Top 100 IIMB UG Arithmetic Questions 2026
Arithmetic is one of the largest and most scoring blocks in the IIMB UG Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation section. This section has 30 of the paper's 60 questions, and the computer-based test runs for 135 minutes on the NCERT Class X to XII syllabus. Each correct answer earns 3 marks and each wrong answer costs 1, so a sure method beats a lucky guess.
Most questions rest on one idea: every arithmetic topic is a ratio in disguise. Percentages, profit, interest, speed and work all compare two quantities, so converting percentages to fractions and picking a convenient base (100 for prices, the LCM for work) settles most questions in two or three lines. Common patterns include percentage change, successive discounts, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, ratio and partnership, averages, mixtures and alligations, time and work, pipes and cisterns, time, speed and distance, and boats and streams. Arithmetic also drives most DI calculations, so speed here pays off twice. Solve 10 to 15 questions daily, aiming for about a minute each, to bank time for DI sets.
Download IIMB UG Top 100 Arithmetic Questions PDF
IIMB UG Arithmetic Questions PDF
The PDF puts the top 100 arithmetic questions in one place, with a step-by-step solution for each question. It covers percentages, profit, loss, and discount; simple and compound interest; ratio, proportion, and partnership; averages; mixtures and alligations; time and work; pipes and cisterns; time, speed, and distance; trains; and boats and streams. Solve it in a timed setting, note where a formula below would have saved time, and revisit wrong answers after a few days.
How to Solve IIMB UG Arithmetic Questions
Learn these five tables by heart; together they answer most IIMB UG arithmetic questions without long calculations. CP is cost price, SP is selling price, MP is marked price, P is principal, R is rate per cent per year and T is time in years.
Percentages:
Concept | Formula |
Percentage change | (New − Old) ÷ Old × 100 |
Successive changes of a% and b% | a + b + ab/100 (negative sign for a decrease) |
A is r% more than B | B is r ÷ (100 + r) × 100 % less than A |
A is r% less than B | B is r ÷ (100 − r) × 100 % more than A |
Price rises r%, spending unchanged | Cut consumption by r ÷ (100 + r) × 100 % |
Growth for n years at r% | P(1 + r/100)ⁿ; use (1 − r/100)ⁿ for depreciation |
Profit, loss and discount:
Concept | Formula |
Profit % | (SP − CP) ÷ CP × 100 |
Discount % | (MP − SP) ÷ MP × 100 |
Selling price | CP × (100 + profit %) ÷ 100 = MP × (100 − discount %) ÷ 100 |
Mark-up m%, discount d% | Profit % = m − d − md/100 |
Successive discounts d₁%, d₂% | Single discount = d₁ + d₂ − d₁d₂/100 |
CP of x items = SP of y items | Profit % = (x − y) ÷ y × 100 |
Two items at the same SP, x% gain on one, x% loss on the other | Always a net loss of x²/100 % |
False weight, sold at cost price | Gain % = (True weight − False weight) ÷ False weight × 100 |
Simple and compound interest:
Concept | Formula |
Simple interest | SI = P × R × T ÷ 100 |
Compound amount | A = P(1 + R/100)ᵀ |
Half-yearly or quarterly compounding | R/2 for 2T periods; R/4 for 4T periods |
CI − SI, 2 years | P(R/100)² |
CI − SI, 3 years | P(R/100)²(3 + R/100) |
Effective rate, 2 years at CI | 2R + R²/100 |
Sum doubles in T years at SI | R = 100 ÷ T |
Ratio, averages and mixtures:
Concept | Formula |
Weighted average | (n₁a₁ + n₂a₂) ÷ (n₁ + n₂) |
Average of an evenly spaced list | (First + Last) ÷ 2 |
New value added to n values, average rises by d | New value = Old average + (n + 1)d |
One of n values replaced, average rises by d | New value − Old value = nd |
Alligation | Cheaper : Dearer = (Dearer − Mean) : (Mean − Cheaper) |
Repeated replacement, x taken from V each time | Pure left = Initial × (1 − x/V)ⁿ |
Partnership | Profit ratio = Capital × Time for each partner |
Combine a: b and b: c | Make b equal in both, then read a: b: c |
Time and work, time, speed and distance:
Concept | Formula |
A alone in a days, B alone in b days | Together: ab ÷ (a + b) days |
Work in units | Total work = LCM of the days; daily rate = LCM ÷ days |
Pipes and cisterns | Filling pipes add, emptying pipes subtract |
Men, days and hours | M₁D₁H₁ ÷ W₁ = M₂D₂H₂ ÷ W₂ |
km/h to m/s | Multiply by 5/18 |
Same distance | Speed ratio is the inverse of the time ratio |
Average speed, equal distances | 2xy ÷ (x + y) |
Relative speed | Same direction: difference; opposite directions: sum |
Train crossing | Time = (L₁ + L₂) ÷ relative speed (L₂ = 0 for a pole or a person) |
Boats and streams | Downstream u + v, upstream u − v; boat = (D + U) ÷ 2, stream = (D − U) ÷ 2 |
Meet, then take t₁ and t₂ to finish | S₁ : S₂ = √t₂ : √t₁ |
Turn percentages into fractions: 12.5% = 1/8, 16.67% = 1/6, 20% = 1/5, 25% = 1/4 and 33.33% = 1/3. If the price of sugar rises 25% (1/4), consumption must fall by 1/5, or 20%, to keep spending the same.
Chain successive changes: A 20% rise followed by a 20% fall gives 20 − 20 − (20 × 20)/100 = −4%, a net 4% loss, not zero.
Work in units, not fractions: A finishes a job in 12 days and B in 18. Take 36 units of work; A does 3 a day and B 2, so together they need 36 ÷ 5 = 7.2 days.
Use alligation for any mixture: To get a 30% acid solution from 20% and 50% solutions, mix them in (50 − 30) : (30 − 20) = 2: 1.
Use the CI–SI shortcut: On ₹10,000 at 10% for 2 years, CI − SI = 10,000 × (0.1)² = ₹100, with no need to work out either interest.
Check the base: A profit of 20% on selling price is 25% on cost price, because the profit is SP/5 = CP/4. Wrong options are often the answer on the wrong base.
Avoid the average-speed trap: Equal distances at 40 km/h and 60 km/h average 2 × 40 × 60 ÷ 100 = 48 km/h. The option 50 km/h is there to catch a simple average.
Guess carefully under negative marking: A wrong answer costs 1 mark against 3 for a correct one. Guess only after eliminating at least two options; otherwise, move on.
Top 100 IIMB UG Arithmetic Questions 2026: Conclusion
The Top 100 IIMB UG Arithmetic Questions 2026 PDF is a useful resource for students preparing for the IIM Bangalore UG Entrance Exam. It covers important topics such as percentages, profit and loss, ratios, averages, simple and compound interest, time and work, and time, speed and distance. Practising these questions with detailed solutions will help you understand key concepts, learn useful formulas and improve your problem-solving speed.
With the IIMB UG 2026 exam scheduled for November 15, 2026, students should focus on regular practice and revision. Download the IIMB UG Arithmetic Questions PDF, solve questions under timed conditions and review your mistakes carefully. Revise important arithmetic formulas and practise different question patterns to improve your accuracy and confidence in the Quantitative Aptitude and Data Interpretation section.
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