Maths question - Civil Service is wrong (we now have 100% more threads about the subject)

[Sharingaroomtinightthen]

When I posted late last night I thought I’d get maybe half a dozen replies confirming the question didn’t have the correct answer and advising whether to tell the Civil Service recruiters. But here we are 1000 posts later.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5384347-maths-test-to-think-civil-service-have-it-wrong

Oh come on now. It can't possibly be blue. I think you've forgotten about the reduction in year 3.
Once you deduct that from year 1, divide the increase from year 2 into 4, double it and take away the number you first thought of, It's obviously purple.

It can’t be anything other than green because there was a full moon when Y1 ended and Venus was in Capricorn.

@Spiderbitebatbite

I will try one last time.

Trebling a number DOES NOT INCREASE IT BY 300%! (And in any case the trebling result is reduced by a quarter before we reach the final figure.)

Making a number 3 times bigger IS NOT THE SAME THING AS INCREASING IT BY 300%!

Do you not accept that IF YOU DOUBLE A NUMBER, e.g. your salary rises from £30k to £60k, that is an INCREASE OF 100%, NOT 200%?

There, my frustration that you keep getting this wrong and ignoring those pointing out your error has made me break the principles of a lifetime and use CAPITALS AND BOLD AND EXCLAMATION MARKS!

I'm done. Continue ignoring this basic mathematical point if you want to, but you are making yourself look very very silly.

Green was not an option so you should've realised that they want you to answer as if it was a solar eclipse which would make the answer yellow.

AS THE QUESTION CLEARLY STATES

Ah, but on July 7th Uranus entered Virgo, so the answer is quite clearly two hedgehogs.

Actually, the answer is clearly 42.

Obviously the newspaper was printed on the grassy knoll, and carries an article showing that the shadows prove the moon landing was faked.

@Samscaff no - you’re forgetting you need to increase by 690% which is a mince pie.

Baaaaaa

Yes! Silly me.

It’s ok. It’s an easy mistake as the question is ambiguous.

...d maths. Very baaaaad. Quite baaaaarmy, in fact.

Ahhh... the no correct option on a multiple option test conundrum 😂. I weirdly loved doing these tests when I applied for a job in the UKBA many years ago. I did 2 tests a Maths and an English one. I got my results and I scored higher than 98% of applicants for the maths one and higher than 97% of applicants for the English one, I thought it was great as English is not my first language. I still didn't get the job though 😂

I take it you aren't American.

You have won todays internet.

Share and enjoy.

Derailing slightly, but I got a job because of a typo, as the only candidate to mention it. The typo was a genuine accident.

There is a very deep and dark thread running through this. Because if the right answer isn't available, what do you do as a moral being ? I am sure some of the less dim readers will get my drift.

I would like my civil service - no matter how shit they are at maths (and we've already seen that debate ...) - to have the moral backbone to say "No Minister. None of these options is correct.". I don't want us to become the US where the civil service are required to tell the President he is right 100% of the time for fear of their jobs. (Bit of politics there, my names Ben Elton, goodnight 😀)

Shouting the wrong answer never makes it right.

Curious as to which department in the Civil Service has this particular maths question @Sharingaroomtinightthen ?

Haven’t read the whole thread, but what is the answer?

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office 🤔

Jesus is the answer.

Now, what is the question ?

The correct answer is 125%.
Various other incorrect answers abound.

percentage increase is (new-original)/original x 100%

So start at 100.
end y1 = 200 <this is the base the for calculation as it asks for from end y1>
end y2 = 600
end y3 = 450

So percentage increase is (450-200)/200 x 100% = 125%

It's not, is it! It's a 25 increase on 200, so 12.5% . Anyway my early morning maths aside, it's not one of the options for answers, so can't see how that would be how the question was meant!

Because one of the biggest problems with many attempts at answering the question is a basic comprehension one. It’s amazing how few people have been able to read and understand what the question is asking, then apply some very simple maths and calculate a percentage 😂

In the original thread I think almost 60% of posters thought the OP was being unreasonable, and I reckon well over 80% of posts have been made by those who either don’t understand the question, don’t understand the arithmetic required to answer the question and / or don’t understand percentages!

It is interesting (or terrifying) how many poster here, when shown the correct answer and methodology still insist on rejecting that mathematical certainty over some weird misplaced religious belief that the question is sacred and cannot be wrong.

They would be burning witches before the day is out if they could. Having to take time out of their day job so they can report heretics who refuse to believe the words of their betters.

I really hope no one here is called Buttle.