GCAT Arithmetic Word Problems 3

Question 1

An employee earns $18/hour for regular time and 1.5× for overtime. She works 45 hours in one week. What are her total weekly earnings?

Accepted Answer

$855

Answer

40 regular hours × $18 = $720; 5 overtime hours × $27 = $135; total = $855.

Question 2

A train 300 meters long passes a stationary pole in 15 seconds. What is the train's speed in km/h?

Accepted Answer

72

Answer

Speed = 300 ÷ 15 = 20 m/s; 20 × 3.6 = 72 km/h.

Question 3

A $200 item is discounted 15%, then 8% sales tax is applied. What is the final price?

Accepted Answer

$183.60

Answer

$200 × 0.85 = $170; $170 × 1.08 = $183.60.

Question 4

If 8 pipes fill a tank in 6 hours, how long will 12 pipes take to fill the same tank?

Accepted Answer

4 hours

Answer

Total pipe-hours needed = 8 × 6 = 48; time with 12 pipes = 48 ÷ 12 = 4 hours.

Question 5

A person invests $5,000 at 4% simple interest per year. How much total interest is earned in 3 years and 6 months?

Accepted Answer

$700

Answer

I = $5,000 × 0.04 × 3.5 = $700.

GCAT - General Cognitive Ability Test Practice Test