CAT Ratio and Proportion PYQ
Ratio and Proportion is an important topic in the Arithmetic section of CAT Quantitative Aptitude. Practising CAT Ratio and Proportion PYQs helps candidates understand the type, difficulty level, and approach required to solve questions in the CAT exam. This page contains Ratio and Proportion CAT questions from previous years, important formulas, shortcuts, and practice questions with solutions.
If you are preparing for CAT 2026 or CAT 2027, solving previous year questions along with concept-based practice can help you improve calculation speed and accuracy.
Download CAT Ratio and Proportion PYQ PDF
Candidates who want to practise CAT Ratio and Proportion questions offline can download the topic-wise PDF containing previous year questions and their solutions.
After completing the basic concepts, try solving the questions without looking at the solutions. Once you finish, compare your approach with the provided solution and identify opportunities to reduce calculation time.
CAT Ratio and Proportion PYQ Questions with Solutions
The best way to understand how Ratio and Proportion is tested in CAT is to solve questions from previous years. CAT questions can involve direct ratios as well as applications involving percentages, averages, ages, mixtures, partnership and other Arithmetic concepts.
Below are CAT Ratio and Proportion PYQs arranged for practice.
CAT 2025 Ratio and Proportion PYQs
Question 1
In a class, there were more than 10 boys and a certain number of girls. After 40% of the girls and 60% of the boys left the class, the remaining number of girls was 8 more than the remaining number of boys. Then, the minimum possible number of students initially in the class was
correct answer:- 55
Question 2
The ratio of the number of students in the morning shift and afternoon shift of a school was 13 : 9. After 21 students moved from the morning shift to the afternoon shift, this ratio became 19 : 14. Next, some new students joined the morning and afternoon shifts in the ratio 3 : 8 and then the ratio of the number of students in the morning shift and the afternoon shift became 5 : 4. The number of new students who joined is
correct answer:- 4
Question 3
The average salary of 5 managers and 25 engineers in a company is 60000 rupees. If each of the managers received 20% salary increase while the salary of the engineers remained unchanged, the average salary of all 30 employees would have increased by 5%. The average salary, in rupees, of the engineers is
correct answer:- 3
CAT 2024 Ratio and Proportion PYQs
Question 1
A fruit seller has a stock of mangoes, bananas and apples with at least one fruit of each type. At the beginning of a day, the number of mangoes make up 40% of his stock. That day, he sells half of the mangoes, 96 bananas and 40% of the apples. At the end of the day, he ends up selling 50% of the fruits. The smallest possible total number of fruits in the stock at the beginning of the day is
correct answer:- 340
Question 2
When Rajesh's age was same as the present age of Garima, the ratio of their ages was 3 : 2. When Garima's age becomes the same as the present age of Rajesh, the ratio of the ages of Rajesh and Garima will become
correct answer:- 3
Question 3
A company has 40 employees whose names are listed in a certain order. In the year 2022, the average bonus of the first 30 employees was Rs. 40000, of the last 30 employees was Rs. 60000, and of the first 10 and last 10 employees together was Rs. 50000. Next year, the average bonus of the first 10 employees increased by 100%, of the last 10 employees increased by 200% and of the remaining employees was unchanged. Then, the average bonus, in rupees, of all the 40 employees together in the year 2023 was
correct answer:- 1
CAT 2024 Ratio and Proportion PYQs
Question 1
The salaries of three friends Sita, Gita and Mita are initially in the ratio 5 : 6 : 7, respectively. In the first year, they get salary hikes of 20%, 25% and 20%, respectively. In the second year, Sita and Mita get salary hikes of 40% and 25%, respectively, and the salary of Gita becomes equal to the mean salary of the three friends. The salary hike of Gita in the second year is
correct answer:- 3
Question 2
There are three persons A, B and C in a room. If a person D joins the room, the average weight of the persons in the room reduces by x kg. Instead of D, if person E joins the room, the average weight of the persons in the room increases by 2x kg. If the weight of E is 12 kg more than that of D, then the value of x is
correct answer:- 3
Question 3
The price of a precious stone is directly proportional to the square of its weight. Sita has a precious stone weighing 18 units. If she breaks it into four pieces with each piece having distinct integer weight, then the difference between the highest and lowest possible values of the total price of the four pieces will be 288000. Then, the price of the original precious stone is
correct answer:- 4
CAT 2023 Ratio and Proportion PYQs
Question 1
In a village, the ratio of number of males to females is 5 : 4. The ratio of number of literate males to literate females is 2 : 3. The ratio of the number of illiterate males to illiterate females is 4 : 3. If 3600 males in the village are literate, then the total number of females in the village is
correct answer:- 43200
Question 2
The average weight of students in a class increases by 600 gm when some new students join the class. If the average weight of the new students is 3 kg more than the average weight of the original students, then the ratio of the number of original students to the number of new students is
correct answer:- 3
Question 3
The average of three integers is 13. When a natural number n is included, the average of these four integers remains an odd integer. The minimum possible value of n is
correct answer:- 3
CAT 2022 Ratio and Proportion PYQs
Question 1
The arithmetic mean of scores of 25 students in an examination is 50. Five of these students top the examination with the same score. If the scores of the other students are distinct integers with the lowest being 30, then the maximum possible score of the toppers is
correct answer:- 92
Question 2
One part of a hostel’s monthly expenses is fixed, and the other part is proportional to the number of its boarders. The hostel collects ₹ 1600 per month from each boarder. When the number of boarders is 50, the profit of the hostel is ₹ 200 per boarder, and when the number of boarders is 75, the profit of the hostel is ₹ 250 per boarder. When the number of boarders is 80, the total profit of the hostel, in INR, will be
CAT Ratio and Proportion Formulas PDF
Knowing the important Ratio and Proportion formulas for CAT can help you solve basic questions quickly and identify the right approach for more complex problems.
CAT Ratio and Proportion Formula PDF
| Concept | Formula |
|---|---|
| Ratio | a:b = a/b |
| Equivalent Ratio | a:b = ka:kb |
| Proportion | a:b = c:d |
| Proportion condition | ad = bc |
| Fourth proportional | If a:b = c:d, then d = bc/a |
| Third proportional | If a:b = b:c, then c = b²/a |
| Mean proportional | √ab |
| Compound ratio | (a:b) × (c:d) = ac:bd |
CAT Ratio and Proportion Question Types
Ratio and Proportion questions for CAT can appear in different forms. Instead of preparing only direct ratio questions, aspirants should practise questions involving different applications of the concept.
Direct Ratio Questions
These are the basic types of Ratio and Proportion questions where two or more quantities are given in a particular ratio.
For example, if A:B = 3:5 and A+B = 64:
Total parts = 3+5 = 8
One part = 64/8 = 8
Therefore:
A = 24
B = 40
Multiple Ratio Questions
Some CAT questions provide more than one ratio.
For example:
A:B = 2:3
B:C = 4:5
To find A:B:C, the common term B needs to be equalised.
A:B = 8:12
B:C = 12:15
Therefore:
A:B:C = 8:12:15
Ratio and Percentage Questions
These questions combine ratios with percentage changes.
For example, if the income of A is 20% more than the income of B:
Let B = 100.
A = 120.
Therefore:
A:B = 120:100 = 6:5
Such conversions are useful for solving CAT Arithmetic questions efficiently.
Ratio and Average Questions
Ratio can be combined with averages when individual quantities need to be determined.
Suppose two numbers are in the ratio 3:5 and their average is 32.
Their total is:
32 × 2 = 64
Total ratio parts:
3 + 5 = 8
One part:
64/8 = 8
Therefore, the numbers are:
24 and 40.
Ratio and Age Questions
Age questions often provide the ratio between the ages of two people.
For example:
A:B = 3:5
Their ages can be represented as:
A = 3x
B = 5x
Additional information about their present, past or future ages can then be used to determine x.
Ratio-Based Mixture Questions
Ratio is commonly used when quantities of two or more ingredients are mixed.
These questions may involve:
- Adding another quantity
- Removing part of a mixture
- Replacing one component
- Changing the ratio of components
Candidates should also practise Mixtures and Alligation questions along with Ratio and Proportion.
Partnership Ratio Questions
In partnership problems, the profit share depends on both investment and time.
The basic relationship is:
Profit share ∝ Capital × Time
Therefore, ratios can be used to determine the share of profit earned by different partners.
Ratio and Proportion Questions with Variables
Some CAT-level questions give relationships rather than actual values.
For example:
A:B = 4:7
A can be represented as:
4x
and B as:
7x
This variable method is useful when the total, difference or another relationship is provided in the question.
CAT Level Ratio and Proportion Questions
CAT-level questions may combine two or more concepts.
For example, a question could involve:
Ratio + Percentage + Average
or:
Ratio + Mixture + Replacement
These questions require candidates to identify the underlying relationship before beginning the calculation.
CAT Ratio and Proportion PYQ: Conclusion
Practising CAT Ratio and Proportion PYQs helps you understand the question pattern and improve your speed and accuracy. Revise the important formulas, practise different types of questions, and use the video solutions to learn faster methods. Download the CAT Ratio and Proportion PYQ PDF for quick revision and practice.
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