Percent Practice

Question 1
What is 35% of 240?

Question 2
29 is what percent of 116?

Question 3
9% of 72 is what?

Question 4
If a $250 investment increases by 300%, what is that investment worth now?

Question 5
Julie scored 12 goals in her senior year in high school. She scored eight goals in her freshman year
in college. What was the percent change in the number of goals Julie scored?

Question 6
The price of a certain item was lowered by 20%, then raised by 25%. What was the total change in
the cost of the item?
a) -5%
b) 0%
c) 5%
d) 15%
e) 25%

Question 7
Emily goes out to dinner. She leaves a 20% tip of $23.50. How much did the meal cost?
Question 8
A certain apartment requires a security deposit of 15% of the cost of one month’s rent. If the
security deposit is $270, what is the cost of one month’s rent?

Question 9
A certain record store marks up every item they sell by 35%. If they are currently selling a near-
mint condition Marvin Gaye album for $45, what did the store pay for the album?

Question 10
If ‘a’ is 15% of ‘b’, and ‘c’ is 30% of ‘b’, what percent of ‘c’ is ‘a’?
a) 25%
b) 50%
c) 65%
d) 75%
e) 200%

Question 11
Each side of a square tablecloth was increased by 50%. What is the percent increase in the area of
the tablecloth?

a) 50%
b) 100%
c) 125%
d) 150%
e) 225%

Question 12
Slick Nick makes an investment in real estates. If his investment increases 800% how many times
more money does he have?
a) 7 times more money
b) 8 times more money
c) 9 times more money
d) 10 times more money
e) 12 times more money
Answer Key
1) 110
2) 25%
3) 6.48
4) 1000
5) -33%
6) B
7) $117.50
8) 1800
9) $33.33
10) B
11) C
12) C

Below are full explanations for every question. If you are still finding these challenging after you
review the explanations, that’s probably because…well, these can be challenging. Remember you
don’t have to do this alone.
If you’d like some extra help, you can email me anytime and we can figure out the best way to get
you to your GRE goals: [email protected]
Explanations

Question 1
What is 35% of 240?
Insight: Use the 4 words to translate the English into math

What means: x

Percent means: divide by 100

Of means: multiply

Is means: equals
35
The question translated from English into math: x = * 240 ; find the value of x
100
Algebra:
35
Step 1: (100) x= * 240 (100) multiply each side by 100
100

Step 2: 100 x = 8400

8400
Step 3: = x
100

Step 4: 84 = x
Question 2
29 is what percent of 116?
Insight: Use the 4 words to translate the English into math

What means: x

Percent means: divide by 100

Of means: multiply

Is means: equals
𝑥
The question translated from English into math: 29 = * 116 ; find the value of x
100
Algebra:
𝑥
Step 1: (100) (29) = * 116 (100) multiply each side by 100
100

Step 2: 2900 = 11600x

2900
Step 3: = x
11600

Step 4: 25% = x
Question 3
9% of 72 is what?
Insight: Use the 4 words to translate the English into math

What means: x

Percent means: divide by 100

Of means: multiply

Is means: equals
9
The question translated from English into math: * 72 = X ; find the value of x
100
Algebra:
9
Step 1: (100) * 72 = x (100) multiply each side by 100
100

Step 2: 648 = 100x

648
Step 3: = x
100

Step 4: 6.48 = x

Question 4
If a $250 investment increases by 300%, what is that investment worth now?
Insight: 300% INCREASE means multiply by 4
$250 * 4 = $1000
Question 5
Julie scored 12 goals in her senior year in high school. She scored eight goals in her freshman year
in college. What was the percent change in the number of goals Julie scored?

𝑛𝑒𝑤 − 𝑜𝑙𝑑
Insight: percent change formula
𝑜𝑙𝑑
New: 8
Old: 12
8 − 12 −4 −1
OR OR OR -33%
12 12 3

Question 6
The price of a certain item was lowered by 20%, then raised by 25%. What was the total change in
the cost of the item?
a) -5%
b) 0%
c) 5%
d) 15%
e) 25%

Insight: Always start with 100, then move through the precent changes one by one.
Staring price: $100
Lowered by 20%: $100 * .8 = $80
Raised by 25%: $80 * 1.25 = $100
Answer: b
Question 7
Emily goes out to dinner. She leaves a 20% tip of $23.50. How much did the meal cost?
Insight: translate the question into: 20% of some price is $23.50
Insight: Use the 4 words to translate the English into math

What means: x

Percent means: divide by 100

Of means: multiply

Is means: equals
20
The question translated from English into math: * x = 23.50 ; find the value of x
100
Algebra:
20
Step 1: (100) * x = 23.50 (100) multiply each side by 100
100

Step 2: 20x = 2350

2350
Step 3: = x
20

Step 4: 117.5 = x
Question 8
A certain apartment requires a security deposit of 15% of the cost of one month’s rent. If the
security deposit is $270, what is the cost of one month’s rent?
Insight: translate the question into: 15% of some monthly rent is $270
Insight: Use the 4 words to translate the English into math

What means: x

Percent means: divide by 100

Of means: multiply

Is means: equals
15
The question translated from English into math: * x = 270 ; find the value of x
100
Algebra:
15
Step 1: (100) * x = 270 (100) multiply each side by 100
100

Step 2: 15x = 27,000

27,000
Step 3: = x
15

Step 4: 1,800 = x
Question 9
A certain record store marks up every item they sell by 35%. If they are currently selling a near-
mint condition Marvin Gaye album for $45, what did the store pay for the album?
Insight: 35% markup is the same a 35% increase which means in math: 135%
Translate the question into: $45 is 135% of what price?
Insight: Use the 4 words to translate the English into math

What means: x

Percent means: divide by 100

Of means: multiply

Is means: equals
135
The question translated from English into math: 45 = * x ; find the value of x
100
Algebra:
135
Step 1: (100)(45) * x (100) multiply each side by 100
100

Step 2: 4500 = 135x

4500
Step 3: = x
135

Step 4: 33.33 = x
Question 10
If ‘a’ is 15% of ‘b’, and ‘c’ is 30% of ‘b’, what percent of ‘c’ is ‘a’?
a) 25%
b) 50%
c) 65%
d) 75%
e) 200%

Insight: Translate each step out of English and into math

15
English: ‘a’ is 15% of ‘b’ Math: a= b
100

30
English: ‘c’ is 30% of ‘b’ Math: c= b
100

𝑥
English: what percent of ‘c’ is ‘a’? Math: *c=a
100

𝑥 30 15
Substitute using b * b = b
100 100 100

𝑥 30 15
b’s cancel * =
100 100 100

𝑥 30 15
Multiply by 100 (100) * = (100) OR 30x = 15
100 100 100

15 1
Solve 30x = 15 OR x = 30 OR x = 2 OR x = 50%

Answer: b
Question 11
Each side of a square tablecloth was increased by 50%. What is the percent increase in the area of
the tablecloth?

a) 50%
b) 100%
c) 125%
d) 150%
e) 225%

𝑂𝑙𝑑 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑 − 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑

Question: 𝑂𝑙𝑑 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑

Insight: Two ways to solve: 1) Algebra and 2) Picking numbers

Algebra approach

Area of old tablecloth: L * W = area of old table cloth

Area of new tablecloth: 1.5L * 1.5W = area of new tablecloth OR 2.25 * L * W

Insight: At this point you can tell the new table cloth is 2.25 times as big as the old one because 2.25LW
is 2.25 times as big as LW.

Insight: 2.25 TIMES AS BIG is the same thing as 125% MORE.

Answer **c

Picking numbers approach

Size of old tablecloth: L = 4 and W = 2 SO 4 * 2 = 8 is area of old tablecloth.

New tablecloth increase each dimension by 1.5: L = 6 w = 3 SO 6 * 3 = 18 is the area of the new
tablecloth.
𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑡ℎ − 𝑂𝑙𝑑 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑡ℎ 18 − 8 10
Insight: 𝑂𝑙𝑑 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑡ℎ
OR 8
OR 8
OR 1.25 OR 125%

Answer **c
Question 12
Slick Nick makes an investment in real estates. If his investment increases 800% how many times
more money does he have?
a) 7 times more money
b) 8 times more money
c) 9 times more money
d) 10 times more money
e) 12 times more money
Insight: 800% INCREASE means multiply by the original amount by 9

Answer: c