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Percentage practice questions for bank exams

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 9 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Percentage is the base skill under most arithmetic in bank exams. Profit and loss, interest, data interpretation and even ratios all reduce to "what part of what". A question asks for a part, a change, or the net effect of several changes. If you think in multiplying factors (a 20% rise is ×1.2, a 25% fall is ×0.75), most of these take under 40 seconds.

Ideas that solve most percentage questions

The last row is the classic trap: the base changes, so the percentages differ.

Five practice questions

Question 1

A number is first increased by 20% and then decreased by 25%. What is the net change?

• A. 5% decrease
• B. 10% increase
• C. No change
• D. 10% decrease

Question 2

In an election between two candidates, the winner got 55% of the valid votes and won by 1,800 votes. If 10% of all the votes cast were invalid, how many votes were cast in all?

• A. 20,000
• B. 19,800
• C. 22,000
• D. 18,000

Question 3

The price of sugar rises by 25%. By what percentage must a household cut its consumption to keep its spending on sugar the same?

• A. 15%
• B. 20%
• C. 25%
• D. 33 1/3%

Question 4

Aman scored 72% of the total marks in four subjects of 150 marks each. In three subjects he scored 110, 124 and 118. How many marks did he score in the fourth subject?

• A. 72
• B. 76
• C. 80
• D. 84

Question 5

In a class, 60% of the students are boys. Of the boys, 30% wear spectacles, and of the girls, 40% wear spectacles. What percentage of the whole class wears spectacles?

• A. 32%
• B. 34%
• C. 35%
• D. 36%

Answers and explanations

1. D. The net factor is 1.2 × 0.75 = 0.90, so the number falls by 10%. The shortcut a + b + ab/100 gives the same: 20 − 25 − 5 = −10.
2. A. The winner has 55% and the loser 45% of the valid votes, so the margin is 10% of valid votes. That is 1,800, so valid votes are 18,000. These are 90% of all votes, so the total is 18,000 ÷ 0.9 = 20,000.
3. B. The new price is 125 for every 100. To spend the same, buy 100/125 = 0.8 of the old quantity. That is a 20% cut.
4. C. The total marks are 4 × 150 = 600, and 72% of 600 = 432. The three scores add up to 110 + 124 + 118 = 352. The fourth score is 432 − 352 = 80.
5. B. Take 100 students. There are 60 boys and 40 girls. Spectacle wearers are 30% of 60 = 18 boys and 40% of 40 = 16 girls. That is 34 out of 100, or 34%.

How to prepare percentage

• Start from 100. For percentage problems with no real numbers, assume the base is 100 (as in Question 5), then convert at the end.
• Convert to factors, not subtractions. Writing 0.9 beats writing "20% up, 25% down" once several changes are chained.
• Memorise the fraction forms of 12.5%, 16.67%, 33.33% and 37.5% from the approximation table, so that you divide instead of multiplying decimals.
• Always ask "percent of what?" Most wrong answers come from using the wrong base, especially in reverse questions such as "A is 25% more than B".
• Learn the election and population set-ups. Invalid votes, two-candidate margins and growth over several years are common set-ups in both prelims Quant and mains data interpretation.
• Move on quickly. A good target is 30 to 40 seconds a question. If you are stuck at 50 seconds, you picked a poor starting method, so skip.

Practise ten mixed percentage questions a day for a week, then check which row of the table above you missed most. That row is your weak spot.

The full percentage topic test is on PrepMatic (about 15 questions, 30 minutes). The Quantitative Aptitude guide shows how percentage connects with the other Quant topics, and the bank exam hub has each exam's pattern.

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