,000 - ₹22,000 = ₹14,000
Increase in savings = ₹4,000
Percentage increase:
(4000/10000) × 100 = 40%
Marks-Based Percentage Questions
Question 14
A student obtains 360 marks out of 450. What percentage of marks did the student obtain?
A) 75%
B) 80%
C) 82%
D) 85%
Answer: B) 80%
Explanation:
Percentage = (360/450) × 100 = 80%
Question 15
A candidate needs 35% marks to pass an examination. The candidate obtains 150 marks and fails by 25 marks. Find the maximum marks.
A) 400
B) 450
C) 500
D) 550
Answer: C) 500
Explanation:
Passing marks = 150 + 25 = 175
35% of total marks = 175
Total marks:
175 × 100/35 = 500
Question 16
A student scores 30% marks and fails by 24 marks. Another student scores 40% marks and obtains 16 marks more than the passing marks. Find the maximum marks.
A) 350
B) 400
C) 450
D) 500
Answer: B) 400
Explanation:
Difference between the two students' marks:
24 + 16 = 40
Difference in percentage:
40% - 30% = 10%
Therefore:
10% = 40 marks
100% = 400 marks
Question 17
In an examination, a student scores 72% marks and obtains 540 marks. Find the maximum marks.
A) 700
B) 720
C) 750
D) 800
Answer: C) 750
Explanation:
72% = 540
Total marks:
540 × 100/72 = 750
Population-Based Percentage Questions
Question 18
The population of a village is 20,000. If it increases by 10%, what will be the new population?
A) 21,000
B) 21,500
C) 22,000
D) 22,500
Answer: C) 22,000
Explanation:
Increase = 10% of 20,000 = 2,000
New population = 22,000
Question 19
The population of a town is 50,000. It increases by 10% in the first year and 20% in the second year. What will be the population after two years?
A) 64,000
B) 65,000
C) 66,000
D) 67,000
Answer: C) 66,000
Explanation:
After first year:
50,000 × 1.10 = 55,000
After second year:
55,000 × 1.20 = 66,000
Question 20
The population of a city decreases by 10% in one year and increases by 10% in the following year. If its original population was 80,000, what is the population after two years?
A) 78,400
B) 79,000
C) 79,200
D) 80,000
Answer: C) 79,200
Explanation:
After 10% decrease:
80,000 × 90/100 = 72,000
After 10% increase:
72,000 × 110/100 = 79,200
Question 21
The present population of a town is 88,200. If the population increased by 5% each year for the last two years, what was the population two years ago?
A) 78,000
B) 80,000
C) 82,000
D) 84,000
Answer: B) 80,000
Explanation:
Let population two years ago = P.
P × 1.05 × 1.05 = 88,200
P × 1.1025 = 88,200
P = 80,000
Election-Based Percentage Questions
Question 22
In an election between two candidates, one candidate receives 55% of the valid votes and wins by 2,000 votes. Find the total number of valid votes.
A) 15,000
B) 18,000
C) 20,000
D) 25,000
Answer: C) 20,000
Explanation:
Winner = 55%
Loser = 45%
Difference = 10%
10% = 2,000
Therefore:
100% = 20,000
Question 23
In an election between two candidates, the winner receives 60% of the valid votes and wins by 8,000 votes. Find the total number of valid votes.
A) 32,000
B) 36,000
C) 40,000
D) 48,000
Answer: C) 40,000
Explanation:
Winner = 60%
Loser = 40%
Difference = 20%
20% = 8,000
Therefore:
100% = 40,000
Question 24
In an election, 10% of the registered voters did not vote. Of the votes cast, 10% were declared invalid. The winning candidate obtained 60% of the valid votes and received 4,374 votes. How many registered voters were there?
A) 8,000
B) 8,500
C) 9,000
D) 10,000
Answer: C) 9,000
Explanation:
Winner received 60% of valid votes.
Valid votes:
4374 × 100/60 = 7,290
Since 10% of votes cast were invalid, valid votes represent 90% of votes cast.
Votes cast:
7290 × 100/90 = 8,100
Since 10% of registered voters did not vote, votes cast represent 90% of registered voters.
Registered voters:
8100 × 100/90 = 9,000
Mixed Percentage Question
Question 25
A number is first increased by 20%, then decreased by 25%, and finally increased by 10%. What is the net percentage change from the original number?
A) 1% decrease
B) 1% increase
C) 2% decrease
D) No change
Answer: A) 1% decrease
Explanation:
Assume original number = 100.
After 20% increase:
100 × 1.20 = 120
After 25% decrease:
120 × 0.75 = 90
After 10% increase:
90 × 1.10 = 99
Original = 100
Final = 99
Therefore, net change = 1% decrease.
Percentage Practice Set 1 – Answer Key
C) 168
B) 30%
C) 700
C) 30%
C) 20%
D) 50%
B) 4% increase
C) No change
B) 1% decrease
C) ₹46,000
B) 20%
C) 25%
C) 40%
B) 80%
C) 500
B) 400
C) 750
C) 22,000
C) 66,000
C) 79,200
B) 80,000
C) 20,000
C) 40,000
C) 9,000
A) 1% decrease