If A is 25% more than B — Percentages Aptitude Question
If A is 25% more than B: If A is 25% more than B, then B is what percent less than A? Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Percentages
- Section: Quantitative Aptitude
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 60 seconds
Question
If A is 25% more than B, then B is what percent less than A?
Options
- 25%
- 30%
- 33⅓%
- 20%
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: D. 20%
Worked solution
- Let B = 100, so A = 125.
- B is 25 less than A; as a fraction of A that is 25/125 = 1/5 = 20%.
Answer: 20%.
The idea
'More than' and 'less than' use different bases. If A is x% more than B, then B is 100x/(100 + x) percent less than A. The reverse of a rise is never the same percentage.
Shortcut. 25% more is 1/4 more; the reverse is 1/(4 + 1) = 1/5 less, i.e. 20%.
Common trap. 25% — assuming the reverse change is the same percentage; the gap of 25 is measured against A's 125, not B's 100.