By far the world has seen at least 80 tricks in this chapter on percentages.

Do
you think you really require to know them? You may just be interested to
know how they could be formulated and therefore I am going to provide them
all. But it would be beyond the scope of this book. However, whatever I am
writing here has got everything in it that you need in order to completely
grasp the matter. You will be able to solve any question that you locate in any
book or any exam papers. Remeber that the examiner is not aware that you
have some magical formulas and that you will be applying them in the tests.
All the questions that they might ask you are really going to be short and can
be answered in just one line. Nonetheless, you will find another book on this
topic in which I will provide all those 80 tricks on this topic alongwith
sufficient number of problems with answers and hints.
You have already dealt with a problem on growth or decrease in population
and other things so now we will try to generalize the idea so that you could
tackle any problem based on them. And in order to introduce you to the idea
let me present you with this simple problem first1. A earns $ 450 per month and B earns $ 769 per month. How much more in
percentage is B's earning compared to the earnings of A?
Solution: Remember this simple fact always for this kind of problems. We are
comparing from the starting point, or initial population etc. so keep that value
in the denominator. We begin to solve it in the following manner-

769 450
319
100
100 70.89
450
450
2. A earns $ 800 per month and B earns $ 676 per month. How much more in
percentage is A's earning compared to the earnings of B?
Solution: This time you are comparing not the increase from but decrease
from the initial value (very important for you to remember) so take in the
denominator the initial value itself-

800 676
100 15.50%
800
3. A's salary was first increased by 10% and then decreased by 5%. What is
the percentage change in his salary?
Solution: Let his initial salary be $ 100 therefore according to the situation
after an increment of 10% he would start to get $ 110, further after a
decrease of 5% from $ 110 he would get $ 104.50 (that is because 10% of
110 is 5.5, which if we subtracted from 110 leaves us with 104.5). Now let's
find the percentage of change. Therefore the increment is of 110-104.5=4.5.

Calculating in this manner we conclude that the actual increment that he was
given is of 4.5% only.
The general trick: For all such questions you should remember to use this
single line rule, and in case adecrease has been talked about simply change
the plus sign to a negative sign.

x y

xy
100

Now let us solve the question above with more ease-

10 5

10 5
1 9
5 4.5
100
2 2

4. At a supermarket shirts have been prices at 40% more than the actual
price and given a discount of 20%. What is the profit percentage on the
purchase price of the shirts?
Solution: The calculations would be made thus using the trick-

40 20

40 20
20 8 12%
100

5. In a town the population increased by 15% in the year 2014 and further
increased by 33% in 2015. What is the total percentage increase in
poopulation?
Solution:

15 33

15 33
495
48
48 4.95 52.95
100
100

6. A housewife decreases the consumption of a commodity by 10% after the

taxes have been increased by 15%. What is the percentage effect on
revenue?

Somution:

10 15

10 15
5 1.5 3.5%
100

7. If the price increased by 15% and the sale decreased by 5%, then what
would be the percentage effect on income?

Hint:

15 5

15 5
100

Type 2:
1. In an examination the passing marks is 50% and a student secures 56
marks and is declared to have failed by 13 marks then what was the total
marks for which exam had been held?
Solution: Here as well let us look at the simplicity of the proble first before we
discussed the trick. We will make use of the unitary method to solve this
problem. The question states that 56+13 marks is 50%. And asks what would

be 100%. Here, we may argue thus-

50% 69
100%

69 marks 100%
100% 69 2 138 marks
50%

The trick: If pass marks is x% and student who secures y marks fails by z
marks then maximum marks is-

100( y z )
x
Tip: If you're going to use these tricks in the exam then meorize it in this way.
You should be able to recall the statement. It becomes easy after that. Please
carry out the calculations yourself now using the trick.
Trick 2: If a candidate that gets x% fails by a marks and the other student
scoring y% gets b marks more than the passing marks (means pass
marks+b=y%) then the maximum marks for which exam had been held is-

100(a b)
yx
2. If a student who secures 46% marks fails the exam by 18 marks, while
another student securing 56% marks gets 17 marks more than the passing
marks then what was the maximum marks for which exam had been held?

Solution:

100(18 17) 100 35

350
56 46
10

Now let's look at another problem where both the students have failed by
certain marks. We will then not be able to use the formula. But the unitary
method shall be still useful.
3. If a candidate that secured 50% marks has failed by 65 marks and another
student that secured 565 marks has failed by 13 marks then for how many
marks exam was held?
Soltion: The latter situation tells us that the passing marks had been
565+13=578, which is equal to 50%+65. Therefore-

50% 65 578 50%=513, then 100%=

513 marks 100%

100% 1026 marks
50%

4. If a person who took the measurement of a rectange made an error by

taking one side at 20% increase and 5% decrease while calculating the area,
then what is the % error in area?

Hint:

20 5

20 5
100

5. If the sides of a rectangle was increased by 3% and 5% then what is the

percentage increase or decrease in area?
Hint: 3+5+15/100
If in the exam a question asks you to calculate the increment in area of a two
dimensional figure (such as a triangle, square, rectangle etc. and a single rate
has been given then the affected area calculation can be made by using the
same formula. you will use only one parameter so you may make some
changes,

x x
x2
xx
2x
100
100
Type3: If in an exam x% students failed in Maths y% students failed in English
and z% students failed in both the exams then the percentage of students
who passed in both the exams can be calculated using the following formula-

100 ( x y z )
1. In an examination, 44% students failed in Science, 33% students failed in
Maths and 12% failed in both the exams then the what is the percentage of
students who passed in both the exams ?
Solution:

100 (44 33 12) 100 89 11

Type4:
1. A man spends 56% of his income. When his salary increases by 20% he
starts spending 10% more. Find the increase percentage in his savings.
Solution:

20 100 10 56 2000 560

32.727%
100 56
44

2. A solution of salt and water contains 15% salt by weight out of which 30kg
water evaporates and the solution now contains 20% of salt. Find the original
quantity of salt.
Solution:

Final % of salt

% Difference of salt

qunatity of water evaporated

20
120kg
20 15

30

3. Aman spends 20% incomeon purchasing books, 50% remaining on food

items and 30% remaining on clothes. He saves the $6300. What is the total
income of the person?
Solution:

100
100
100
6300 100 100 100

22500

100 30
80 50 70
100 20 100 50

6300

4. 40 litres of a mixture of milk and water contain 10% of water. How much
water must be added to make the water 20% in the new mixture?
Solution:

40(20 10)
5 liters
100 20
5. A product was originally sold at a profit of 25%. The buyer sells the item by
making a profit of 20% and further it was sold at a profit of 28%. Find the
original price if it was finally sold at $48.
Solution:

100
100
100

100

48

100 25
100 28 100 20

128

48

100

120

100
$25

125

6. In a mixutre there is salt and water. What amount of water should be

added to reduce the 15 litres of 50% solution to 30% solution?
Solution:

15(50 30)
10 liters
30
7. In an examination the percentage of students qualified to the number of
students appeared from school A is 70%. In school B the number of students
appeared is 20% more than the students appeared from school A and the
number of students qualified from school B is 50% more than the qualified
students of school A. What is the percentage of students qualifiedto the
number of students appeared from school B?
Solution:

Required%=

70(100 50)%
70 150
100
100 87.5%
100(100 20)%
100 120

8. In a mixture of milk and water 20% is water. How much water should be
added so that the proportion of water becomes 10%?
Solution: When such a question is posed where one type of good is to be
added we can proceed as follows-

Previous % value of A

Changed % value of A Mixture quantity Mixture quantity

In the above question required quantity of sand to be added

20
= 1 1 2 1 1 kg
10
8. If the two children A and B's heights are in the ratio 4:5, and A's height
increases by 10% and the total height of A and B together becomes 82.8
inches with an increase of 15%. By what per cent the height of Shyam
increase?
Solution: The following relationship can be applied in such situations

4(100 10) 5(100 x) (4 5) 100 15 .......(*)

440 5(100 x) 1035
100 x 119
x 19
This problem can be solved by using the rule of alligation as well so try to
apply it.