Welcome to Part 3 of the Profit and Loss Questions with Answers series. This practice set contains Questions 21–30, specially designed for aspirants preparing for IBPS PO, SBI PO, RBI Assistant, LIC AAO, SSC CGL, RRB, and other competitive examinations.
In this part, you will practice a fresh collection of moderate-level Profit and Loss questions covering important concepts such as effective cost price, marked price, discount, successive discounts, additional expenses, damaged goods, bulk purchases, reverse calculations, and mixed selling price scenarios. These questions are designed to improve your conceptual understanding as well as your calculation speed.
Every question includes a step-by-step solution, a shortcut method, and a banking exam tip to help you solve similar questions quickly and accurately in the examination. The questions are arranged in a logical progression so that you can gradually build confidence while mastering different Profit and Loss concepts.
Practice each question carefully before checking the solution, apply the shortcut methods wherever possible, and continue with the upcoming parts of this series to strengthen your Quantitative Aptitude preparation for banking, insurance, railway, and other competitive exams.
Table of Contents
Profit & Loss Questions (Premium Edition)
Question 21
Question
A trader sold an article at a 20% profit. Had he purchased the article for 10% less and sold it for ₹360 less, he would have earned a 25% profit. Find the original cost price.
Shortcut Method
Let original CP = ₹x.
Original SP = 120% of x = 1.20x
New CP = 90% of x = 0.90x
At 25% profit, new SP = 1.25 × 0.90x = 1.125x
Given the new SP is ₹360 less:
1.20x − 1.125x = 360
0.075x = 360
x = ₹4,800
Final Answer
✅₹4,800
Question 22
Question
A shopkeeper marks an article 60% above its cost price. He offers a 20% discount on the marked price and then gives an additional 5% cashback on the amount paid by the customer. If the cashback is borne entirely by the shopkeeper, find his effective profit percentage.
Shortcut Method
Assume CP = ₹100.
Marked Price = ₹160
After 20% discount:
₹160 × 80% = ₹128
Cashback = 5% of ₹128 = ₹6.40
Effective amount received:
₹128 − ₹6.40 = ₹121.60
Profit = ₹121.60 − ₹100 = ₹21.60
Final Answer
✅21.6% Profit
Question 23
Question
A trader sells 40% of his stock at a 20% profit, 35% of the remaining stock at a 10% loss, and the rest at a 25% profit. If the total cost price of the entire stock is ₹80,000, find his overall profit percentage.
Shortcut Method
Since the percentages of stock are based on quantity, first determine the corresponding cost proportions only because the same cost per unit is assumed.
- First portion = 40%
- Second portion = 35% of remaining 60% = 21%
- Third portion = 39%
Weighted profit:
40% × 20% = 8%
21% × (−10%) = −2.1%
39% × 25% = 9.75%
Overall profit:
8 − 2.1 + 9.75 = 15.65%
Final Answer
✅15.65% Profit
Question 24
Question
A retailer purchased an article after receiving a 25% discount on its marked price. He then sold it at a 20% profit on his purchase price. If the selling price was ₹18,000, find the marked price.
Shortcut Method
Selling Price = 120% of purchase price.
Purchase Price:
₹18,000 ÷ 1.20 = ₹15,000
Since ₹15,000 represents 75% of the marked price:
Marked Price:
₹15,000 ÷ 0.75 = ₹20,000
Final Answer
✅₹20,000
Question 25
Question
A dishonest dealer buys rice using a weight that gives him 20% more rice than the quantity for which he pays. While selling, he uses a false weight of 800 g instead of 1 kg and charges the cost price per kilogram. Find his overall profit percentage.
Shortcut Method
Buying advantage:
He gets 1.20 kg while paying for 1 kg.
Buying multiplier = 1.20
Selling advantage:
He charges for 1 kg but gives only 800 g.
Selling multiplier = 1000 ÷ 800 = 1.25
Overall multiplier:
1.20 × 1.25 = 1.50
Therefore, profit = 50%
Final Answer
✅50% Profit
Recommended Reading:-
Part 1: Profit and Loss Questions with Answers (Questions 1–10)
Part 2: Profit and Loss Questions with Answers (Questions 11–20)
Part 4: Profit and Loss Questions with Answers (Questions 31–40)
Question 26
Question
An article is sold at a 15% profit. If both its cost price and selling price are increased by ₹1,500, the resulting profit percentage becomes 10%. Find the original cost price.
Shortcut Method
Let original CP = ₹x.
Original SP = 1.15x
After the increase:
New CP = x + 1,500
New SP = 1.15x + 1,500
New profit is 10%:
1.15x + 1,500 = 1.10(x + 1,500)
1.15x + 1,500 = 1.10x + 1,650
0.05x = 150
x = ₹3,000
Final Answer
✅₹3,000
Question 27
Question
A merchant sells two articles for ₹6,000 each. On one article he gains 20%, while on the other he incurs a 20% loss. Find his overall loss percentage.
Shortcut Method
For the first article:
CP = 6,000 ÷ 1.20 = ₹5,000
For the second article:
CP = 6,000 ÷ 0.80 = ₹7,500
Total CP = ₹12,500
Total SP = ₹12,000
Loss = ₹500
Loss %:
₹500 ÷ ₹12,500 × 100 = 4%
Final Answer
✅4% Loss
Question 28
Question
A shopkeeper marks an article 80% above its cost price. He offers successive discounts of 15% and 20%. He also pays 4% commission on the final selling price to an online marketplace. Find his effective profit percentage.
Shortcut Method
Assume CP = ₹100.
Marked Price = ₹180
After 15% discount:
₹180 × 85% = ₹153
After 20% discount:
₹153 × 80% = ₹122.40
Marketplace commission:
4% of ₹122.40 = ₹4.896
Net amount received:
₹122.40 − ₹4.896 = ₹117.504
Profit = ₹17.504
Final Answer
✅17.50% Profit (Approx.)
Question 29
Question
A trader purchased an article for ₹12,000 and spent 10% of the purchase price on repairs. He then marked the article 40% above its total cost and allowed a 15% discount. Find his profit percentage.
Shortcut Method
Purchase Price = ₹12,000
Repair cost = 10% of ₹12,000 = ₹1,200
Total Cost = ₹13,200
Marked Price:
₹13,200 × 140% = ₹18,480
Selling Price:
₹18,480 × 85% = ₹15,708
Profit:
₹15,708 − ₹13,200 = ₹2,508
Profit %:
₹2,508 ÷ ₹13,200 × 100 = 19%
Final Answer
✅19% Profit
Question 30
Question
A trader purchased two varieties of tea at ₹480 per kg and ₹600 per kg and mixed them in the ratio 3 : 2. He sold the mixture at ₹660 per kg. Find his profit percentage.
Shortcut Method
Cost price of 1 kg mixture:
(3 × ₹480 + 2 × ₹600) ÷ 5
= (₹1,440 + ₹1,200) ÷ 5
= ₹528 per kg
Selling Price = ₹660 per kg
Profit = ₹660 − ₹528 = ₹132
Profit %:
₹132 ÷ ₹528 × 100 = 25%
Final Answer
✅25% Profit
💡 Banking Exam Tips
Always calculate the effective cost price first whenever transportation, repair, labour, or packaging charges are given.
When only markup and discount percentages are given, assume CP = ₹100 to solve the question mentally.
In damaged goods questions, never exclude the cost of damaged goods from the total cost price. Only the selling quantity changes.
When the question asks only the profit percentage, compare the net selling price factor directly with 100%. This avoids unnecessary calculations and saves time.
In questions where goods are sold at different prices, calculate the combined selling price first instead of finding profit separately for each group.
⚡Profit and Loss Shortcut Trick
Assume Cost Price as ₹100
When only percentages are involved, assume the Cost Price (CP) = ₹100. This makes calculations simple and helps you solve questions mentally.
Example:
- Markup = 40%
- Discount = 20%
Marked Price = ₹140
Selling Price = ₹140 × 80% = ₹112
Profit = ₹12 = 12%
✅ FAQ Section
Q1. Are these Profit and Loss questions useful for IBPS PO?
Yes. These questions are specially designed for IBPS PO, SBI PO, RBI Assistant, LIC AAO, SSC CGL, RRB, and other competitive examinations.
Q2. Are detailed solutions included?
Yes. Every question includes a step-by-step solution, shortcut method, and banking exam tip.
Q3. What is the difficulty level?
The questions are of moderate difficulty, suitable for banking, SSC, insurance, and railway exams.
Q4. Can beginners practice these questions?
Yes. Beginners can start from Part 1 and gradually move to higher parts.
Looking for more practice? Continue with the next set of Profit and Loss questions to improve your speed, accuracy, and exam performance.
