TANCET Math : Averages

Averages is an oft repeated topic in TANCET quant section. You may also get a variant of questions from the arithmetic mean and weighted average concept as Data Sufficiency Questions in TANCET.

Here is a sample averages question. A rather easy one.

Average weight of 25 boys in a class is 48 kgs. The average weight of the class of 40students is 45 kgs. What is the average weight of the 15 girls in the class?
1. 44 kgs
2. 42 kgs
3. 40 kgs
4. 39 kgs
5. 42.5 kgs

Speed Distance Time Question TANCET

Speed, Distance and Time is an important topic from a TANCET quant perspective. You could expect to get one to two questions from this topic.

The core concept in this topic is the relation between these three parameters
Distance = speed * time.

The second point to keep in mind while solving questions from this topic is to check if the units of the three parameters match.
i.e., if distance is measured in kilometres and time in hours, speed should be in km/hr. Alternatively, if speed is in kilometres and time in minute, speed should be in km/min.

Here is an easy to moderate level difficulty question in this topic.

A bus travels at 40 kmph for the first 100 kms, 60 kmph for the next 100 kms and 48 kmph for the final 200 kms, what is the average speed over the total distance?
1. 48 kmph
2. 50 kmph
3. 49 kmph
4. 52 kmph
5. 50.4kmph

The concept tested in this question is that of average speeds.

The answer to this question is 48 kmph.

Explanatory Answer

Average speed for the first 200kms = 2ab/(a + b) = 2 * 40 * 60/(40 + 60) = 48 kmph.

Bus travels equal distances at two different speeds, average speed = 2ab/(a + b)

Now, if we break the overall journey into two stretches of 200 kms each, the bus travels the first 200kms at 48kmph, and the second at 48 kmph. Overall, average speed = 48 kmph.
Correct answer (1)

Alternatively, you could find out the total time taken to cover the entire distance of 400 kms

Time taken for the first 100 kms = 100 / 40 = 10/4 hours

Time taken for the second 100 kms = 100/60 = 10/6 hours

Time taken for the last 200 kms = 200/48 = 50/12.

Adding up all three, we get 10/4 + 10/6 + 50/12 = 100/12 hours.

Average speed = total distance / total time

= 400 /(100/12) = 4800/100 = 48 kmph

For additional questions on Speed, Distance and Time, click here

TANCET Quant : Percents

Here is a relatively easy question from the topic Percents.

Question

If A is 40% more than B and C is 68% more than B, what percent is C more than A?
1. 28%
2. 17%

3. 20%
4. 10.8%
5. 54%

TANCET Quant : Progressions

AP, GP (Arithmetic Progressions and Geometric Progressions) are two topics from which you could expect to get at least one question.

An interesting topic and the kind of questions that you can expect in the TANCET quant section from these two topics will be rather elementary.

The AP topic has two formulae to remember.

The first one is to find the nth or the last term 'l' of an AP : l = a + (n - 1)d, where 'a' is the first term, n is the number of terms and 'd' is the common difference.

The second formula is to find the sum of first 'n' terms of an AP. Sn = (n/2)(2a + (n - 1)d)

Here is a question that tests your understanding of these concepts.

If the first term of an AP is 12 and the 7th term is 36, what is the sum of these 7 terms?

1. 240

2. 168

3. 336

4. 84

5. 121

Explanatory Answer

The first term a = 12

The 7th term l = 36.

We know that l = a + (n - 1)d

or 36 = 12 + (7 - 1)d

or 24 = 6d

or d = 4.

Sum of these first 7 terms = (n/2)(a + (n - 1)d), where n = 7, a = 12, d = 4

Substituting we get, (7/2)(2*12 + (7 - 1)4)

= (7/2)(24 + 24)

= 7 * 24

= 168

Choice (2) is the correct answer.

Speed Time Distance : TANCET Math

Speed, Time and Distance is an interesting topic from which you could expect to get one question in the math section and probably a question in the data sufficiency section of the TANCET MBA test.

The concept is extremely simple : Distance = Speed * Time
The place where you need to be careful is to make sure that the units that you use for the different quantities have integrity i.e., if the unit for speed used is km/hr, then you should use hour as the unit for time.

Here is a simple question in speed time distance.
Question
Traveling at 4/5ths of her usual speed, Sonal reached office 20 minutes late. How long did she take today?
1. 60 minutes
2. 80 minutes
3. 100 minutes
4. 64 minutes
5. 96 minutes

Explanatory Answer
She travels at 4/5th of her usual speed.
Let her usual speed be 's' km/min. So, today she travels at 4/5s.
Let the usual time she takes be 't' minutes. So, today she will take (t + 20) minutes.
As the distance traveled in both the cases is the same, we can equate them
i.e., st = 4/5s (t + 20)
dividing both sides by 's' we get t = 4/5(t + 20)
or 5t = 4t + 80
or t = 80 minutes.
t is the usual time take.
The time taken today is t + 20 = 100 minutes.

Note: 1. We used km/min as the unit for speed as the unit of time given in the question is in minutes.
2. we did not stop at finding the value of 't'. The question was about finding the time taken today = t + 20.

You can get additional questions on speed time and distance at this link.

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 Quant Practice Questions

I am providing links to webpages where you can get free practice questions for TANCET Math section.

These links are organized on a chronological order.

August 2003 : You will find a lot of Number Theory, Number Properties and Averages questions in this collection.