Percentage points versus percentage — Aptitude Question
Percentage points versus percentage: A company's market share rose from 30% to 36%. By what percentage did its… Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Percentages
- Section: Quantitative Aptitude
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 45 seconds
Question
A company's market share rose from 30% to 36%. By what percentage did its share increase?
Options
- 6%
- 20%
- 25%
- 36%
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: B. 20%
Worked solution
- The share went up by 36 − 30 = 6 percentage points.
- Relative to the original share of 30, that is 6/30 = 20%.
Answer: 20%.
The idea
Percentage points are an absolute difference between two percentages; a percentage change is that difference divided by the starting value. Questions that mix the two are testing whether you notice.
Shortcut. Divide new by old: 36 ÷ 30 = 1.2, a 20% rise.
Common trap. 6% — the rise in percentage points (36 − 30) read as a percentage change.