1
What is 25% of 480?
Correct answer: A. 120
25% is one-fourth, so 25% of 480 = 480 ÷ 4 = 120. Recognising common percentages as fractions (50% = 1/2, 25% = 1/4, 20% = 1/5) saves time without a calculator.
Read detailseasy
Percentage and Interest Problems MCQs
Civil Service Exam numerical ability reviewer on percentages: percent of a number, percent change, successive discounts, markups, VAT, commission, profit and loss, and simple and compound interest.
20 MCQsUpdated 3 November 2026
Percentage problems appear throughout the Numerical Ability part of the exam, in discounts, increases, taxes, commissions, grades and interest. This set covers the main types, including the classic traps: successive changes that do not cancel, percentage points versus percent change, and prices that already include VAT.
Every answer in this set was calculated and checked by script. Calculators are not allowed in the Civil Service Exam, so practise each item on paper and look for the shortcut shown in the explanation.
- 2
40 is what percent of 250?
Correct answer: D. 16%
Percent = part ÷ whole × 100 = 40 ÷ 250 × 100 = 16%. A quick method: 1% of 250 is 2.5, and 40 ÷ 2.5 = 16. Always divide by the whole, which here is 250.
Read detailseasy - 3
Increase 800 by 15%. What is the result?
Correct answer: C. 920
15% of 800 is 120 (10% is 80 and 5% is 40), so the result is 800 + 120 = 920. Adding 15 instead of 15% gives the wrong answer 815.
Read detailseasy - 4
A town of 40,000 people grew by 5% in one year. What is its new population?
Correct answer: A. 42,000
5% of 40,000 is 2,000 (1% is 400, so 5% is 2,000). The new population is 40,000 + 2,000 = 42,000. Finding 1% first is a reliable mental method.
Read detailseasy - 5
A ₱1,000 item is marked up by 20%, then the new price is reduced by 20%. What is the final price?
Correct answer: C. ₱960
After the markup: ₱1,000 × 1.20 = ₱1,200. After the 20% reduction: ₱1,200 × 0.80 = ₱960. The two changes do not cancel, because the second 20% is taken from a larger amount.
Read detailsmedium - 6
An item priced at ₱5,000 is given successive discounts of 20% and 10%. What is the final price?
Correct answer: D. ₱3,600
Apply the discounts one after the other: ₱5,000 × 0.80 = ₱4,000, then ₱4,000 × 0.90 = ₱3,600. Successive discounts of 20% and 10% equal a single discount of 28%, not 30%.
Read detailsmedium - 7
A sales agent earns a 3% commission. How much does she earn on sales of ₱150,000?
Correct answer: C. ₱4,500
1% of ₱150,000 is ₱1,500, so 3% is ₱4,500. Commission questions are simply "percent of" questions: rate × amount. Multiply directly: 0.03 × 150,000 = 4,500.
Read detailseasy - 8
What is the simple interest on ₱15,000 at 6% per year for 3 years?
Correct answer: B. ₱2,700
Simple interest = principal × rate × time = ₱15,000 × 0.06 × 3 = ₱2,700. One year of interest is ₱900, and three years give three times that.
Read detailseasy - 9
₱10,000 is deposited at 10% interest compounded annually. How much is in the account after 2 years?
Correct answer: C. ₱12,100
Year 1: ₱10,000 + ₱1,000 = ₱11,000. Year 2: ₱11,000 + ₱1,100 = ₱12,100. With compounding, the second year's interest is earned on the first year's interest too, so the total exceeds the simple-interest amount of ₱12,000.
Read detailsmedium - 10
A loan of ₱8,000 earned ₱1,200 simple interest in 3 years. What was the annual interest rate?
Correct answer: A. 5%
Rate = interest ÷ (principal × time) = 1,200 ÷ (8,000 × 3) = 1,200 ÷ 24,000 = 0.05, or 5%. The 15% option is the total interest over three years, not the yearly rate.
Read detailsmedium - 11
What principal earns ₱900 simple interest in 2 years at 4.5% per year?
Correct answer: A. ₱10,000
Principal = interest ÷ (rate × time) = 900 ÷ (0.045 × 2) = 900 ÷ 0.09 = ₱10,000. Check: ₱10,000 × 0.045 × 2 = ₱900. Rearranging I = P × r × t gives P = I ÷ (r × t).
Read detailsmedium - 12
An employee's monthly salary is ₱30,000, and 9% of it is deducted as a contribution. How much is deducted each month?
Correct answer: D. ₱2,700
9% of ₱30,000: 1% is ₱300, so 9% is ₱2,700. Alternatively, 10% is ₱3,000 and 1% is ₱300, so 9% = ₱3,000 − ₱300 = ₱2,700.
Read detailseasy - 13
The passing rate in an exam rose from 12% to 15%. By what percent did the passing rate increase?
Correct answer: D. 25%
The rate rose by 3 percentage points, but the percent increase is 3 ÷ 12 × 100 = 25%. Percentage points measure the simple difference; percent change compares it with the original value.
Read detailshard - 14
A reviewee answered 68 of 80 items correctly. What was the score as a percentage?
Correct answer: A. 85%
Score = 68 ÷ 80 × 100 = 85%. A quick method: each item is worth 100 ÷ 80 = 1.25%, and 68 × 1.25 = 85. The passing rating in the CSE is a general rating of 80.00, which is computed by the CSC, not simply the percentage of correct items.
Read detailseasy - 15
A price of ₱560 already includes 12% value-added tax. What is the price before VAT?
Correct answer: B. ₱500
The VAT-inclusive price is 112% of the base price, so base price = 560 ÷ 1.12 = ₱500. Subtracting 12% of ₱560 (giving ₱492.80) is wrong, because VAT is computed on the base price, not on the total.
Read detailshard - 16
An item regularly priced at ₱1,500 is sold for ₱1,200. What is the rate of discount?
Correct answer: A. 20%
Discount = ₱300. Rate of discount = 300 ÷ 1,500 × 100 = 20%, based on the regular price. Dividing by the sale price would wrongly give 25%.
Read detailsmedium - 17
A sari-sari store owner buys a case of goods for ₱600 and sells the contents for a total of ₱690. What is her profit as a percentage of cost?
Correct answer: B. 15%
Profit = ₱690 − ₱600 = ₱90. Profit percentage based on cost = 90 ÷ 600 × 100 = 15%. Based on the selling price it would be about 13%, so always check which base the question asks for.
Read detailsmedium - 18
A phone bought for ₱2,000 was sold for ₱1,700. What was the percentage loss?
Correct answer: C. 15%
Loss = ₱300. Percentage loss = 300 ÷ 2,000 × 100 = 15%, based on the cost. Using the selling price as the base would give about 17.6%, which is incorrect here.
Read detailsmedium - 19
If 30% of a number is 42, what is 70% of the same number?
Correct answer: D. 98
If 30% is 42, then 10% is 14, and 70% is 7 × 14 = 98. There is no need to find the whole number (140) first, although doing so gives the same result.
Read detailsmedium - 20
A ₱12,000 loan charges simple interest of 1% per month. How much interest is due after 6 months?
Correct answer: B. ₱720
Interest per month = 1% of ₱12,000 = ₱120. For 6 months: ₱120 × 6 = ₱720. Watch the time unit: here the rate is per month, so time is counted in months.
Read detailsmedium