FREE SIFT Math Questions and Answers

Question 1

With a family budget of $55,000 per month, Jim saves $2,500. To what extent does he save a portion of his income?

Accepted Answer

¹⁄₂₂

Answer

To find the fraction of income Jim saves, divide the amount saved by his total monthly budget. Jim saves $2,500 from a $55,000 budget. The fraction is 2500 / 55000. Simplifying this fraction by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor, 2500, results in 1/22.

Question 2

How many students in a class play tennis if there are 40% female students and 25% of female students play tennis?

Accepted Answer

10%

Answer

To determine the percentage of students in the class who play tennis, multiply the percentage of female students by the percentage of female students who play tennis. This is calculated as 40% of 25%. Converting these percentages to decimals (0.40 * 0.25) yields 0.10, which means 10% of the total students in the class play tennis.

Question 3

How many users can a set of four one-foot rulers be divided among so that each has 16 of them?

Accepted Answer

24

Answer

The question implies that '16 of them' refers to 16 units of a specific measurement. To arrive at 24 users, we must interpret 'them' as 1/8th-inch segments. Each one-foot ruler (12 inches) contains 12 * 8 = 96 such segments. Therefore, four rulers contain a total of 4 * 96 = 384 segments. If each user receives 16 of these 1/8th-inch segments, then 384 segments / 16 segments per user equals 24 users.

Question 4

A town's population grows by 15% and 20% over the course of two years. How much of the population has grown after two years?

Accepted Answer

38%

Answer

To calculate the total population growth over two years, you must compound the percentages, not simply add them. Start with an initial population (e.g., 100). After the first year, the population grows by 15% to 115. In the second year, the population grows by 20% of this new total (115 * 0.20 = 23), making the population 115 + 23 = 138. The total growth from the initial 100 is 38, representing a 38% increase.

Question 5

In a stadium, there are typically 5:7 home and away supporters present. What number of spectators could there possibly be in the stadium?

Accepted Answer

12,324

Answer

The ratio of home to away supporters is 5:7, meaning for every 5 home supporters, there are 7 away supporters. The total number of parts in this ratio is 5 + 7 = 12. Therefore, the total number of spectators in the stadium must be a multiple of 12. Among the given options, only 12,324 is perfectly divisible by 12 (12,324 ÷ 12 = 1027), making it the only possible number of spectators.

SIFT Exam Practice Test

SIFT Exam Practice Test

FREE SIFT Math Questions and Answers