College Math Placement Test College Math Placement Test Word Problems 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: John is 3 times as old as his son. In 10 years, John will be twice his son's age. How old is John now?
- 20
- 30 (Correct answer)
- 40
- 60
Correct answer: 30
Let son = x, John = 3x; in 10 years: 3x+10 = 2(x+10) → x=10, so John is 30.
Question 2: A rectangle has a perimeter of 54 cm. The length is 3 cm more than twice the width. What is the width?
- 7 cm
- 8 cm (Correct answer)
- 9 cm
- 10 cm
Correct answer: 8 cm
With l = 2w+3, the perimeter equation 2(w+2w+3)=54 gives w=8 cm.
Question 3: Pipe A fills a tank in 6 hours; pipe B drains it in 9 hours. With both open, how long to fill the empty tank?
- 12 hours
- 15 hours
- 18 hours (Correct answer)
- 20 hours
Correct answer: 18 hours
Net fill rate = 1/6 − 1/9 = 1/18 per hour, so the tank fills in 18 hours.
Question 4: A salesperson earns $800/month base plus 6% commission. If total earnings are $1,520, what were the sales?
- $10,000
- $11,000
- $12,000 (Correct answer)
- $13,000
Correct answer: $12,000
Commission = $1,520 − $800 = $720; sales = 720/0.06 = $12,000.
Question 5: Two numbers have a sum of 80 and a difference of 24. What is the larger number?
- 28
- 48
- 52 (Correct answer)
- 56
Correct answer: 52
Adding x+y=80 and x−y=24 gives 2x=104, so the larger number x=52.
Question 6: A car worth $20,000 depreciates by 15% each year. What is its value after 2 years?
- $14,000
- $14,450 (Correct answer)
- $15,000
- $17,000
Correct answer: $14,450
Value = 20000×(0.85)² = 20000×0.7225 = $14,450.
College Math Placement Test College Math Placement Test Word Problems 2
John is 3 times as old as his son.
In 10 years, John will be twice his son's age.
How old is John now?