TANCET Math : Work Time

Hi

Here is a work time question. You could expect a question on this topic. A topic that gets usually tested in the test.
Question
A works twice as fast as B does and together they complete a task in 8 days, how long will A lone take to complete the task?
1. 16 days
2. 4 days
3. 32 days
4. 12 days
5. 24 days

Correct Answer
Choice (4). 12 days.

Explanatory Answer
A works twice as fast as B does.
So, if B does 'x' units of work in a day, then A does 2x units of work in a day or in a day they do 3x units of work.
Together, they complete the task in 8 days.
i.e., in a day together they complete 1/8th of the total task.
3x = 1/8th of the task.
So, x = 1/24th of the task.
We know A does 2x units of work a day = 2 * (1/24) = 1/12th of the work in a day.
So, A will take 12 days to complete the task.

You could access additional questions on Work Time and Pipes Cisterns here

TANCET 2009 Announcements

TANCET 2009 will be conducted on May 30th for TANCET MBA and TANCET MCA and on May 31st for TANCET ME/M.Tech

You have just over 2 months from today (March 11, 2009) for the TANCET examination. Actually, if you focus on your preparation earnestly from this moment, you have enough and more time to ace the exam.

An open category student with over 50 marks in the TANCET test in 2008 would have got admission into leading MBA programs that come under Anna University such as Guindy Engineering College, PSG Tech, SSN, TSM Madurai and so on.

Scoring 50 in TANCET is both easy and tough. It is easy if you solve over 1000 math questions, 200 plus Reading comprehension passages, 400 odd sentence correction questions and practice with 4 or 5 mock TANCET tests. It is tough because not more than 25 students have scored that kind of marks in the year 2008.

TANCET, thankfully, has been a predictable exam with clearly set 5 sections, with 20 questions to each section. Break down what you have to learn for each section and spend time wisely - about 3 to 4 hours a day from now to get into the college of your choice.

Lastly, all of us know that the whole world, including India, has been facing a lot of economic challenges. Campus placements are not great this year. Even if you manage to get placed - one is not sure if you will actually convert your offer letter into actually joining the company. So, at least temporarily, the good times (easy placements) are gone. In such trying times, the wise thing to do is to join a PG program and weather the economic downturn in a college / university. When you graduate in 2011, the economy is bound to bounce back and you will most likely be flooded with offers. So, get started with your TANCET Preparation.

TANCET Prep Qn: Ratio Proportion

Ratio proportion is a fundamental topic from which you should expect anything from 2 to 3 questions out of the 20 questions in the Math section of TANCET MBA test.

The following question is a ratio question and tests your ability to express one term in terms of another, given the ratio between the two terms.

Question
Sum of the ages of three friends is 98 years. If the ratio of the ages of the oldest to the middle is 5 : 3 and that of the middle to the youngest is 5 : 3, how old is the oldest?
1. 49 years
2. 50 years
3. 30 years
4. 32 years
5. 42 years

The correct answer is 50 years. i.e., Choice (2).

Explanatory Answer
One of the easiest approach to solve this question is outlined below

Let A be the oldest, B the middle one and C the youngest amongst the three friends.
Ratio of the ages of A and B, A : B :: 5 : 3
i.e., A/B = 5/3
Therefore, A = (5/3) B

Ratio of the ages of B and C, B : C :: 5 : 3
i.e, B/C = 5/3.
Hence, C = (3/5)B

We also know that A + B + C = 98

Rewriting the equation in terms of B, we get (5/3)B + B + (3/5)B = 98.
Taking 15 as the common denominator and adding we get (25B + 15B + 9B)/15 = 98
Or (49/15)B = 98
Or B = (98*15)/49 = 30.

Hence, age of A = (5/3)B = (5/3)*30 = 50 years.

Various alternative formats of the same question exist. Some oft repeated questions are given at the Ratio Proportion Practice Question Set.

Weekly Math prep question for TANCET MBA

I will periodically post interesting questions similar to those that are tested in the TANCET MBA and TANCET MCA tests.

As you are aware a fifth (i.e.,) 20 questions out of the 100 questions in the TANCET MBA paper is the math or the quant section. And about 60 questions out of the 100 questions in TANCET MCA paper is the math or the quant section.

The math that is tested in both the TANCET MBA and TANCET MCA sections are 10th standard level math.

Be assured that you will not see any of the 12th standard level math questions such as Calculus, Matrices, Vectors etc., as this exam is open to even students who would not have taken math in class 12.

In effect, what TANCET math tests is Arithmetic, Basic Algebra, Geometry topics. For good measure get yourself acquainted with Modern math topics such as Permutation Combination and Probability and Set theory if you want to score high in this section.

TANCET Exam is conducted in the second or third week of May every year. If you are keen on cracking the test, then you should start your TANCET Preparation about 3 to 6 months before the test date.