Maths test - to think Civil Service have it wrong?

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I’ve just applied for a Civil Service test. Part of it is passing a numerical test.

This is the question.

The answer is 125%. I’m sure of it.

If you start with £100, and in the first year it doubles it’s £200. So at the of year one it’s £200.

In year two it trebles to £600.

It then falls by a quarter in the third year to £450.

So end of year 1 - £200.

End of year 3 - £450.

It’s increased by 125%.

125% isn’t an answer option.

WIBU to email and tell them they’ve got it wrong?

Not 'this' - the question clearly asks for the percentage increase from the end of the first year to the end of the third year. There is no ambiguity whatsoever. And the percentage increase is 125%.

It asks what is the % increase - I.e what is end y3 expressed as a % of end y1.

These are two different questions.

The percentage increase between 200 and 450 is 125%.

450 expressed as a percentage of 200 is 225%.

They are not interchangeable. It specifically asks for the increase.

No, the given percentage of the original value (circulation at end of year 1) is 125%.

You then need to add on the percentage of the original value (ie 100%) to get the percentage increase of 225%.

By your logic, if the circulation is 2X (doubled at end of first year), 125% of 2X is:

2X x 125/ 100 =2.5X

Correctly, If the circulation is 2X, 225% of 2X is:

2X x 225/100 = 4.5X

I think if someone asked the question what's 10 to the power of 3, there would still be posters trying to argue that it depends on the meaning of power and write an essay to prove the answer is 100.

The ‘year 3 end’ value is 225% of the ‘year 1 end’ value (and presumably what the examiner meant to ask).
But the percentage increase between those two figures is 125%.

OP this is it in a nutshell!

This is just wrong.

Dear God, this is getting so depressing. It just shows how many people must completely misunderstand simple statistics/percentages quoted by politicians.

OP you are right. The question asks for the INCREASE. The increase is 250. To get the percentage you just divide 250 by 200 and then multiply by 100.

I know 😆. I never doubted the answer, especially after checking 100 times during the test. It’s whether to tell them.

If you are paid £100 and your boss increases your wage by 10%, what is your new wage?

… IS WRONG

Beautifully explained.

Never mind averages: "48% of schools are below average!" Shock, horror!

Yes, so depressing. But also hilarious in a sort of desperate, faintly hysterical way.

Pay peanuts, you get monkeys!

Hello OP. I am your boss at the Civil Service. You got the job. However, your first year’s salary is only £200. (You annoyed me by arguing with my maths test).

However, it’s now the end of the first year and I have written to you to tell you that I am increasing your salary. Your new salary is 225% of your old one.

Important note. I did not say that I was increasing your salary BY 225%, although obviously I am increasing it. I am telling you that your new salary is 225% OF your old one. (Still an increase on that meagre £200. Still meagre).

Now tell me what your new salary is…

Don’t know why you’re aiming this at me. I know the answer to the original question.

225% of £200 is £450.

Oh, I think I see where you're going wrong. You're confusing percentages of something with percentage increases. You can't have 225% of something. You can only have a 225% INCREASE of something.

If you have 100 grapes, any portion of those 100 grapes would have to be less than 100, right? As in, 50 percent of the grapes would be 50 grapes. 99 percent of the grapes would be 99 grapes. So you can't have 225% OF the grapes, but you can INCREASE the grapes by 225%.

Does that make sense?

So, 450 is not 225% of 200. That would make no sense and is mathematically impossible. A portion of 200 must always be less than 200. But 450 IS a 225% increase on 200.

I think it's the way the question is worded

As a PP said: If you earn £200 and get a 10% increase, you get £220

If you earn £200 and get a 100% increase you get £400

If you earn £200 and get a 125% increase you get £450

The % increase between 200 and 450 is 125% because 125% of 200 is 250 and 200 plus 250 = 450

If I get paid £100 and my wage is increased by 10% (a given percentage of my original wage), I will get paid £110.

That is a percentage increase of 110% (100 + 10).

100 x 110/100 =110

I’m not going wrong.

450 is 225% of 200. Of course that’s mathematically possible.

The question asks for the percentage increase.

If you had 200 grapes and you were offered a 100% increase in the number of grades you have, how many would you end up with?

200 increased by 10% is 220 grapes.

200 increased by 50% is 300 grapes.

200 increased by 100% is 400 grapes.

200 increased by 125% is 450 grapes.

I love how you reasoned this all out like this, but it’s complete and utter made up baloney.

Omg no - that's not how maths works. Of course you can have 225% of something - ie 2.25 times the original value.
(That's not what the question was though- which was asking for the percentage increase of 125%).

If I get paid £100 and my wage is increased by 10% (a given percentage of my original wage), I will get paid £110.

That is a percentage increase of 110% (100 + 10).
100 x 110/100 =110

No it’s not. It’s an increase of 10%. You said it in the first line.

OP, I think you have thoroughly proven on this thread that you've got infinite patience in dealing with nonsense and incompetence. They should give you the job in the civil service.

Yes, 2.25 times the original value is an INCREASE of 225%. It's not a PORTION of the original value, which must be less than 100 percent.

You cannot have 225% OF something. But you can INCREASE it by 225%.

So what is a 225% portion of 100 grapes? NOT a 225% increase, which would be more than 100 grapes. You need to give me a 225% portion of 100 grapes that's less than 100 grapes.