Quantitative Aptitude: Profit, Loss and Discounts

 Profit, Loss and Discounts is one of prominent topics that is common across many entrance and competitive exams. It also has wide range of real-world applications from finance to economics. In this blog post, let's explore these concepts in detail along with key formulas and sample questions.

Definitions:

  • Selling Price: The price at which the goods is sold.
  • Cost Price: The price at which the goods can be produced or purchased.
  • Marked Price/List Price: It is the price labelled on goods. You can consider MRP as an example of marked price.
  • Discount: Discount is a reduction in the price of a good. It will be expressed as a number or percentage. 
  • Successive Discount: Successive discount is a type of discount when the seller offers discount on an already discounted goods. 
  • Profit: A transaction in which cost price is less than the selling price. It is the difference between Selling Price - Cost Price. It is generally expressed as number or %.
  • Loss: A transaction in which selling price is less than the cost price.  It is the difference between Cost Price - Selling Price. It is generally expressed as number or %.

Relationship & Formula:

  • Selling Price= Marked Price -Discount
  • When D1 and D2 are two successive discounts, 
  • Selling Price= (Marked Price * (100 - D1) * (100-D2))/(100*100)
  • Profit = Selling Price - Cost Price
  • Loss = Cost Price - Selling Price.
  • % Profit = (Profit/Cost Price) * 100
  • % Loss = (Loss/Cost Price) * 100

Examples:

1) Cost price of an article is 100. The Selling Price is 120. Find the profit & profit percentage.

Profit=120-100=20
Profit % =20/100 = 20%

2) Cost price of an article is 100. The Marked Price is 120. Discount is 10. Find the profit & profit percentage.

Selling Price = 120-10=110
Profit=110-100=10
Profit %=10/100=10%

3)Cost price of an article is 100. The Selling Price is 80. Find the profit or loss & profit or loss percentage.

Since selling price is less than cost price, the transaction is a loss transaction.
Loss=100-80=20
Loss % =20/100=20%

4)Marked price of an item is 100. The sellers offers two successive discount of 10%. Find the selling price.

Selling Price= (Marked Price * (100 - D1) * (100-D2))/(100*100)
where D1=10,D2=10
Selling Price=(100 * (100-10) * (100-10))/(100*100)
Selling Price=(100 * 90 * 90)/(100 * 100)
Selling Price=81

 Click Here  to test your knowledge on Profit & Loss.

Instructions:

  • Choose Profit & Loss from 'Select test Topic' drop down.
  • Each correct selection results in 1 mark.
  • Each in-correct selection results in -0.33 mark.
  • All the Best