Find a percentage of an amount, increase and decrease by a percentage, and work backwards to an original price.
What you practise
Percentages of amounts
Percentage increase and decrease
Reverse percentages
Moves from easy percentages like 10% and 25% to reverse percentage problems. Practice moves up a level when a round goes well and down when it does not.
Sample questions
Each sample comes with the method and the reason every wrong option is wrong. Real practice rounds are ten questions at your level.
Sample question, level 2 of 5
What is 75% of 40?
0.533
30
10
75
300
Show the answer and method
Answer: B, 30
The method: 75% of 40 = 75/100 × 40 = 30.
Why the other options are wrong:
A, 0.533: The number was divided by the percentage.
C, 10: This is what is left after taking 75% away.
D, 75: The percentage itself was given, not the percentage of the number.
E, 300: The decimal point is one place out.
Sample question, level 4 of 5
Decrease £260 by 35%.
£179
£351
£225
£169
£91
Show the answer and method
Answer: D, £169
The method: 35% of £260 is £91. Take it off: £260 − £91 = £169.
Why the other options are wrong:
A, £179: Close, but check your working: this is a small slip away from the answer.
B, £351: The amount was increased instead of decreased.
C, £225: 35% was taken off as if it were 35 pounds.
