Problem Solving is one of the scopes of Civil Service Examination. This page contains the most common word problems in mathematics (mostly comprised of business related problems) that you will likely encounter in the actual Civil Service exam. However, be reminded that the use of calculator is not allowed.
With respect to the the mathematical operations used in this portion, only the basics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division are involved. So better practice your skills in those operations. But, it also requires great analysis and understanding of the problem.
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| Civil Service Reviewer |
12 Tips for Solving Math Problems
The key to solving math word problems is to have a plan or strategy, which works in any math word problem solving situation. For children having problems with math word problems, the following 12 tips are provided for helping children become good problem solvers.
1. Read the problem carefully looking for clues and important information. Write down the clues, underline, or highlight the clues.
2. If necessary, rewrite the problem to help find these clues.
3. Look for clues to determine which math operation is needed to solve the problem, for example addition, subtraction, etc. Look for key words like sum, difference, product, perimeter, area, etc. They lead to the operation needed to solve the problem.
4. Look for what is needed solve the problem, for example: how many will are left, the total will be, everyone gets red, everyone gets one of each, etc.
5. Use variable symbols, such as “X” for missing information.
6. Eliminate all non-essential information by drawing a line through distracting information.
7. Draw sketches, drawings, and models to see the problem.
8. Is the word problem similar to a previous work, if so how was it solved.
9. Develop a plan based on the information determined to be important for solving the problem.
10. Carry out the plan using the math operations which were determined would find the answer.
11. Does the answer seem reasonable, if it does then it is probably ok – if not then check the work.
12. Work the problem in reverse or backwards, starting with the answer to see if you wind up with your original problem.
Additional words:
Here is another extra bit of information, which is a common mistake made when working with word problems. Forgetting to use the correct units of measure throughout the problem often results in the wrong answer. Units of measure can be mixed in the same word problem and not use the appropriate units leads to errors. These must be used properly to keep the answer correct.
Source: https://suite.io/david-r-wetzel/tz520x (12 Tips for Solving Math Problems)
Clue Words:
When deciding on methods or procedures to use to solve problems, the first thing you should do is look for clues, which is one of the most important skills in solving problems in mathematics. If you begin to solve problems by looking for clue words, you will find that these 'words' often indicate an operation.
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| Civil Service Reviewer |
Clue Words for Addition
- sum
- total
- in all
- perimeter
Clue Words for Subtraction
- difference
- how much more
- exceed
Clue Words for Multiplication
- product
- total
- area
- times
Clue Words for Division
- share
- distribute
- quotient
-average
Although clue words vary a bit, you'll find that there will be consistency with them to guide you to the correct operation.
So, here are the Practice Test Items for you. You can use this reviewer to help you in your preparation for the exam.
* TEST BEGINS HERE *
DIRECTION: For each of the problems below, choose the correct answer from the choices given. Choose your answer by clicking the round button on the left of your answer.
1) Miss Roxas bought 20 blouses for PHP1800 and marked them to sell at PHP110 each. After selling 16 pieces at this rate, she decided to sell the remaining blouses at a lower price. At what price may she sell each remaining blouse and still realize a gross profit of PHP360 on the 20 blouses?
1. PHP 100
2. PHP 105
3. PHP 110
4. PHP 115
2) The Philippines and 19 other Asian nations decide to cut their oil consumption by two million barrels a day. If this is 5% of their daily oil consumption, how many barrels are consumed by these countries in one day?
1. 400,000
2. 10,000.00
3. 40,000.00
4. 100,000.00
3) A development project which was financed by ecological organizations amounted to PHP3.6 million. If there had been two more contributors, and the expenses were shared equally, it would have cost each organization PHP300,000 less. How many organizations contributed to the project?
1. 3
2. 4
3. 6
4. 9
4) There are 36 reams of mimeographing paper in the drawer. If 1 1/4 dozens of reams of paper were to be used in printing, how many reams should be left in the drawer?
1. 15
2. 20
3. 21
4. 22
5) A group of men went on fishing trip, agreeing that each should pay the same amount. The total bill was PHP 168. If there had been two fewer men, each man would have had to pay 2 pesos more. How many men went fishing?
1. 15
2. 14
3. 13
4. 12
6) The ceiling of a building, 18 meters by 15 meters, is to be painted. How many gallons of paint are required for this ceiling if a gallon can cover 15 square meters?
1. 15
2. 18
3. 20
4. 27
7) A square and a rectangle have equal areas. If the rectangle is 36 by 16, what is a side of a square?
1. 24
2. 26
3. 29
4. 34
8) Ana gets a commission of 10% for each bottle of lotion she sells. If a bottle of lotion sells for PHP87.50, how many bottles will Ana have to sell to receive a commission of PHP 210?
1. 20
2. 24
3. 36
4. 38
9) What is the sum of series of arithmetic progression having a common difference of 3.5, if the first term is 0.5 and the last term is 25?
1. 17.15
2. 25.55
3. 53.4
4. none of these
10) If the sum of 5 consecutive numbers is 95, what is the third number?
1. 17
2. 18
3. 19
4. 20
11) Two numbers are in the ratio of 3 to 5. The lesser number is 42. Find the greater number.
1. 70
2. 75
3. 112
4. 126
12) The total area of a cube is the sum of its lateral area and the area of its bases. If the edge of a cube is 4, find its total area.
1. 96
2. 64
3. 48
4. 32
13) If a can of paint will cover approximately 60 square yards, what length of the wall can be painted if the wall is 8 feet high?
1. 12 feet
2. 10 feet
3. 6 feet
4. none of these
14) One million is to be divided among the 3 children of a widower in the ratio of 10:12:18. By how much is the largest share greater than the smallest share?
1. PHP 300,000
2. PHP 200,000
3. PHP 150,000
4. PHP 100,000
15) Division and section heads of agency Y who come late during their monthly staff meetings are fined. The first latecomer pays PHP0.50, the second latecomer pays PHP1.00, the third pays PHP1.50, the fourth pays PHP2.00 and so forth. If 13 came late during their last meeting, how much money was collected from them?
1. PHP6.50
2. PHP45.50
3. PHP65.00
4. PHP84.50
16) In an illustration, one unit represents a line 85 centimeters long. How many meters long of a line will be represented by 150 units?
1. 1.275
2. 12.75
3. 127.50
4. 1,275
17) If the management of a parking lot charges its customer PHP10.00 for the first two hours and PHP5.00 for each additional hour or a part thereof; then the cost for parking for 4 hours and 45 miutes is __________.
1. P15.00
2. P23.75
3. P25.00
4. P35.00
18) A bureau director has an appointment at 9 A.M. in a nearby province. If he travels at 40 kph., he will arrive at 8 AM. If he drives at 30 kph., he will not arrive until 8:45 A.M. How far away is the province?
1. 30 km
2. 37.5 km
3. 50 km
4. 90 km
19) Which of the following has the greatest discounts?
1. a discount of 1/3 of the selling price of PHP200
2. 33.3% of the selling price of PHP200
3. 0.3 discount of the selling price of PHP200
4. a discount of PHP200
20) Nena has applied for employment in the next three different countries namely: Hong Kong; Malaysia and Brunei. In Hong Kong the monthly salary in HK $500; Malaysia Ringgit 300 and Brunei $200 consider the following:
1 HK $ = PHP2.90
1 Br $ = PHP12.15
1 Mal RM = PHP8.40
Which country has the best offer?
1. Hong Kong
2. Brunei
3. Malaysia
4. Hongkong – Brunei
21) Which of the following commodities has the least increase U.S. $ per pound from 1987 – 1990.
1. copper from 0.63 to 1.14
2. aluminum from 0.62 to 0.63
3. nickel from 1.72 to 3.55
4. zinc from 0.43 to 0.68
22) Which of the following is the biggest?
1. 41.2 meters
2. 4,120 centimeter
3. 0.0412 kilometer
4. all are equal
23) A family budget provides that the monthly outlaws for food and house is PHP 1,810.00. If the amount spent for food is three times that of the rent, how much is the monthly rental?
1. PHP 460.00
2. PHP 920.00
3. PHP 1,560.00
4. PHP 452.50
24) After driving 3 1/2 hours, a motorist covered 120 km. At this rate, how long will it take him to drive 360 km.?
1. 9 1/2
2. 10 1/2
3. 11 1/2
4. 12 1/2
25) Mrs. Renoso is planning to buy curtains for their new house. She will need 23 floor length pieces, each piece 2 meters and 50 cm. Long. How many meters should she buy.
1. 37 1/2
2. 47 1/2
3. 57 1/2
4. 67 1/2
26) An employee spends about PHP1,330.00 a month. This sum is 70% of his monthly salary. How much does he receives a month?
1. PHP1,900.00
2. PHP2,265.00
3. PHP2,900.00
4. PHP2,290.00
27. Which pair of numbers below has 120 as a product?
1. 7 & 16
2. 15 & 8
3. 18 & 5
4. 25 & 4
28) A certain number is doubled and then divided by 8. If after subtracting 4 from this result, one gets 16, the original number is:
1. 32
2. 48
3. 64
4. 80
29) The numerator of a fraction is 4 less than its denominator, if 3 is added both the numerator and denominator, the resulting number is 3/4. What is the original fraction?
1. 8/14
2. 9/13
3. 9/12
4. 10/13
30) Each box of ballpen contains 24 pieces. If an employee in an office given 3 ballpens. How many boxes will be needed for 168 employees?
1. 17
2. 21
3. 22
4. 25
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